Does new brass have to come ready to reload?

[Bigguy1951]

This may have been asked at some point in time but I couldn't find it with my searches. Does new brass have to come with the neck already set to the ready to reload size. For myself and several others that I have talked to, the first shot with new brass is just a break in shot, not quite but almost wasted and an expensive and barrel wearing effort. Neck tension is different than what I would use. I use a collet die for neck sizing, many use type S dies and most of the remaining use a standard full length die. Those using the standard full length die can resize the neck to their normal tension, the rest can not without multiple steps. What would be the problem if the necks on new brass were sent sized to the approximate fired size? Then regardless of your neck sizing method you could in one step get your desired neck tension.

 

[rwj]

It is very doubtful that any new brass will prepped to your desired configuration. I’ve never verified via inspection, but suspect that new brass closely conforms to either SAAMI or CIP specifications.

 

[DaveTooley]

If you're talking about a hunting rifle. You'll have a hard time seeing the difference between new and fireformed brass on the target. The necks will be undersize and need a mandrel run through them to iron out the dents and dings. When you seat a bullet they all get uniformly expanded to just about the same neck tension.

 

[D-4297]

The quick answer is , Maybe ? A lot depends on the manufacturer . It may go into your chamber , and eject , but I would have to say it may not be ready to load and use . Most factory necks are under-sized , even the premium brass like Lapua , and there is always the usual few dinged-in necks from shipping . Length may also be a issue , so it's good to check over-all length . Look at primer holes , to make sure there is even a hole there , and while doing that , check for a burr on the inside , as most primer holes are punched with a stamping die . I also think that de-burring the inside / outside of the neck is extremely important . Even for hunting brass , first loads . Take nothing for granted .

 

[mikld]

I size every case I come across before I reload it, new, once fired and range pick ups, plus a good inspection. Perhaps brand new brass is "good to go", but I have come across some new cases that were slightly damaged in shipping and a few felt like the needed sizing (harder than normal pressure needed to F/L size). I like to have a known good case before I start, maybe just to make sure...

 

[Bill Norris]

Always run a mandrel thru my new brass as mentioned due to dented case mouths on some and secondly to make sure all are uniformed. Then run the brass thru my bushing of choice for proper neck tension.

 

[joshb]

Yup. Expand, neck turn, anneal, resize.

 

[Uncle Ed]

Buy a bag of new brass and look at the dented case necks.

When you full length resize a case with a non-bushing die full length die the case body and neck will be aligned and concentric with minimum neck runout.

FIVE STEPS FOR PREPARING NEW BRASS​

http://www.mssblog.com/2016/03/18/five-steps-for-prepping-new-brass/

"These are brand-new high-dollar Lapua cases, which the author points out are a tad amount deformed about the case mouths. Most new cases will show this sort of irregularity. Just run them through your sizing die. It’s not so much establishing the neck size (although that’s wise also), but just rounding them out to accept a bullet. Also, lube new cases just like normal; even though they’re smaller than they will be after the first firing, they’re not that small."

 

[searcher]

The Nosler brass comes "ready to load", though I've not used much of it.

 

[K22]

My experience is limited to Remington, Winchester, Federal and Hornady new cases.

I've never found any of these brands "ready to load" without some prep. As a bare minimum cases should be inspected for defects such as "cold laps" in the neck area, cracked necks, off center flash holes, etc. An yes, I've encountered all three types of defects in new cases in various brands. Very seldom have I had a bag of new cases without any defects. When I say defects I mean conditions which render the case unusable.

In addition, I've found it necessary to size the necks to smooth out dents in the case mouth and to obtain uniform neck tension. I run all new cases through a full length resizing die adjusted to just touch the shoulder to avoid extruding (lengthing) the case and not set the shoulder back.

I also believe it's important to chamfer the inside and outside of the necks to remove any brass edges on the circumference of the necks which will break off in the die and scratch the surfaces of the die.

I trim all the cases to a uniform length, debur the primer flash holes and uniform the pockets but I can't honestly say that these step are absolutely necessary assuming the new cases do not exceed the maximum length for your rifle's chamber.

 

[Bigguy1951]

I think the point of my thread may be lost a little. I agree with those above, new brass is never ready out of the box. My question is why does the neck have to be sized to a ready to be reloaded size. Why not .001 inch above bullet size?

 

[Homerange]

My experience is limited to Remington, Winchester, Federal and Hornady new cases.

I've never found any of these brands "ready to load" without some prep. As a bare minimum cases should be inspected for defects such as "cold laps" in the neck area, cracked necks, off center flash holes, etc. An yes, I've encountered all three types of defects in new cases in various brands. Very seldom have I had a bag of new cases without any defects. When I say defects I mean conditions which render the case unusable.

In addition, I've found it necessary to size the necks to smooth out dents in the case mouth and to obtain uniform neck tension. I run all new cases through a full length resizing die adjusted to just touch the shoulder to avoid extruding (lengthing) the case and not set the shoulder back.

