Resize New Brass?

IrvJr · September 26, 2011, 05:51 AM

Hey All,

I've recently started reloading .308 win. I'm fairly new to reloading rifle cartridges, but have been reloading straight-walled handgun cartridges for a while now.

I made some reloads using once-fired Remington brass and the reloads came out nice. I would also like to develop some loads using some brand new Remington brass (never been fired).

Is it recommended that I resize my brand new brass before I load it? I have been using a full-length resizing die to resize my .308 brass. Is it necessary to resize the new casings?

Thanks in advance.

twins · September 26, 2011, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Is it recommended that I resize my brand new brass before I load it? I have been using a full-length resizing die to resize my .308 brass. Is it necessary to resize the new casings?

Yes, you want to check the length and run them through the FL dies (with lube & inside of neck). Even though they're brand new, it doesn't mean they're all perfect from the factory. More than likely, there will be dents/dings somewhere on the case during shipment. My new cases usually have dents around the neck area.

IrvJr · September 26, 2011, 06:56 AM

Thanks Twins.

William T. Watts · September 26, 2011, 07:35 AM

Never have I felt a need to full length size new brass, I will run the expander thru the case mouth & neck to iron out dents & chamfer the case mouth. Additionally I will check the cases in a L.E.Wilson cartridge case gage to confirm they are within specs, if they pass that test I will chamber a few for confirmation they chamber fine and proceed to load. I am not going to start full length sizing new brass unless there is a compelling reason to do so. William

Kevin Rohrer · September 26, 2011, 12:10 PM

I just chamfer the inside so bullets seat easily.

603Country · September 26, 2011, 12:25 PM

Unless I'm loading new Nosler 'ready to wear' cases, I FLR every brand new rifle cartridge case as part of the prep work.

mehavey · September 26, 2011, 04:41 PM

I even do it w/ Lapua

(`Talk about OCD now...)

jepp2 · September 26, 2011, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Never have I felt a need to full length size new brass, I will run the expander thru the case mouth & neck to iron out dents & chamfer the case mouth. Additionally I will check the cases in a L.E.Wilson cartridge case gage to confirm they are within specs, if they pass that test I will chamber a few for confirmation they chamber fine and proceed to load. I am not going to start full length sizing new brass unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

+1 on what William said. If you check the shoulder you will find it already is on the short side of the SAAMI spec. The necks are soft and the bullets will seat easier if you use the expander to make the mouth round. Any dents on the body will get pressed out when you fire the rounds. YMMV

mrawesome22 · September 26, 2011, 11:24 PM

Quote:

I even do it w/ Lapua

(`Talk about OCD now...)

Probably doing more harm than good. That stuff is perfect. Norma extra perfect.

FrankenMauser · September 26, 2011, 11:49 PM

In my reloading room, R-P and Win brass get the "full treatment": Run just far enough into the sizing die to straighten out the necks (without touching the shoulder or body). Calculate a good average case length, based on the shipping damage present on the necks/mouths (which, often, is shorter than recommended "trim-to" length). Trim. Chamfer. Deburr. Tumble to remove lube. Sort by weight. Load. Fireform (R-P and Win factory brass is under sized). Tumble. Re-measure everything, to see if they need to be trimmed again (also provides a close-up inspection for neck splits).

Lapua and Norma: Take a few measurements and weights of randomly selected cases (they're always good to go). Load away.

IrvJr · September 27, 2011, 07:06 AM

Thanks all for the helpful replies. I will resize my new Remington brass. I also will look into the Nosler or Lapua cases when I need to buy new brass.

twins · September 27, 2011, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Probably doing more harm than good. That stuff is perfect. Norma extra perfect.

What harm?

So you don't trust your FL dies?

There are threads on other forums stating Lapua brass isn't what it used to be. Just to be on the safe side, why not resize to ensure uniformity?

I've never tried Norma brass (because they're extra expensive), so no knowledge of their "extra perfect" cases. They must be shipped in special "no-dents" packaging.

Tim R · September 27, 2011, 11:53 AM

New brass gets the neck sized in a FLD but I don't kiss the bottom of the die with the shell holder. It's just "close". The necks get beat up in the package. Other dents get ironed out when fired.

Nnobby45 · September 27, 2011, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Yes, you want to check the length and run them through the FL dies (with lube & inside of neck). Even though they're brand new, it doesn't mean they're all perfect from the factory. More than likely, there will be dents/dings somewhere on the case during shipment. My new cases usually have dents around the neck area.

I don't agree that they need to be full length sized. They're already sized to fit mimimum chamber dimensions.

As for dents and dings, especially the case mouths, that's quite true. Much quicker to straighten them out with a proper size neck expander. The front of the expander is tapered so you can run it into the case JUST ENOUGH to straighten the case mouth and not expand the neck.

