New brass prep?

[Addicting]

I just got 100 rounds of new Hornady brass and see there is a need to touch them up. The flash hole has remnants of bras stuck to the inside of the case, the mouth of the case isn’t chamfered and they were not really polished. Wish I was able to find the Nosler that had all that done.

Do you load and go or spend time working new brass? Does it make a difference in minute of deer?

 

[Curvebow]

Watching this thread because I also bought 100 pieces of Hornsdy brass in 6.5 millennial (creedmoor), although mine are shiny and I haven’t noticed any primer flash hole issues. Will look at the necks for chamfering.

 

[Ben Lamb]

If it were me, I'd spend the time to clean up the primer pocket & chamfer & deburr the case necks. Consistency is key for accuracy. That means your cases should be as consistent as possible including primer pockets, neck tension, etc.

That's why one of these is indispensable when processing large lots of cases: https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/2...7XfNENOlSSgmvnfWte_qJ9EEQ3Bqh86xoC7GYQAvD_BwE

 

[Addicting]

Here is my shaving after 50. Some didn’t have any, others had full shavings come off the primer hole.

 

[Addicting]

Double post...again....

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

I haven't used Hornady brass but I know that the Winchester I used wasn't trimmed the best. I'm the less cool Ben so I use Lee's trimming setup and a hand chamfer tool. You'll at the very least want to chamfer the inside of the case neck.

 

[Brian in Montana]

You really should measure and trim them all the same. I generally use Winchester brass but I can tell you just because they're new doesn't mean they're uniform. I always go the whole route and run them through the resizing die as well.

 

[cahunter805]

I agree with above. Definitely good job on the flash hole and chamfer. Like stated at least partial size them to ensure straight necks.
After once firing I would setup your sizing due to bump the shoulder .001-.002 and trim cases.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I run all brass through the same process, new or not.

 

[std7mag]

I do the same prep no matter what brand of brass.
Primer pocket uniform along with flash hole uniform/deburr.
Full length size.
Trim to length, camfer and deburr.
Then deburr inside of flash hole.

 

[Millsworks]

You gotta inspect all brands of brass, at the very least . Even Nosler and Lapua could have a defect that needs attention.though, those two brands prep them exceptionally well, they may need ran through the sizing die to true up the mouths.
I have bought some .308 Remington brass that didn't have flash holes in the primer pockets of a few. That could have been interesting.

Generally most all new brass needs run through the sizing die and chamfered before loading, and trimming is an extra good idea if you want consistency.
Especially the more inexpensive brands.
Personally I have had my best lasting brass from Winchester, but they have to be sorted for cons and pros.
The only Hornady brass I have used was for 7mm mag and the primer pockets wore out after only 4 loadings, with normal pressure loads.
I would not buy Hornady again for a magnum caliber. But they were pretty close to each other in weights.
Always size, trim, and chamfered new or not .
And sort by weight if really going for super groups.

 

[shootbrownelk]

I like the new SIG brass I bought for my .243. Much better than Winchester or the Remington I have. I'll buy more from SIG as they expand their line of rifle brass for my other calibers I reload.

 

[ImBillT]

I haven’t shot any Hornady brass, but it sounds like they punched the flasholes, and I’ve heard that it is soft like Remington and Federal. The CM is kinda their flagship right now, so whatever good things you hear about Hornady CM brass may not apply to Hornady brass for other cartridges.

Most domestic brass(Nosler is not domestic. It’s Norma brass that has been prepped and sorted in a shop across the street. Also, not all Winchester is domestic. Some of the less common cartridges are S&B brass with a Winchester headstamp. As their equipment has aged, they have farmed out some of their less common products instead of building new equipment. Perhaps the new tax law allowing immediate expensing will change that.) has punched flash holes instead of drilled flash holes. Usually they debur the flasholes, and sometimes even trim to length and chamfer case mouths on loaded ammunition even though they do not do it for new brass. Maybe they don’t deburr flasholes and the burr just shoots out, but I don’t remember seeing burrs on flasholes from factory loaded ammo after firing it. Of course I don’t remember the last time I shot factory loaded ammo. Does it matter for minute of deer? I really can’t say that I know with certainty, but if I was in a hurry, the bare minimum that I would do is deburr the flasholes and trim to length so that I wouldn’t have any cases getting crimped onto the bullet by the end of the chamber. What do I usually do? With domestic brass I always full length size, trim to length, deburr flasholes and uniform the depth of primer pockets. Sometimes I weight sort and take a light cleanup cut with a neck turning tool. With Lapua, or Norma I don’t have to deburr flasholes and the primer pocket work is goes very quickly because it just barely takes the edge off the corner, but still makes primer depth more consistent because that corner is what stops them. With RWS I skip trimming to length because it usually comes more consistent than I can trim it. With all three high end brass makers I take a cleanup cut on the necks with a neck turning tool and then weight sort. Not because they need it, but because if I’m gonna spend $1+ for each piece I might as well make it as good as I can, and they all make brass that lasts for plenty of reloads so it isn’t work that’s going to have to be repeated soon. With Nosler you can of course just load and go, but I still hit the primer pockets very quickly and take the cleanup cut with the neck turning tool.

