6mmbr case prep HELP!!!

[nightwalker]

Having a 6mmbr made up at the moment and have 200 Lapua cases in front of me.

I know some reckon just load and shoot, but I get confidence from preping brass!!

In the past for 243 I have full length sized my brass prior to an 80% clean up on the necks, however for the 6mmbr I have bought wilson neck die and a redding body. My question is should I just pop the virgin brass through my KandM expandiron, then clean the necks up,after trimming and chamfering) OR should I pop them into the body die?

OR should I go out and buy a full length sizer too,not really keen on this one!! for financial reasons and onlt really intend to neck size fired cases and occasional body bump back.

Regards NW

 

[TonyR]

I prepped several hundred Lapua cases for my 6mm BR and didn't have to resize any of them before I neck turned them. Even though you don't have the gun yet, you could resize them after you turn them if they don't fit your gun when you get it. Most people recommend resizing as little a possible for any sort of single shot bolt gun to improve accuracy and case life.
In my opinion, it is better to turn them before resizing if you can because I think you will be better off with the softest possible necks after turning and sizing hardens the brass. I have found that the first firing of new freshly turned brass fireforms most of the remaining eccentricity out of the neck and I believe that this should work better with softer necks.

 

[NorCalMikie]

I might be wrong with the way I do my brass,according to some folks) but I load them as they come out of the box. If they're new and the necks look round and not bent up, they get loaded. The fired cases will fit back in a Wilson case gauge. From then on they will get neck sized only with a Forster Bushing Bump die. The shoulders don't get bumped. They may need a pass through a Redding body die but that might take at least 5 or 6 firings till that's needed.
I run a 'tight' chamber so the brass doesn't grow. I don't turn brass and the chambers are .272 no turn necks and I've had no problems. I'de rather spend more time shooting that working on brass. YMMV.

 

[Mikem]

Considering the dies you have now, I would recomend you run them through the neck sizer first, to make sure the necks are round and the right size, then load and shoot to fire form the cases to your chamber.

With the dies you have, you will start to run in to trouble when the case head space becomes to long for your chamber, you will know when you start to have trouble closing the bolt on them. Then you will need to either bump the shoulder back, or FL re size the case, with the appropriate die.

And setting the Redding body die to just move the body in enough to fit in the chamber after FFing and reloading,when required) will work until you have to move the shoulder back.

This is just my way, but the above post method works also.
Mike.

 

[TonyR]

nightwalker
Mikem makes an excellent point. Any out of roundness in the necks should be taken out before you load them, one way or another. If you don't cleanup the necks with your neck turner, you should do something else to make sure the necks are round before you load them. I just sorted several boxes of new Lapua brass and I was amazed at how many of the necks were obviously out of round.

 

[nightwalker]

Thanks for the help/suggestions.

I have put the cases through the expaniron, trimmed to the same length, neck turned to about 90%, flah hole deburr, and primer pocket reformed oh yes and chamferred inside/outside necks. Should then be ready to neck size and load and shoot!

Cheers