Brass Amount

[Ram]

How much brass should one have for a new barrel in F Class? I located a good supply of brass of the same lot number, but I don't want to go excessive.

 

[rebs]

I would buy at least 1000 pieces. Its better to have and not need than to need and not have.

 

[358WCF]

Too much is just enough.

 

[joshb]

How many rounds would you fire in a match? I would X3 that number. It would matter, tho, how hot you’re going to load.

 

[Rset]

My minimum is 300 pieces and works well as long as you are only shooting 2-3 day matches with proper management.
I like to keep a minimum of 500 pieces of any caliber.
If you are using different reamers from one chamber to the next, the minimum number required to meet your shooting needs for a match. A change of reamers can often require a change of brass, or a fire forming load to work the brass to the new chamber. At today's prices, new chamber, new brass is probably the cheaper option.
YOUR comfort level is all that matters. Everyone will have a different opinion, and each will be correct! (for them)

 

[jelenko]

Too much is just enough.

Just to calibrate: I have 6,000 5X fired LC, 6,000 of Wolf 1X fired and 6,000 Starline unfired. Even so, I have to resist getting more Starline when they have it for sale.
This is all 223 so much less initial cost than almost any other cartridge. Still....

 

[Rat Rifle]

My answer is “more than I can afford”. I think it depends on the parameters we use to cull cases. The picker we are, the more cases that go into the cull bin. The last step in loading is seating. If the seating pressure is off on a load, that one is in doubt…what do I do with it? For BR, I want 5 sighters, and 5 for score, that are as nearly exactly the same as possible. I would rather have 20. That oddball is now only good for a barrel warmer, and should be put in the cull bin after firing. Sorting like this, I guess My answer would be, for a weekend match requiring 200 rounds, I would like to start with 500 cases all of the same lot. “IF I COULD AFFORD IT !”.

But I envy shooters and loaders who don’t do any of this, and still put up great targets.

 

[D-4297]

I have 600 "practice" cases , that have over twenty-five reloads on them . Lapua .308 SRP , and Four hundred "New" , twice-fired cases for Matches . I only shoot 600 Matches , whether Regionals , SWN , or F-Nationals , so it works . When I get up to twelve reloads on the Match cases , they get "added" to the practice cases , but stay "Segregated" as a group . practice cases get DX'ed when the primer pockets go south . Total cases ? Right at a Thousand , in rotation .

 

[Ned Ludd]

Some like to purchase and prep a sufficient number of pieces to burn out a single barrel. Thus, dividing the expected total number of rounds of barrel life by the expected number of firings from a single piece of brass will give you some idea of how many pieces will be necessary to burn out the barrel.

Another approach would be to estimate how many matches you can shoot with a single brass prep and how much you're willing to spend. For example, if you'd like to be able to shoot at least five 3x20 matches between preps, that would be approximately 375 pieces. So you could go with 400 and have just a few extra pieces (~25), or start with 500 and have plenty extra for the initial load development. If you plan on fire-forming all the brass prior to using it in competition, a large number of extra pieces may be unnecessary. If you are comfortable with working up a load in virgin brass, then fire-forming as you go by using it in matches, the extra pieces will allow you to do that and still get in five matches or so before having to do another brass prep.

There isn't really a wrong number here, it's simply about how often you intend to shoot, how often you wish to prep brass, and how much money you wish to spend. The important consideration about the notion of buying a sufficient amount of brass to burn out a barrel is that you'd rather not have to start a fresh load development with a new Lot# of brass at a point maybe two-thirds, or three-quarters of the way through the barrel's life. That can end up using a lot of unnecessary rounds at a fairly late stage of barrel life, which is not desirable.

 

[Kurz]

There isn't really a wrong number here, it's simply about how often you intend to shoot, how often you wish to prep brass, and how much money you wish to spend. The important consideration about the notion of buying a sufficient amount of brass to burn out a barrel is that you'd rather not have to start a fresh load development with a new Lot# of brass at a point maybe two-thirds, or three-quarters of the way through the barrel's life. That can end up using a lot of unnecessary rounds at a fairly late stage of barrel life, which is not desirable.

It boils down to simple math as stated above. I use the same process with every cartridge and barrel I start fresh.

Before all this dust up with prices and hoarding, it was very easy to call and order 1,000 pieces of brass then prep, load and go shoot. Now however, the price of a single piece of brass when I shoot has skyrocketed to the point where I have to anticipate the number of matches, number of shots per match (including sighters if allowed) and any work up and load development. Some of the cases I use will run $3 - $4 each and I have one which is now over that.

That's why I still enjoy F/TR using .223 Rem. or .308 Win. some brass is still affordable and if I lose a piece or two, I'm not out a lot of money.

Count, then buy the best brass you want to afford and go have lots of fun!