trimming brass

BOlson · March 17, 2011, 09:41 PM

Hello...quick question regarding brass length.

First of all...I've been loading about a year and have had no problems with this ....BUT I am suddenly concerned.

I always put the caliper on each piece of brass after FLS, and trim ONLY if over max (e.g. 1.76 for the .223 Rem)...so if it;s 1.759 I leave it alone. If it's too long, I trim "some"...just not back to 1.750" ("trim to" length). So I now have 200-ish primed LC cases which measure...oh....1.745 to 1.76.

Going forward, I will always trim ALL to 1.75 (or whatever trim to length is for that cartridge), right?

I understand that the bullets (55 V-Max) are perhaps seeing different amount of tension because of this. Do I deprime. FLS and trim all AGAIN (yuck) or just shoot these and correct going forward? All I am looking for is MOA out to 300 or so (which I have now). Realistically...how big of a deal is this?

BOlson

chasep255 · March 17, 2011, 10:58 PM

I have started a habit of sorting my brass as I trim it. I throw the properly sized cases into one bucket which have the proper trim length. Then I have another bucket where I throw all cases which have much less consistent trim lengths (ie 1.760-1.738). I use these less perfect cases to make ammo for shooting my AR at indoor ranges where the slight difference in accuracy won't matter. I save the properly trimmed cases for longer range. Essentially you could try to use your improperly trimmed cases for cheap plinking ammo.

BOlson · March 17, 2011, 11:03 PM

so....in regards to a difference in accuracy, this could make an appreciable difference (differing lengths)? if so...I think I'll decap and trim!! would I need to lube all the cases again (to FLS)?

bigwrench · March 17, 2011, 11:11 PM

I would be surprized if the averaedge rifle or averedge shooter could notice a few thousanths differance in case length as far as acuracy is concerned. Why dont you go ahead and shoot em up and see for yourself if you can tell the differance? Answers your own question and save alot of trouble. Light .224 cal. bullets are a pain in the but to pull.

greentick · March 17, 2011, 11:11 PM

Trim after sizing. Sizing causes the increase in length.

BOlson · March 17, 2011, 11:17 PM

hey bigwrench...they're not loaded yet...no bullets to pull....so I could decap and trim.

are you talking about .5 MOA difference because of this?

Win_94 · March 17, 2011, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Going forward, I will always trim ALL to 1.75 (or whatever trim to length is for that cartridge), right?

That is what I do. I don't put a caliper to it, I just try to trim it and if it will trim, I trim it to the trim length.

b money · March 18, 2011, 12:00 AM

Just load and shoot what you have, you will not notice that big of a difference(if any). FLR is just works the brass more, and personally I think it's a lot of work to do twice on something like this. you may not get MOA but you probably won't be far off.

Qtiphky · March 18, 2011, 06:24 AM

You won't notice any appreciable difference in the brass you already have. If you are already MOA at 300, then what are you worrying about? However, for consistency going forward, I do the same thing that Win 94 does. Full Length size, then trim if it will and move to the next step. That way, each and every round will be the same. Theoretically the accuracy should improve, but again, for an average shooter there really isn't much difference between MOA and sub-MOA. My pet load for my AR is around .74 and I think that is pretty darn good.

BOlson · March 18, 2011, 06:35 AM

Qtiphky..

so....(just so I am clear)...would you recommend going forward that I trim back to trim length EVERY time I load a piece of brass?

is that what most folks do....or do they wait until a couple/few loads and trim when brass reaches approx. max length??

grubbylabs · March 18, 2011, 07:40 AM

I am not looking for one hole accuracy so I trim when it has difficulty chamebering. I was trimming every time for a while but I don't see any difference in mine. But I am only out too 200 yards.

HJ857 · March 18, 2011, 09:40 AM

My feeling is that if you're chasing accuracy then consistency in the rounds is a key factor. That does include consistent brass. It doesn't matter if you decide on a trim length of 1.75 or 1.755 or whatever, just make them all the same.

When you go whole hog on the process you can start sorting cases, primers and bullets according to shoulder set back, weight, volume, length, etc. until you reach an ultimate level of nerd reloading nirvana! Which we all secretly desire.

