New Lapua brass
- Thread starter DShort
- Start date
KMart
Gold $$ Contributor
The first thing I do is to put the new cases in the tumbler with walnut media and tumble them for about 3 hours. That gets off the blue oxidation left on the shoulders and necks from their final annealing step. That way you won't get scratched necks and copper build up in your sizing die.
Next is to run them through your F/L sizing die to ensure that they will fit your chamber and straightens out the necks.
Next is to run them through your F/L sizing die to ensure that they will fit your chamber and straightens out the necks.
I just prepped my first batch of new Lapua 6.5CM brass. Some of the mouths were dinged and case length wasn't uniform. I ran them through a Forster FL sizing dize w/out the expander ball and then into a Sinclair mandrel die to clean up the case mouths. Then I ran them through the Giraud to get them to the same length and chamfer the mouths.
When sizing in the FL die, it took pretty much no effort, indicating the cases were sized at or below whatever the specs for the die are.
When sizing in the FL die, it took pretty much no effort, indicating the cases were sized at or below whatever the specs for the die are.
Instead of using a FL sizing die I use a neck sizing die on new brass to straighten out the necks. I uniform the primer pockets and deburr the flash holes.
Ledd Slinger
Silver $$ Contributor
Same as some of the others except I just run it in my FL die with an expander. An FL die isn't gonna size the body on new brass anyhow. Will just iron out the neck. I dont set up FL die shoulder bump til after brass has been fired.
Last edited:
Ranger188
Silver $$ Contributor
New Lapua brass's necks are usually tight. I open up the neck a little, deburr and chamfer and run a flash hole deburring tool
very lightly, just incase. Lapua primer pockets are some of the best and don't need touching. You only have to do all this once.
Since this is your first time buying new brass, I assume this is not for a high end BR rifle. So no you don't need to FL size
before the first or maybe the second firing. After that, I aways FL size every time with a custom neck honed sizer.
Keeps everything consistent, just me.
Your loads will vary slightly from first firing to the second due to carbon build up in the case and on the neck and the case
fire forming to match your chamber. Maybe just a slight adjustment of powder charge.
very lightly, just incase. Lapua primer pockets are some of the best and don't need touching. You only have to do all this once.
Since this is your first time buying new brass, I assume this is not for a high end BR rifle. So no you don't need to FL size
before the first or maybe the second firing. After that, I aways FL size every time with a custom neck honed sizer.
Keeps everything consistent, just me.
Your loads will vary slightly from first firing to the second due to carbon build up in the case and on the neck and the case
fire forming to match your chamber. Maybe just a slight adjustment of powder charge.
Did you measure the case head to datum and compare that with the max length for your rifle where you get bolt contact when chambering the brass? That is how I decide if I need to run new brass through a FL sizing die or not. Generally I find the case head to datum is already considerable shorter than I want, so I don't waste the time to run it through a die (especially so with Lapua brass).
Next I check the neck OD and neck wall thickness, to see if any modification is necessary. As mentioned, I generally find the Lapua brass has more neck tension than I prefer, so I run an expander of the desired diameter through the case neck so I get the neck tension I want. And while I am doing this, I put a very light coat of Imperial inside the case neck, since there is no carbon present at this point.
Lastly, I will put a light chamfer on the inside of the case neck, so it doesn't put scratches on the bullets when I seat them.
I check trim length, but that is rarely an issue on new brass.
I haven't found much benefit from uniforming the primer pockets on Lapua, as they are normally deeper than my solid carbide primer pocket uniforming tool. And even though the flash hold is punched (not drilled like it "used" to be), I don't really find it necessary to de-burr the flash hole on the inside.
I also will check brass weight and normally will also measure water capacity of the unfired cases, just to compare with my historical records, to make sure the case volume is in the same ballpark.
KMart
Gold $$ Contributor
I weened myself off.Cold turkey or did you have to "vape" for a while?
1st I stopped on the wife's 260, followed by my 6five.
Now that the 06' is being overhauled I'll FL size that one too.
Only a handful of cigars in 4 years!
D Coots
Silver $$ Contributor
What disicipline are you shooting?
I'm just a guy trying to get the best from his rifles.
I run my new brass into a Sinclair mandrel to straighten, chamfer the outside neck, uniform the primer pocket. I use Lapua brass 95% of the time. Not 22-250 tho. Have alot of brass from factory ammo that I continue to use - mostly Hornady, also W-W, R-P, Federal, Nosler. It's surprising how they all shoot to the same small hole @ 100yds. In 3 different 22-250's -- almost too easy. simple is good.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
The main issue I have noticed with virgin Lapua brass over the years is that the neck tension (interference fit) is not consistent straight out of the box, specifically, 0.223 Rem and 0.308 Win Palma brass. Most of the cases are fine, but the necks of one or two out of every ten or so will be noticeably larger/smaller than the rest, which can cause excessive velocity variance and/or precision issues.
I first open up the all necks to a minimum diameter slightly larger than my final target dimension using an oversized expander mandrel (~-.001" under bullet diameter). I then size the necks back down using the appropriate diameter bushing for ~.002" interference fit with a FL resizing die. An appropriately adjusted die will not push the shoulders back at all on virgin brass. After these steps, I trim/chamfer as normal, load, and shoot it. In my hands, necks prepared this way are much more consistent than those of brass straight out of the box. I have used virgin brass prepped this way in competition on many occasions and it works very well.
https://www.sinclairintl.com/reload...ls/generation-ii-expander-dies-prod38807.aspx
https://www.sinclairintl.com/reload...inless-steel-expander-mandrels-prod33134.aspx
I first open up the all necks to a minimum diameter slightly larger than my final target dimension using an oversized expander mandrel (~-.001" under bullet diameter). I then size the necks back down using the appropriate diameter bushing for ~.002" interference fit with a FL resizing die. An appropriately adjusted die will not push the shoulders back at all on virgin brass. After these steps, I trim/chamfer as normal, load, and shoot it. In my hands, necks prepared this way are much more consistent than those of brass straight out of the box. I have used virgin brass prepped this way in competition on many occasions and it works very well.
https://www.sinclairintl.com/reload...ls/generation-ii-expander-dies-prod38807.aspx
https://www.sinclairintl.com/reload...inless-steel-expander-mandrels-prod33134.aspx
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