I have shot just as good of groups with well worked Winchester brass as I have with anyone’s brass. Federal is probably the most uniform brass out there if you exclude Norma, Lapua, and RWS. Nonetheless, I’m self employed, I don’t make much money, and I’m still much better off buying high end brass and saving the prep time. You’ll find that you trim a lot more length and a spend a lot more time on primer pockets with domestic brass, not to mention having to deburr the flasholes. When you compound that with the dramatically shorter brass life of Remington and Federal, and slightly shorter brass life of Winchester you REALLY save a lot of time using premium brass, and of course Nosler doesn’t just save you a little time, it completely eliminates brass prep.

 

[Bluejeep]

All new to me brass gets the same treatment.

Resize
Debur
Chamber
Debur flash hole
Uniform primer pocket

Consistancy = accuracy

 

[Addicting]

Appreciate everyone’s input. I ended up with the Hornady because it seems everyone is out of the high end 7mm Rem brass. This bunch will get me thru load development and a few years. I am hoping to get 5 cycles out of it.

I need to order a LE Wilson case gauge for it so I can trim them to length.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Lapua is way over priced. I've had more problems with it than any other brand. Remington is probably my favorite with Norma being a close second. I get excellent brass life out of Remington, Norma, and Nosler.

 

[mtmuley]

Lapua is way over priced. I've had more problems with it than any other brand. Remington is probably my favorite with Norma being a close second. I get excellent brass life out of Remington, Norma, and Nosler.

I don't think Lapua is over priced at all. Especially if you want to push it past max loads.. I also think Remington is underrated. I've abused some Remington in a RUM. Still am actually. mtmuley

 

[N2TRKYS]

I don't think Lapua is over priced at all. Especially if you want to push it past max loads.. I also think Remington is underrated. I've abused some Remington in a RUM. Still am actually. mtmuley

I've been having to do too much prep work on the Lapua brass that I've been getting lately for me to pay list price. I hope they last as long as everyone says they do.

I'm still using Remington brass in my 7 SAUM. It has proven to be good stuff.

 

[ImBillT]

Appreciate everyone’s input. I ended up with the Hornady because it seems everyone is out of the high end 7mm Rem brass. This bunch will get me thru load development and a few years. I am hoping to get 5 cycles out of it.

I need to order a LE Wilson case gauge for it so I can trim them to length.

No need for a case gauge if you have calipers. A case holder would be required though. I believe gauges are more for setting up sizing dies or checking headspace.

 

[ImBillT]

Lapua is way over priced. I've had more problems with it than any other brand. Remington is probably my favorite with Norma being a close second. I get excellent brass life out of Remington, Norma, and Nosler.

That’s been the exact opposite of my experience, however some of the more modern cartridges with sharp shoulders and high pressure limits do seem to result in less uniform brass from all manufactures. I’ve noticed that Norma 6.5-284 brass is much harder than their brass for most other cartridges and was by far the least consistent brass I’ve seen from Norma. It could also have been a bad batch. I ended up selling that barrel before I even shot it. Those high pressure limits could also result in harder brass from the domestic manufactures as well. If so, then the longer brass life angle for Lapua brass would be somewhat negated. If their consistency also dropped, then the price difference wouldn’t be as worth it. My personal experience with Lapua brass however leaves me very pleased with them and I have no problem with their price. I like them very much in 6BR, .222, and .308. I wish they made some 7x57. I should have bought some of their 8x57 and sized it down. Norma and RWS have treated me very well in .223, 6BR(Norma only)7x57, 8x57, 30-06, and .308, but they are both softer and less able to handle stout loads than Lapua. RWS is easily the most consistent.