New brass vs. once fired brass ?

R

RAY

Handloader
Jan 31, 2015
289
0
I have a winter load for my 30/06 that was worked up with new Nosler brass from last year.
My plan is to full length size the once fired brass .


I pretty much have the same measurements with the once fired cases as they were new ( length , shoulder to case head ) .

So if I FL size this brass, can I expect the accuracy to be there like they were new ?

When I was doing load work ups , I didn't realize that people normally worked up their loads with fire formed cases.

Thanks, Ray.
 
How good is good enough for you? Are you shooting benchrest, or hunting? For hunting, I FL-size all my brass. Many of my loads group well under 1", in a variety of calibers.
 
bdbrown66":13mdv0qr said:
How good is good enough for you? Are you shooting benchrest, or hunting? For hunting, I FL-size all my brass. Many of my loads group well under 1", in a variety of calibers.
Click to expand...
Nickel size groups at 100 yards.

So are you saying as long as I fl size the once fired brass , I should be ok ?

Yes, for hunting.
 
Ray , my advice is to size your brass by adjusting your full length die to bump the shoulder back about .002" . this will give you max case life . if your load doesn't shoot as well with a fired resized case , tweek your load a little . I do nothing different for hunting ammo , it's treated all the same .


first fire brass will spring back a bunch , to close to new dimensions . I'll neck size only , for 2 or 3 times, until my brass starts to get tight in the gun . then I will measure this fully expanded brass and get my dies to move the shoulder back about .002" . this should give you your best brass case life .
 
Many full resize hunting loads. If you are only using one gun I would partial resize and stay off the shoulder unless it doesn't chamber easily. In that case I would bump the shoulder until I had reliable chambering. I would not assume that full length resizing would dimension your brass exactly as new anyway. Unless your chamber is significantly large, and you said the cases are practically the same dimensions, you'll likely not see any difference.
 
Ammo loaded with new brass, usually, feeds very smoothly in the rifle. After firing, depending on chamber size, some cases aren't feeding as smoothly as new ones. I will set the sizing die where the once fired ammo will enter the chamber with the slightest feel of the chamber. Set the OAL where the bullet will not touch the rifling, saying there is room in the magazine-box.

All the best,
 
RAY":217xevdu said:
Nickel size groups at 100 yards.
Click to expand...

That's a tall order, especially for a reasonably lightweight hunting rifle.

I consider my 30-06 to be a good shooter, and I'm not sure it can deliver 5 or 10-shot nickel sized groups. Sure, maybe some 3-shot groups, but those are pretty statistically insignificant. The cold bore shot going to the same place every time theory sounds good, but the cold bore shot doesn't go to the same place every time.
 
Nothing mysterious here. The OP should do fine full length sizing the brass assuming he does it correctly and does not mess up the brass in the process.

No one can comment on 5-10 shot nickel sized groups. Too many variables.
 
You're right, too many variables.

I had a guy at the range last weekend "convince" me that wind didn't matter, didn't push the bullets around much. Or he must have thought I was convinced because I stopped talking.

And Ray, I don't mean anything confrontational by my statement.

I usually FL size hunting brass. I also think appropriate annealing is beneficial for consistent results. Poor annealing is harmful.
 
Thanks guys, my rcbs fl die won't touch the shoulder yet !

I worked up W760 ,cci 250 and 180 gr prohunter @0.055" off the lands and shot 5 shot groups with a cold barrel for each shot at 30*F with a pop up canopy to block the sun.

I guess I got lucky.

My first load work up was with Imr 4350 , cci 200 and 165 gr bts.

But when I shot this load at 30* using a cold bore each time , the groups were 3 to 4".
 
I forgot to mention that I test using a bench and bags and I hunt from an elevated deer blind and shoot from a window.
 
To really answer your first question of between new and fired cases will the accuracy still be there is a crap shoot. You will never know until you give it a try. I almost sold off a Rem 700 in 7mm mag once because I was doing work up loads using only new cases. It just would not shoot less than 3 inch groups at 100 yards. Then I ran out of the 100 new cases and gave the best load I had found a try with FL sized once fired cases. It shot five shots into a BUG HOLE. That rifle would shoot bug holes with almost any bullet with a case full of Accurate 3100 or H4831 as long as the case had been fired at least once and then FL sized.
 
Thanks for everyone's help and advice.
Yes I know the truth is to shoot and find out , I guess I was wanting to know what the typical norm was.

When I read up on these things , a lot of details are left out.

Somewhere through the research, I missed the part about working up loads using fired brass.

I really hope I won't have to work up a new load.

Thanks, Ray.
 
I load for three members of my family. I used to segregate just by number of firings and FL resize everything. Call it 12 rifles across three or four chamberings.

What a PITA.

Now I also segregate by rifle. I only neck size. I'll bump shoulders when I need to but I'm still on the first or second go around with neck sizing only. I have found an improvement in accuracy, as each cartridge fits the respective chamber better. Brass prep is also a breeze, and I don't have to trim yet.





P
 
pharmseller":20f5yhei said:
I load for three members of my family. I used to segregate just by number of firings and FL resize everything. Call it 12 rifles across three or four chamberings.

What a PITA.

Now I also segregate by rifle. I only neck size. I'll bump shoulders when I need to but I'm still on the first or second go around with neck sizing only. I have found an improvement in accuracy, as each cartridge fits the respective chamber better. Brass prep is also a breeze, and I don't have to trim yet.

So, you work up your loads with fired brass, not with new brass ?





P
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