resize or not?

[cptjack]

dog knocked over my loaded rounds and dont know which is which all different loads for a ladder test ...question : after I pull the bullets and check weights ,do I need to resize brass ,I use a mandrel for neck tension ,?

[Unclenick]

The brass should spring back by whatever amount of elastic spring force (aka "neck tension") it was applying to the bullets before you pulled them, so the starting pressure should be about the same. However, if the bullets are not pulled straight out, that could deform the neck and require you to do it over again. Also, when you think you've identified your sweet spot, load a short ladder in that load span plus and minus a little bit to confirm it.

[cptjack]

thank you ....I guess I will go back to writing load weight on cartridge with a fine sharpie

[Shadow9mm]

I would think you could just re-load it without resizing. That's what I have always done.

Also, I have had a similar experience to yours in the past. Now I write the charge weight on every case with a sharpie if its during load development. I will add the powder too if I am testing different powders, but I generally try to avoid that anymore. That way if thing get nocked over its a lit easier to deal with.

[WestDivide]

I too load multiple powder charges in a box of 20. As I load each powder weight set 5 at a time, I seat those 5 and immediately label the rounds with a Sharpie on the case. I don't do different powders in a given lot. All my brass is sorted by headstamp and relegated to a specific rifle. The lot is assigned a unique number, and a notation for times reloaded. Seems to keep things pretty straight.
And, the pooch is 86'd from the loading room...
Good luck,
-West out

[Mike / Tx]

I've gone to just color coding the base with a colored marker, then put the same color dot with load listed on a 3x5 note card or similar. You can also just hit the primers, or take one of the sharp point felt tip pins and color the ring around the primer. Using red, blue, green, black, and none, will cover 10ea charges in a 50ct box. If more are needed I use a combination of solid color and ring around the primer.

Just easier for me than writing data on the sides.

[Unclenick]

We all used to mark case heads on pistol brass with Magic Markers in the bull's-eye league. There were lots of funny ink stripes and quarter pie slice color patterns and the like to identify our pickups as our own. One day, though, I noticed the breech face of the slide on my Goldcup was getting tacky. It was a build-up of the ink. It took some solvent to get it all off. It didn't hurt anything, but I'm just mentioning it for awareness purposes and to suggest that if enough got into a firing pin tunnel from inked primers, it might cause erratic lock time or weak strikes.

If you are marking the brass for load identification rather than case identification during brass policing, you might consider using colored Sharpie markers just to put bands on your bullet ogives. It won't affect the bullet ballistics, and the ink is gone and out of the gun after firing, rather than becoming a cleaning problem, though I suppose a feed ramp might eventually need a wipe. Indeed, you could use the resistor digit color code to put the charge weight on each bullet by assuming a decimal point before the least significant digit. Read from nose toward base so you can remember the band that is highest when the cartridge sits upright is the most significant digit.

0 Black
1 Brown
2 Red
3 Orange
4 Yellow
5 Green
6 Blue
7 Violet
8 Gray (this is the only troublemaker for marking a bullet, so use a silver Sharpie)
9 White

Yellow Red Green = 43.5 grains

Orange White = 3.9 grains

et cetera.

[RC20]

You can also just turn the pulled bullet cases into a trial run, aka not a ladder run but just a sequence of 4/10 or so to get an idea if there is a sweet spot lurking there.

I have found 4/10- 5/10 at least for the type of shooting I do gets me sometimes spot on or a ballpark. Assessing the group and velocity and build a number (usually 15) in spot on or a closer grouping around what looked promising.

I have not seen huge jumps with that method, it may not be professional bench rest accuracy but it does return accurate (if indeed the load is a good one).

When I am testing my 15 rounds are seated to a known good depth for other loads. The rest are long and I seat them at the range. Occaisionaly I get overboard and wind up seating too deep.

If its 1-5, I use the kinetic to pop them out and then seat back if they pop out too far.

Again I have not seen wild results. Sometimes if its a good load pretty good results.

I am not looking to hit a holy grail load (nice if you happen into it) but just something that looks of interest to try.

I also keep in mind at some point the barrel l is going to be gone and other than general what powder and bullet shot well can be different with a new barrel.

Unclenicks method would clearly work but I rarely get my rounds mixed up and its easy enough to just pull the bullets and re-do the charges.

I suspect it has to do with how or what kind of serious shooting you do (what level). I have come to realize that I can try to go nuts and become the next Arnold Oakley or enjoy myself and if I can get sub 1/2 inch groups its pretty darned good and I am never going to be a Tubbs or (Germain?) class shooter.

So a balance with what level you shoot at and how far you want to go is a good thing to keep in mind.

[44 AMP]

Lock the dog out of the loading room until you have everything completely done, boxed, labeled and then put away.

Cat too, if you have them.

Also small curious children or any other source of distraction.

[Ricklin]

Probably easy to find 9mm Makarov brass "nowadays" not so easy a decade or two ago. Berry's has their plated bullets available in 9mm Makarov as well. While it does take a little time and effort my RCBS Trim Pro can make a standard 9 a 9 Makarov, same case but 1 mm shorter. A sharpie identifies the Makarov brass.

[Nick_C_S]

I guess I will go back to writing load weight on cartridge with a fine sharpie

That right there^.

I do this. And it has paid dividends. I abbreviate. For instance, if the workup is 10.2, 10.4, & 10.6 grains; I'll just write "2" "4" & "6" on the case.