Alpha/Dasher brass Old vs New

[4xforfun]

Still prepping brass for VT next week. Bringing 2 guns locked loaded and ready to shoot. Testing will decide which.

BUT....I decided I needed to bring more loaded rounds for each gun. One of my Dashers I have 200 Alpha brass I just bought in the last year , prepped, turned fired, tested etc..... for this gun. Primer pockets seem Lapua like". I didn't have time to order more brass, so I grabbed 100 3x fired alphas from a previous tube. Prepping them today....neck turned, the works....they will be for sighters and.... just in case.

BUT (again).....I never did square up the primer pockets on these brass when they were new 6ish years ago.. I guess I was just too lazy. Tonight while using my carbide Sinclair tool I found them to be like military brass. The tool would grab onto the sides near the bottom and I could not hold the cases with my hands. The tool never did get to the bottom of the pocket. I gave up and started seating primers . Again..."notchy" is the word that best describes the feel i get from my seating tool.

Is there a difference with the first alpha brass vs. todays?

I use brown box 6 br brass for my other dasher...no worries there.

Thanks, and see ya next week,
Tod

 

[LRPV]

They're first batches of brass was made with a different process. They weren't as hard as they wanted them to be so through experimentation they were able to find a process that changed the grain structure and made the case heads super hard and they called it OCD. The primer pockets on Alpha have always been super tight to the point that some primers are hard to seat. PMA is one company that makes a BR/PPC specific small primer pocket uniformer that is just a touch undersized than most and will work in those pockets.

PMA Lapua Small Primer Pocket Ultimate Uniformer (Complete w/ Handle and Power Adapter)

The highest quality, most innovative reloading tools and shooting supplies for precision riflemen. Unparalleled customer service. Shop Now - PMA Tool

www.pmatool.com

Not that it will help you for next week but there it is. Good luck my man. Wish I could be there.

 

[fisherman987]

Yep, they are tapered near the bottom and they will grab when uniforming and rip the case right out of your hand or cut you if you're not careful. I bought a case holding tool from K&M which is a tremendous help. They are difficult to uniform, but with patience and slow going, you can do it. Also, after the first firing, uniform/clean pockets and they will normalize and not rip out of your hand anymore.

 

[4xforfun]

No big deal...like I said, these are for range days and sighters. I just found it odd....and thought I was loosing my mind.

Thanks

 

[Straightshooter1]

Yep, they are tapered near the bottom and they will grab when uniforming and rip the case right out of your hand or cut you if you're not careful. I bought a case holding tool from K&M which is a tremendous help. They are difficult to uniform, but with patience and slow going, you can do it. Also, after the first firing, uniform/clean pockets and they will normalize and not rip out of your hand anymore.

Or. . . one can get a uniformer, like 21st Century's pocket uniformer, that fits just fine as its ~.001 smaller in diameter than other uniformers.

 

[4xforfun]

My biggest goal now is to see if I am smart enough to keep the old brass and new brass segregated during a match.