What do I do with this case length

G

GSoD

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Hey guys,

Just started reloading my first batch. Once fired (I'm my barrel) federal .308.

So far I've cleaned, lubed, resized and removed the old primers.

I'm at the resizing stage.

The reloading manual says 2.005 for length. But all my readings are showing sizes just shy of 2.000 - anywhere from 1.987 down to 1.975.

So obviously I don't trim to 2.005. What do you figure I shold do as I know for accuracy you should be uniform? Should I pick an average and pull aside the ones under it and trim the rest to meet that average?

Any help would be appreciated.

<<PS - I love reloading thus far!>>
 
Are you shooting competitively? with the slight varience in brass length, target shooting for fun will not be affected. When you compete, the brass and bullets have to fit your chamber within thousandths of a mm. but for shooting for fun, the accuracy you seek comes from the shooter not the cartridge..I shoot .223 savage and have yet to trim my brass, some 3x fired and I can still hit what i point at at 300 yards.
 
I wouldnt worry about it. It will allow for your brass to expand a little, and this is ok.
A little short is fine. Being a little long is a big problem, short can be dealt with.
Being short will ensure that the cases will fit in the chamber with no issues. If you were right at the trim length, and some of them were a little long, then you may have a few cases that are hard to feed.
Its fine. Just be sure to double check the length next time before you get going on too many cases.
welcome to the reloaders club!
 
hmmm - I'm using a RCBS caliper and am pretty sure I'm reading it right and have it zero'd right. Maybe I'll try to find a control object to measure.

I'm trying to develop the habits that will lend themselves to making accurate cartridges.

So you guys, thus far, suggest I shouldn't be too worried about trimming all the cases to the same size.
 
The cartridges will grow in time, and then you can trim them all equal length.

The only real problem with the little Lee case trimmers, is the inability to use it to get cases shorter than the LEE trim length the same size. Once they have grown, all is well.
You can of course use a drill press, and a depth gauge to do it, discarding the Lee case length gauge, but the press isn't part of the kit, is it.
 
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