March 17, 2011, 09:41 PM	#1
BOlson Member Join Date: March 17, 2011 Posts: 29	trimming brass Hello...quick question regarding brass length. First of all...I've been loading about a year and have had no problems with this ....BUT I am suddenly concerned. I always put the caliper on each piece of brass after FLS, and trim ONLY if over max (e.g. 1.76 for the .223 Rem)...so if it;s 1.759 I leave it alone. If it's too long, I trim "some"...just not back to 1.750" ("trim to" length). So I now have 200-ish primed LC cases which measure...oh....1.745 to 1.76. Going forward, I will always trim ALL to 1.75 (or whatever trim to length is for that cartridge), right? I understand that the bullets (55 V-Max) are perhaps seeing different amount of tension because of this. Do I deprime. FLS and trim all AGAIN (yuck) or just shoot these and correct going forward? All I am looking for is MOA out to 300 or so (which I have now). Realistically...how big of a deal is this? BOlson

March 18, 2011, 12:00 AM	#8
b money Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2008 Location: Granville, IL Posts: 153	Just load and shoot what you have, you will not notice that big of a difference(if any). FLR is just works the brass more, and personally I think it's a lot of work to do twice on something like this. you may not get MOA but you probably won't be far off. __________________ Μολὼν λάβε

March 18, 2011, 06:24 AM	#9
Qtiphky Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2008 Location: Upper Michigan, above the Mackinac Bridge Posts: 568	Shoot and move on You won't notice any appreciable difference in the brass you already have. If you are already MOA at 300, then what are you worrying about? However, for consistency going forward, I do the same thing that Win 94 does. Full Length size, then trim if it will and move to the next step. That way, each and every round will be the same. Theoretically the accuracy should improve, but again, for an average shooter there really isn't much difference between MOA and sub-MOA. My pet load for my AR is around .74 and I think that is pretty darn good.

March 18, 2011, 07:40 AM	#11
grubbylabs Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 2009 Location: Hansen Idaho Posts: 1,465	I am not looking for one hole accuracy so I trim when it has difficulty chamebering. I was trimming every time for a while but I don't see any difference in mine. But I am only out too 200 yards. __________________ * (Swinging club) Whack! whack! whack! * Nope, the old nag's still dead . (Capt Charlie)

March 17, 2011, 10:58 PM	#2
chasep255 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2009 Location: NJ Posts: 727	I have started a habit of sorting my brass as I trim it. I throw the properly sized cases into one bucket which have the proper trim length. Then I have another bucket where I throw all cases which have much less consistent trim lengths (ie 1.760-1.738). I use these less perfect cases to make ammo for shooting my AR at indoor ranges where the slight difference in accuracy won't matter. I save the properly trimmed cases for longer range. Essentially you could try to use your improperly trimmed cases for cheap plinking ammo.

March 17, 2011, 11:03 PM	#3
BOlson Member Join Date: March 17, 2011 Posts: 29	so....in regards to a difference in accuracy, this could make an appreciable difference (differing lengths)? if so...I think I'll decap and trim!! would I need to lube all the cases again (to FLS)?

March 17, 2011, 11:11 PM	#4
bigwrench Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2009 Location: foot of the uintas Posts: 148	I would be surprized if the averaedge rifle or averedge shooter could notice a few thousanths differance in case length as far as acuracy is concerned. Why dont you go ahead and shoot em up and see for yourself if you can tell the differance? Answers your own question and save alot of trouble. Light .224 cal. bullets are a pain in the but to pull.

March 17, 2011, 11:11 PM	#5
greentick Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2011 Location: Deep South Posts: 261	Trim after sizing. Sizing causes the increase in length.

March 17, 2011, 11:17 PM	#6
BOlson Member Join Date: March 17, 2011 Posts: 29	hey bigwrench...they're not loaded yet...no bullets to pull....so I could decap and trim. are you talking about .5 MOA difference because of this?

March 18, 2011, 06:35 AM	#10
BOlson Member Join Date: March 17, 2011 Posts: 29	Qtiphky.. so....(just so I am clear)...would you recommend going forward that I trim back to trim length EVERY time I load a piece of brass? is that what most folks do....or do they wait until a couple/few loads and trim when brass reaches approx. max length??

March 18, 2011, 09:40 AM	#12
HJ857 Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Posts: 447	My feeling is that if you're chasing accuracy then consistency in the rounds is a key factor. That does include consistent brass. It doesn't matter if you decide on a trim length of 1.75 or 1.755 or whatever, just make them all the same. When you go whole hog on the process you can start sorting cases, primers and bullets according to shoulder set back, weight, volume, length, etc. until you reach an ultimate level of nerd reloading nirvana! Which we all secretly desire.