Prepping brass ahead of time before loading it

[S&sprecisionTx]

I know this question has been asked and brought up a couple of times but wanted to see if anybody's done any real testing on it

How long can you leave a size case prepped and ready to load before you need to load it, that has any major effect on accuracy

 

[Texas Solo]

I've done it for Service Rifle ammo, but my precision LR F Class ammo gets done just before a match.

 

[divingin]

What do you think is going to happen to it?

While leaving it for many years or decades may affect things due to long term exposure to contaminants, I would guess that short-term (less than a couple years) would yield zero changes. Not tested - just a guess.

 

[Owens85]

I've wondered this as well. Just last weekend I was able to give it a test with a 30br that I had brass prepped for thats been settng for about 3 months. I wanted to do a seating test on a new lot of bullets and the brass didn't seem to have any difference then brass I had just prepped and accuracy was great. After a seating depth test I shot this target just to verify it was good to go.

 

[K22]

I prep mine in the winter when range time is slow. Cases often sits for several years until I need them since I get 15 to 18 reloads per batch (dedicated to a specific rifle) over some 10 different rifles.

Never detected any issues from a varmint hunting level accuracy stand point but of course, separating the effect of prep dwell time versus the effect of the first few firings to allow the cases to form to the chamber may difficult if not impossible to determine / separate the cause and effect.

This is something I would not concern myself with given all the other significant variables affecting this sport.

 

[Straightshooter1]

I know this question has been asked and brought up a couple of times but wanted to see if anybody's done any real testing on it

How long can you leave a size case prepped and ready to load before you need to load it, that has any major effect on accuracy

Answer: many years.

How many years depends on the environment they're kept in. I've got .308 cases I've prepped several year ago that when I use them, they've performed just as always . . . no change in precision or accuracy. Like I collected a bunch of Federal cases that I've fire formed and precision prepped and use them when I want do some experimenting since I don't want to do that right off with my good Lapua brass. The only issue can be when enough time has gone by that you're using a new barrel with different chamber dimensions.

 

[Bill Norris]

I've wondered this as well. Just last weekend I was able to give it a test with a 30br that I had brass prepped for thats been setting for about 3 months. I wanted to do a setting test on a new lot of bullets and the brass didn't seem to have any difference then brass I had just prepped and accuracy was great. After a seating depth test I shot this target just to verify it was good to go.

Not long ago me and a buddy were shooting at 700 yds. I had 10 rds. in my box that had been loaded since 2022. I cleaned a 600 yd target with 5 in the X ring.

 

[JFrank]

Sometimes I’ll size brass during the winter and not load them until spring.
The neck OD of the sized brass doesn’t change or spring back, I do however run a nylon brush through the neck ID prior to loading to ensure smooth seating.

 

[OMW57]

I've wondered this as well. Just last weekend I was able to give it a test with a 30br that I had brass prepped for thats been settng for about 3 months. I wanted to do a seating test on a new lot of bullets and the brass didn't seem to have any difference then brass I had just prepped and accuracy was great. After a seating depth test I shot this target just to verify it was good to go.

If I shot that target in a match with MY 30BR, I would lose!
Ya completly missed that top left bull!!

 

[Lizzy49]

I know this question has been asked and brought up a couple of times but wanted to see if anybody's done any real testing on it

How long can you leave a size case prepped and ready to load before you need to load it, that has any major effect on accuracy

Been reloading since the seventies and shooting matches, I've done it many of times and never noticed any difference in accuracy.

 

[jackieschmidt]

I see no downside to having brass sized and primed before a Match. I have been doing it as of late.

In fact, we have the Louisiana State VFS this coming Sunday, I went on ahead and sized and primed 100 cases while at the Range last Sunday. I will set my loading table up and charge them and seat the bullets Sunday as the Match progresses.

 

[S&sprecisionTx]

I prep mine in the winter when range time is slow. Cases often sits for several years until I need them since I get 15 to 18 reloads per batch (dedicated to a specific rifle) over some 10 different rifles.

Never detected any issues from a varmint hunting level accuracy stand point but of course, separating the effect of prep dwell time versus the effect of the first few firings to allow the cases to form to the chamber may difficult if not impossible to determine / separate the cause and effect.

This is something I would not concern myself with given all the other significant variables affecting this sport.

Thank you for the reply sir just wondering would that be the same for loaded ammo as well or how far out before you load the ammo for either a varmint hunt or a shooting match that you would recommend

 

[S&sprecisionTx]

Thank all you guys for replying to this and sharing the info and your experiments

 

[S&sprecisionTx]

Been reloading since the seventies and shooting matches, I've done it many of times and never noticed any difference in accuracy.

Just wondering with your experience when do you powder and seat the bullet for a match or a varmint hunt

 

[Lizzy49]

Just wondering with your experience when do you powder and seat the bullet for a match or a varmint hunt

For a match I try to load as close to the match as possible, but I have used month old rounds and saw no difference. Keep in mind a really compressed powder charge and light neck tension would be a different story.

 

[K22]

Thank you for the reply sir just wondering would that be the same for loaded ammo as well or how far out before you load the ammo for either a varmint hunt or a shooting match that you would recommend

I do not shoot competitively unless you consider competing against groundhogs and predators.

I usually load up in the winter months for the upcoming spring and summer varmint hunting season. I do not want to get into a debate about "bullet weld". I will just say that loading several months before the season starts, I have not detected any effect on POI or precision in either the field or during the consider time I spent at the range in practices during the milder weather.

 

[drop_point]

I shot my best ever match with brass prepped three or four months prior. Only dropped points were me missing the wind, not the ammo.

 

[Owens85]

If I shot that target in a match with MY 30BR, I would lose!
Ya completly missed that top left bull!!

Well you gotta do it like this during match time

 

[kevinbritvec]

It has been reported on this site and featured in articles that brass takes a set over time. That means when seating a bullet in brass that was resized over a year ago, creates a different neck tension interference compared to brass that was just recently resized, all other factors being the same.

I resize in bulk and have modified my neck expanders to create .003" of neck tension on my resized brass, all calibers. I can tell when I'm seating bullets that brass that was resized years ago, have increased seating pressure.

I prefer neck tension, v. crimping, when holding bullets in place. .003" is plenty for semi-autos, overkill for bolt actions.

 

[jpjulian]

When I was shooting highpower I would size, trim, prime a season's worth of brass over the winter. I'd load that prepped brass and have a thousand or more of my short line loads ready by the time the first match of the season. My practice ammo was no different than my match ammo. I'd usually do the same with my 600 load but on a lesser scale. I still have some of that loaded ammo on the shelf and wouldn't hesitate to take it to a major match tomorrow were I still competing. That ammo was loaded in 2014.