You can uniform your case mouths real quick that way.

Dings on the body won't be straightened out until the case is fired.

Doodlebugger45 · September 27, 2011, 01:36 PM

I'm not sure about new Remington brass, but once in awhile I buy some new Winchester .308 cases. They get neck sized only to remove the dents. After neck sizing they are very consistent in length, about 0.007" shorter than SAAMI max length. I don't chamfer them until I have to trim them the first time.

Nnobby45 · September 27, 2011, 05:15 PM

You can be as precision orientated as you want. Starting with weighing ten cases to get an average. Then weighing all your cases and sorting out those that are more than plus or minus 5%. You now have brass more consistent than factory ammo with little variation in case capacity. Some may go 2 or 3%. Bench rest shooters do.

Next comes uniforming the primer pockets, and deburring the flash hole. Both require special tools. The pocket uniformer can be used to clean the primer pockets as you fire the cases. It will also keep the depth uniform, since that changes as cases are fired.

Of, course, a slight champfer on the case mouth is standard. I gave up on case neck trimming, since it produced no difference on paper, but some include that step, also.

Trimmed cases need about two twists of the deburring tool, then turn it over and do two more to champer the case mouth. That quick. Don't just keep turning it.

One can spend a lot of time on case preparation to get that little bit of extra accuracy. With many of todays rifles producing sub MOA groups out of the box with factory ammo---well, it's up to you.

For hunting ammo, one can straighten out the case mouths and start loading and producing good ammo.

I once had a converstation with a Sinclair reloading technician. We discussed using a concentricity gage to make sure the case necks were in line with the case.
Every one knows this is necessary to get the best accuracy.

We had both experimented with the process. Both of us had saved the cases that were the very worst for neck alignment, and made test loads. Both of us just chuckled when we each came to the conclusion that we could not see a bit of difference when compared with loads in cases having excellent concentricity.

I still deburr flash holes and uniform the case mouths. I do it while watching tv. But those are enough steps for me, after straightening out the case mouths.

Biggest part of accuracy is the right bullet seated to the right depth. Powder selection is secondary, but not unimportant, as I see it.

Nothing will make your rifle accurate if the scope isn't tight and the guard screws need to be properly secured, also.

Always tighten front guard screw first until it's JUST FIRM---not tight. That's what beds the action into the stock. Too tight and you just stress things out. Then the same with the rear trigger guard screw, then front TG screw. Again, just firm.

FrankenMauser · September 27, 2011, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Always tighten front guard screw first until it's JUST FIRM---not tight. That's what beds the action into the stock. Too tight and you just stress things out. Then the same with the rear trigger guard screw, then front TG screw. Again, just firm.

That really depends on the action you're using.

Not all rifles are created equal (or with the same design).

mrawesome22 · September 27, 2011, 11:37 PM

Twins, the harm is that you may be pushing the shoulder back more than necessay causing excessive headspace.

But lately all Ive bought is Norma brass. That stuff will spoil you fast.

Nnobby45 · September 28, 2011, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Not all rifles are created equal (or with the same design).
__________________

All mine are.

I'm a bolt action guy. Remington M700's.

Guess I should have specified bolt action rifles with one forward and two trigger guard screws. Where there's a bedding (recoil) lug that fits into a slot in the stock.

farmerboy · September 28, 2011, 12:53 AM

That's about asking what's better, Ford or Chevy? Really it's a personal preference. Some do others don't. I personally would.

September 26, 2011, 05:51 AM	#1
IrvJr Senior Member Join Date: June 2, 2004 Posts: 199	Resize New Brass? Hey All, I've recently started reloading .308 win. I'm fairly new to reloading rifle cartridges, but have been reloading straight-walled handgun cartridges for a while now. I made some reloads using once-fired Remington brass and the reloads came out nice. I would also like to develop some loads using some brand new Remington brass (never been fired). Is it recommended that I resize my brand new brass before I load it? I have been using a full-length resizing die to resize my .308 brass. Is it necessary to resize the new casings? Thanks in advance.

