casing trim length & resizing new brass

[coozfever]

I am new to reloading and have a couple of questions. My first ques. is what length should I trim my brass to? I am going to buy the little sinclair chamber length gauge to measure my chamber length, so how close can the casing get to front of the chamber.
Also do I need to fully resize my new bag of remington brass before reloading, just as if they were shot..
I shoot a rem 700lss 7mm rum
Thank You folks again!!

 

[bacova]

Refer to your reloading manual for the suggested case trim length and then trim your cases accordingly, AFTER SIZING. New cases can vary considerably out of the bag, especially Remingtons.

Sizing new brass is a good idea. Headspace can vary and necks can be deformed due to rough handling during distribution.

Size, then trim to length, then chamfer and bevel. Also deburr the flash holes.

 

[Ol` Joe]

"I am going to buy the little sinclair chamber length gauge to measure my chamber length, so how close can the casing get to front of the chamber. "

Not such a good idea for hunting rifles. I`d suggest you stay with the manuals min-max recommendation and not try to extend the case necks any longer then they indicate. The idea of the little bit of extra in the chamber lenght of a factory hunting rifle is insurance against haveing a case too long and pinching the bullet. This will raise pressure at the worst and can jam your cartridge in the chamber.
I do however ALWAYS resize the necks of my cases just to round them out when new, and AFTER THE FIRST FIREING full size and trim to equal lenght. You will be suprised at how much some cases stretch on the first fireing and trimming earlier can be a waste of effort on these occasions.

 

[Blaine]

Refer to your reloading manual for the suggested case trim length and then trim your cases accordingly, AFTER SIZING. New cases can vary considerably out of the bag, especially Remingtons.

Sizing new brass is a good idea. Headspace can vary and necks can be deformed due to rough handling during distribution.

Size, then trim to length, then chamfer and bevel. Also deburr the flash holes.

What he said........I would add that the best way to measure case length is with a caliper gage. Use the "trim to" length in the reloading manual and check with the caliper AFTER SIZING.

Blaine

 

[coozfever]

Awesome guys! Thank You!!

 

[Gator]

The chamber length guage is used for determining the OAL (overall length) of your loaded rounds not the brass length. As others have said, consult your reloading manual for min/max brass length for the cabiler you're using.

Spending plenty of time reading about the basics of reloading, most reloading manuals have this, will be time well spent. Welcome to the most enjoyable world of reloading.

 

[.260 Handgun]

Just my two cents, but if you're reloading a hunting round, don't waste your time resizing a new brass. I've never done it, and I can't tell the difference between a new brass and a once-fired-and-resized brass at the range or in the field. Both shoot MOA and have the same point of impact out of my guns. If you enjoy the monotony of resizing more than the fun of shooting, then be my guest and resize till your heart's content. But then again, if you're a bench rest shooter you probably like the monotony.

 

[Gator]

Do yorself a hugh favor by reading and taking advise from books/articles from those who are seasoned handloaders. Getting into reloading with the attitude you should bypass steps which saves time contributes to mediocre results at best, potentially dangerous conditions at worst.

Don't take my word for this. Read then make an informed decision. Good luck.

 

[.260 Handgun]

If doing an initial resize gives you more confidence in your round, then do it. As far as reloading books, there’s a basic process outlined in all that must be followed to ensure safety, but no two books are exactly alike. Read the books, do the things written in them, and over time you’ll find an order of operations that works well for you that is both safe, and limits the amount of work you have to do. After all, the real fun is in the shooting/hunting, not the reloading. My experience is that new factory brass is slightly under SAAMI cartridge dimensions. So initially resizing does not lengthen the case enough to need trimming. It has proven to be a useless step for me in the past, so I no longer do it, and I’ve never had a problem, period (nor has anyone else that I know). And as far as results, MOA at the range, and in the field the limiting factor is my ability to shoot, not the round I loaded.

 

[Gator]

Some good points 260. Some new brass get to the handloader in good condition. Only too often dings are the result of shipping/handling. All, except for premiere new brass, require chamfering inside the neck.

Your last post did bring to light a fundamental difference between you and I which explains our different attitudes regarding reloading.

" After all, the real fun is in the shooting/hunting, not the reloading."

I find the way to achieve the very best from my firearms can only be accomplished by relaoding. MOA accuracy is a good starting point. With the factory ammunition available today, MOA accuracy is readily attainable with quality firearms, never mind reloading.

The appealing thing about reloading is we all can enjoy this hobby for different reasons. Hey, my opinion is worth exactly what you paid.

Enjoy!

 

[JD338]

coozfever,

I just neck size my brass and then trim to the min length.

Regards,

JD338

 

[.260 Handgun]

Gator you're right. We all have different goals/expectations for reloading. Some people's persuit is the perfect ammo. My dad still reloads to make the least expensive ammo he can. I fall in between the two. My goal is to make ammo with premium bullets, that shoots as good if not better than the best factory ammo for less than the price of cheap factory ammo. My Dad's never missed a deer he shot at, and neither have I. Which way is better? Well, I guess that's in the eye of the beholder. Coozfever, find the way that works best for you and stick with it.

 

[Gator]

Thanks .260 Good to hear you and your dad share this hobby. I have two sons who also enjoy reloading.

Regards, Bob

 

[clearwater]

I think this is what he was talking about

http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/cat ... type=store

I bought one of these for my 25-270 as I wanted the extra length for the neck of my
brass and wanted to know just how much longer it was than a 25-06. I resize
270 brass. I bought it partly for curiosity, partly for prevention of any gas cutting due to short brass, and a bit for supposed accuracy as some
bullets don't get close to the lands otherwise. The folks at sinclair said to trim at
least 7 thousands short of the measurement as a safety margin. I had Lee make
me up a custom length case length trimmer/guage to that length.