To what degree are you prepping your brass?

Lead hammer said:
Everybody is different. New brass I do the primer flash holes, and Lee collet neck size and trim to length if they are long enough. Once fire formed, I tumble clean, anneal after every shot, use a Redding body die for a 0.002" bump, and trim to length, and size with a Lee collet die. Seat with a Redding mic die. Seating depth is a huge deal so you should get something to measure your base to ogive. ( Ignore the COL once they fit in your mag.) I use the Hornady measuring tools for that.
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Can you explain the need for annealing after every firing? I see its popular with the precision crowd so obviously has some merit.
 
The way I look at it, each piece of brass will likely have slightly different properties. The brass new is soft, every subsequent firing and trip through the die will harden it. So to ensure that the brass has the best chance for longevity, and the best chance to have the same neck tension on the bullet, annealing after every firing does that. It would be hard to know when to anneal otherwise, after every 3, or 5 firings? Will the brass provide the same neck tension between each other before the chosen annealing time? or between new brass and the target anneal after 5 firings? Maybe, but probably not. It's easy to do, does not take very long, and eliminates a variable.
 
Lead hammer said:
The way I look at it, each piece of brass will likely have slightly different properties. The brass new is soft, every subsequent firing and trip through the die will harden it. So to ensure that the brass has the best chance for longevity, and the best chance to have the same neck tension on the bullet, annealing after every firing does that. It would be hard7 to know when to anneal otherwise, after every 3, or 5 firings? Will the brass provide the same neck tension between each other before the chosen annealing time? or between new brass and the target anneal after 5 firings? Maybe, but probably not. It's easy to do, does not take very long, and eliminates a variable.
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I am starting to think this way, for reasons as you state. Just have to get into a better annealing process.

Regards
Ronr
 
this is what i do:
I tumble twice. I remove the primer then tumble for a few hours. Then I clean out the primer pockets and full size the brass. Then tumble a second time to remove any residue from full sizing. I run a brass brush inside the neck - tap the brass on a hard surface this removes any residue inside the cases. I make sure that none of the brass exceeds maximum cartridge length. I try to resize brass so that no brass is longer than 0.02. I use a seater die measure from the ojive - I back out the seater die abit seat all the bullets then reseat them once again to get to the proper ojive measurement.

One thing we over look is how clean is the barrel (copper fouling) etc plays a role in accuracy.
 
Lapua brass, anneal, resize (Redding type S die) tumble, trim (Gracey trimmer), weight sort. .308 into .5 grain lots, .223 into .3 gr lots. Powder measured out on an RCBS Chargemaster then reweighed and trickled (pinched) up to weight using an Acculab VIC 123 scale to within .02 gr. Bullet seated with a Redding Competition die and each round is checked for concentricity. I do nothing to the primer pockets except to check the flashhole is clear of tumbling media.
 
Done correctly, annealing can both extend brass life by reducing split necks, and improve accuracy by providing consistent neck tension on each bullet.

Done incorrectly, the results can vary from ineffective to downright dangerous. It's something you need to research very carefully before you try it. Many shooters don't venture into it, others swear by it.
 
Chilly807 said:
Done correctly, annealing can both extend brass life by reducing split necks, and improve accuracy by providing consistent neck tension on each bullet.

Done incorrectly, the results can vary from ineffective to downright dangerous. It's something you need to research very carefully before you try it. Many shooters don't venture into it, others swear by it.
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Thanks.
 
Brass Prep

Here is what I and a couple friends shooting FTR at Connaught in Ottawa do to there brass
Lapua Palma Brass mutch better than LR primer brass, Much lower ES and primer pockets stay tight longer .shooting 200+ gr bullets at max speeds.

Turn necks full cut to app 12k must be done !!
Uniform primer pockets
Chamfer case mouth (very very lightly)
Case length to 2.005
square base of cases just to remove any high spots very lightly

Dies we all use Redding Completion dies sets one fellow uses Forster dies
We use bushing neck dies app: 1 k neck tension
loading powder to .02 grns (Adam Mc Donald powder trickler)
weigh your primers and sort, very important at 900m
Fireform brass over Lab Radar REMOVE ANY HIGH OR LOW ONES ES to 12fps or less
brush inside necks after firing.
Don't use tumblers or pins Just clean brass with Krazzy Cloth and clean primer pockets with uniformed cutter lightly
You must do these things to shoot small groups.

View attachment 256458View attachment 256460View attachment 256462View attachment 256463
This was shot at 300 yards With a .308 win 155.5 Bergers and lots of Varget with Warner PEEP SIGHTS 6 SHOTS
View attachment 256464
GETTING EXPENSIVE TO RELOAD TODAY

Reloading cost 308 Win 2019 Prices

Powder 45 gr, Varget at $51.00 lb $ .34

Berger 185 gr JUGS $74.95 per 100 $ .75

Fed Gold Match Primers $ .06

Brass Lapua Palma $115/10 firings $ .12

Accuracy of Custom Stainless barrel
2500 to 3000 rounds then firecracking
starts in throat, cracking will pull copper
from jackets and accuracy will start to
go downhill.
New barrel $600 install new barrel $350
+ shipping $1000 $ .30
Open class rifles like 6.5/284 barrel
7mmwsm etc
replacment cost will double

$ 1.57 per shot

CHEERS
MANITOU
 
manitou210 said:
Here is what I and a couple friends shooting FTR at Connaught in Ottawa do to there brass
Lapua Palma Brass mutch better than LR primer brass, Much lower ES and primer pockets stay tight longer .shooting 200+ gr bullets at max speeds.

Turn necks full cut to app 12k must be done !!
Uniform primer pockets
Chamfer case mouth (very very lightly)
Case length to 2.005
square base of cases just to remove any high spots very lightly

Dies we all use Redding Completion dies sets one fellow uses Forster dies
We use bushing neck dies app: 1 k neck tension
loading powder to .02 grns (Adam Mc Donald powder trickler)
weigh your primers and sort, very important at 900m
Fireform brass over Lab Radar REMOVE ANY HIGH OR LOW ONES ES to 12fps or less
brush inside necks after firing.
Don't use tumblers or pins Just clean brass with Krazzy Cloth and clean primer pockets with uniformed cutter lightly
You must do these things to shoot small groups.

View attachment 256458View attachment 256460View attachment 256462View attachment 256463
This was shot at 300 yards With a .308 win 155.5 Bergers and lots of Varget with Warner PEEP SIGHTS 6 SHOTS
View attachment 256464
GETTING EXPENSIVE TO RELOAD TODAY

Reloading cost 308 Win 2019 Prices

Powder 45 gr, Varget at $51.00 lb $ .34

Berger 185 gr JUGS $74.95 per 100 $ .75

Fed Gold Match Primers $ .06

Brass Lapua Palma $115/10 firings $ .12

Accuracy of Custom Stainless barrel
2500 to 3000 rounds then firecracking
starts in throat, cracking will pull copper
from jackets and accuracy will start to
go downhill.
New barrel $600 install new barrel $350
+ shipping $1000 $ .30
Open class rifles like 6.5/284 barrel
7mmwsm etc
replacment cost will double

$ 1.57 per shot

CHEERS
MANITOU
Click to expand...


I've known a few guys (still do) that shoot like this. They complain that the rounds are expensive, but they shoot 3-5 shots for an entire afternoon, so their outing is no more than $10. Those barrels will last 1,000 years with that output


I on the other hand, shoot 1000 rounds, drive those guys nuts, and go home $150 poorer, and my barrels don't have rifling left ;)
 
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