I also believe it's important to chamfer the inside and outside of the necks to remove any brass edges on the circumference of the necks which will break off in the die and scratch the surfaces of the die.

I trim all the cases to a uniform length, debur the primer flash holes and uniform the pockets but I can't honestly say that these step are absolutely necessary assuming the new cases do not exceed the maximum length for your rifle's chamber.

Please educate me, what does a cold lap look like ?
TIA

 

[dgeesaman]

I think the point of my thread may be lost a little. I agree with those above, new brass is never ready out of the box. My question is why does the neck have to be sized to a ready to be reloaded size. Why not .001 inch above bullet size?

I suspect because they can’t control neck tension very closely in a production setting, so they make darn sure it’ll hold a bullet.

 

[338 dude]

This may have been asked at some point in time but I couldn't find it with my searches. Does new brass have to come with the neck already set to the ready to reload size. For myself and several others that I have talked to, the first shot with new brass is just a break in shot, not quite but almost wasted and an expensive and barrel wearing effort. Neck tension is different than what I would use. I use a collet die for neck sizing, many use type S dies and most of the remaining use a standard full length die. Those using the standard full length die can resize the neck to their normal tension, the rest can not without multiple steps. What would be the problem if the necks on new brass were sent sized to the approximate fired size? Then regardless of your neck sizing method you could in one step get your desired neck tension.

Get an expanding mandrel then it’s just one step to run that through and you will have your normal neck tension

 

[338 dude]

The Nosler brass comes "ready to load", though I've not used much of it.

I still expand the necks On Nosler brass too

 

[spclark]

I think the point of my thread may be lost a little. I agree with those above, new brass is never ready out of the box. My question is why does the neck have to be sized to a ready to be reloaded size. Why not .001 inch above bullet size?

Whose bullets? Yours? Mine? Somebody elses?

Bullets from various manufacturers, and of course those made by individuals themselves, as close as they are to design specs just aren’t close enough. Case manufacturers would face a multitude of angry customers if the cases they provide would let bullets drop past the neck without further processing to provide neck tension.

I’d bet there’s a few empty case buyers who don’t bother with sizing at all, along with a greater number who just accept that new cases aren’t intended to be used ‘as delivered’, who are entirely happy to be able to find ‘ready to use’ new brass at all these days.

 

[Capt45]

The Nosler brass comes "ready to load", though I've not used much of it.

I love Nosler brass; very well packaged and so far I haven't noticed any dented case necks.

 

[jackson1]

Besides the mandrel, I like to at minimum put a chamfer on my brass. For my hunting rifles I use Remington or Winchester brass. I do a full case prep on all my brass. Does it help? Never tested my work against non preped brass, but happy with the results in all my hunting rifles. I'm retired and have the time to dive deep into my projects. More of a cold dark winter labor of love.

 

[rogn]

Peterson brass comes the closest Ive seen to be ready to load. The brass is finished and loaded into a cartridge box with each case in its own compartment. No neck dings, no irregular neck mouth.Pricey but good for competition brass. It may not be "ready" if you have turned necks or other individual needs. Close to be as god as Lapua was, and not subject to bulk shipping damage.

 

[Ned Ludd]

I think the point of my thread may be lost a little. I agree with those above, new brass is never ready out of the box. My question is why does the neck have to be sized to a ready to be reloaded size. Why not .001 inch above bullet size?

Virgin brass with necks sized to ~.001" larger than bullet diameter would by definition have to be prepped before loading. Otherwise, the bullets would fall right down through the neck. Brass manufacturers provide brass that can be loaded directly from the box. I've done it many times. The primary issue is that the consistency of neck tension/inside diameter straight from the box is not good. Sure, you can load cases straight from the box, but many shooters are concerned with obtaining the best possible precision, so the inconsistent neck tension of virgin brass needs to be remedied prior to use.

There are at least a couple of different ways you can do this, but the process of actually doing it will illustrate why many prefer a two-step method. In my hands, the necks of virgin brass straight out of the box are all over the map. If you try to open them with a mandrel that should give very close to .002" neck tension (interference fit, usually about .0015" smaller than bullet diameter), you will find that some are tight, some hardly get opened up at all, and on some the mandrel doesn't even touch the inside of the neck wall at all. For that reason, I will first size the necks down using a bushing die and bushing that gives a neck diameter of .001" to .002" smaller than would give .002" neck tension with seated bullet. That way, you will size every neck in the box down to some minimum spec that is slightly smaller than you want as your final neck diameter. Then I open the necks back up with a mandrel that gives ~.002" neck tension, usually about .0015" below bullet diameter, as I mentioned above. This process certainly takes extra effort, but in my hands, virgin brass prepped in this manner shoots very, very well. I have use such brass with excellent results in local F-Class matches many times. Sure, we'd all like virgin brass straight out of the box to be absolutely perfect and ready to reload. Except that it isn't, so you have have to prep it yourself if your accuracy/precision needs require it.