September 26, 2011, 12:10 PM	#5
Kevin Rohrer Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2010 Location: Medina, Ohio Posts: 1,049	I just chamfer the inside so bullets seat easily. __________________ Member: Orange Gunsite Family, NRA--Life, ARTCA, and American Legion. Caveat Emptor: Cavery Grips/AmericanGripz/Prestige Grips/Stealth Grips from Clayton, NC. He is a scammer

September 26, 2011, 11:49 PM	#10
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,427	In my reloading room, R-P and Win brass get the "full treatment": Run just far enough into the sizing die to straighten out the necks (without touching the shoulder or body). Calculate a good average case length, based on the shipping damage present on the necks/mouths (which, often, is shorter than recommended "trim-to" length). Trim. Chamfer. Deburr. Tumble to remove lube. Sort by weight. Load. Fireform (R-P and Win factory brass is under sized). Tumble. Re-measure everything, to see if they need to be trimmed again (also provides a close-up inspection for neck splits). Lapua and Norma: Take a few measurements and weights of randomly selected cases (they're always good to go). Load away. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

September 27, 2011, 11:53 AM	#13
Tim R Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2004 Location: God's side of Washington State Posts: 1,601	New brass gets the neck sized in a FLD but I don't kiss the bottom of the die with the shell holder. It's just "close". The necks get beat up in the package. Other dents get ironed out when fired. __________________ God Bless our Troops especially our Snipers.

September 27, 2011, 05:15 PM	#16
Nnobby45 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2004 Posts: 3,150	You can be as precision orientated as you want. Starting with weighing ten cases to get an average. Then weighing all your cases and sorting out those that are more than plus or minus 5%. You now have brass more consistent than factory ammo with little variation in case capacity. Some may go 2 or 3%. Bench rest shooters do. Next comes uniforming the primer pockets, and deburring the flash hole. Both require special tools. The pocket uniformer can be used to clean the primer pockets as you fire the cases. It will also keep the depth uniform, since that changes as cases are fired. Of, course, a slight champfer on the case mouth is standard. I gave up on case neck trimming, since it produced no difference on paper, but some include that step, also. Trimmed cases need about two twists of the deburring tool, then turn it over and do two more to champer the case mouth. That quick. Don't just keep turning it. One can spend a lot of time on case preparation to get that little bit of extra accuracy. With many of todays rifles producing sub MOA groups out of the box with factory ammo---well, it's up to you. For hunting ammo, one can straighten out the case mouths and start loading and producing good ammo. I once had a converstation with a Sinclair reloading technician. We discussed using a concentricity gage to make sure the case necks were in line with the case. Every one knows this is necessary to get the best accuracy. We had both experimented with the process. Both of us had saved the cases that were the very worst for neck alignment, and made test loads. Both of us just chuckled when we each came to the conclusion that we could not see a bit of difference when compared with loads in cases having excellent concentricity. I still deburr flash holes and uniform the case mouths. I do it while watching tv. But those are enough steps for me, after straightening out the case mouths. Biggest part of accuracy is the right bullet seated to the right depth. Powder selection is secondary, but not unimportant, as I see it. Nothing will make your rifle accurate if the scope isn't tight and the guard screws need to be properly secured, also. Always tighten front guard screw first until it's JUST FIRM---not tight. That's what beds the action into the stock. Too tight and you just stress things out. Then the same with the rear trigger guard screw, then front TG screw. Again, just firm. Last edited by Nnobby45; September 27, 2011 at 05:24 PM.

September 26, 2011, 06:56 AM	#3
IrvJr Senior Member Join Date: June 2, 2004 Posts: 199	Thanks Twins.

September 26, 2011, 07:35 AM	#4
William T. Watts Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2010 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 1,074	Never have I felt a need to full length size new brass, I will run the expander thru the case mouth & neck to iron out dents & chamfer the case mouth. Additionally I will check the cases in a L.E.Wilson cartridge case gage to confirm they are within specs, if they pass that test I will chamber a few for confirmation they chamber fine and proceed to load. I am not going to start full length sizing new brass unless there is a compelling reason to do so. William

September 26, 2011, 12:25 PM	#6
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	Unless I'm loading new Nosler 'ready to wear' cases, I FLR every brand new rifle cartridge case as part of the prep work.

September 26, 2011, 04:41 PM	#7
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,898	I even do it w/ Lapua (`Talk about OCD now...)

September 27, 2011, 07:06 AM	#11
IrvJr Senior Member Join Date: June 2, 2004 Posts: 199	Thanks all for the helpful replies. I will resize my new Remington brass. I also will look into the Nosler or Lapua cases when I need to buy new brass.

September 27, 2011, 01:36 PM	#15
Doodlebugger45 Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2009 Location: Wyoming Posts: 1,717	I'm not sure about new Remington brass, but once in awhile I buy some new Winchester .308 cases. They get neck sized only to remove the dents. After neck sizing they are very consistent in length, about 0.007" shorter than SAAMI max length. I don't chamfer them until I have to trim them the first time.

September 27, 2011, 11:37 PM	#18
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	Twins, the harm is that you may be pushing the shoulder back more than necessay causing excessive headspace. But lately all Ive bought is Norma brass. That stuff will spoil you fast.

September 28, 2011, 12:53 AM	#20
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	That's about asking what's better, Ford or Chevy? Really it's a personal preference. Some do others don't. I personally would.