Using new brass in a match?

[ballison]

Anyone use virgin brass for matches? I think it's time to retire my current lot, and have a match this weekend. Headspace is about .005" difference. Both retired and new brass are 308 Lapua.

Just curious if anyone has any experience. Thanks.

 

[Mudcat]

I know you shoot F class, so this MAY make a difference for you, but as a sling shooter, I have had to use new brass in matches in the past. The first time I did it was at the Canadian Fullbore Championship in 2009 as I decided to go with the US team at the last minute and the only brass I had sitting around was new stuff. Loaded it up, shot all week, finished 3rd overall. From that point forward, I have never hesitated to use virgin brass if I needed to do so. I dont normally do that, but at least for sling shooting, I havent seen an issue that has concerned me enough for the type of shooting I am doing. But, as you know, in our game, the sling, irons and trigger are bigger issues than our equipment, so maybe the ammo didnt shoot as good as my "fireformed" brass and I may have "tightened" up a bit and shot better thinking that. Dunno. But if I was going to miss a match, or shoot virgin brass, I would be shooting the match, no question.

John

 

[ballison]

Thanks John. It's either try and get one more load out of my old lot, or try some new stuff. Either way, I'm going to shoot. Well, unless Mother Nature gets pissy again!

Bill

 

[Keith Glasscock]

Run the new stuff. I see only a small increase in group sizes between new and fully-formed brass in my F/TR rifle and my 284.

My Dasher is a different story. I haven't load-developed for fire-forming. Might not be so good past 300...

 

[ballison]

Maybe if I use it and suck, I can make Eric's list of the "Best excuses for shooting bad"!

It's supposed to be pretty damn windy, so the virgin brass may be the least of my worries!

 

[skiutah02]

This is somewhat related. Something to think about....maybe

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3869098.0

 

[Down South]

Anyone use virgin brass for matches? I think it's time to retire my current lot, and have a match this weekend. Headspace is about .005" difference. Both retired and new brass are 308 Lapua.

Just curious if anyone has any experience. Thanks.

I've shot new brass many times in matches and did very well with it......Shoot it.

 

[normmatzen]

Don't forget,

Try not to eliminate all excuses!!

 

[bsumoba]

I fireform necked up 6.5x284 lapua brass to 284 Shehane during local matches. It is actually a fairly accurate load.

It also gives me an excuse if I am doing poorly because I am fireforming ;D But then I shoot a clean 1st relay during a 3x600 match, then just absolutely tank the last two relays :-[ Goes to show you that fireforming is not an excuse in most cartridges we F-Class'ers use nowadays.

 

[ballison]

I've done it many times for local matches where there isn't a lot on the line. Open up the virgin brass necks with an oversized expander mandrel, then FL resize with the appropriate bushing die. It won't push the shoulder back, but it does a decent job of getting the neck tension where you want it to be. In my hands, they don't shoot quite as well as fire formed brass, but not badly either.

Brass is already turned, neck sized, and primed. Just need to load em up. Do you really think it's worth FL sizing new brass? Never thought about it because the base hasn't really had a chance to expand.

 

[1shot]

I watched my shooting partner clean 800 while fireforming a wildcat cartridge. I told him to shoot all new brass all the time then give it to me! I'm talking neck turned, loaded and shooting it at the Nationals. Wish he would have went for it.

 

[Bugs]

I was fortunate enough to win a relay and then, subsequently the group shoot-off at Williamsport two years ago with virgin brass (which proves, unequivocally, that even a blind hog finds an acorn once in awhile) . Use it and don't look back.

 

[amamnn]

I think people tend to over-think things and this is another example. If you think about what percentage of error that can be caused by any case prep or loading practice as compared to external influences like conditions or pilot error or equipment, you soon realize that most of the agony posts like this are just insignificant if not silly. In a match between the galactic heroes of the super shoot where 1/10th of 1/1000 MOA in the aggregate of the 4 gun competition will determine the winner--this kind of thing might ---might become a factor in determining the winner.............the rest of us mortals just shoot the damned thing--well, but fire form if you are making a new cartridge out of something else like a 30BR out of a 6BR...............or if you want to match the case to the chamber so you don't need to work the brass too hard when FL sizing to get a better fit than a neck sizer can give you and hence more uniformity which can....................see where this kind of thinking can lead?

 

[wolley]

The only issue with new brass at a match is the chance that it is shorter than your fireformed brass. I have on rare occasion had virgin brass not fire on the 1st strike due to the firing pin energy shoving it into the chamber instead of igniting it. If you have mandrelled, chamfered, reamed and turned the necks more than likely you are perfectly fine.
I know that the AMU does not shoot reloads at 600 or LR. Their thought is that the brass will never have a squarer base than when it is first manufactured and thusly will be more consistent. Seems to work for them.
Matching this premise. I have seen some of my best groups and have had some of my best scores when shooting virgin brass.

 

[Down South]

I've done it many times for local matches where there isn't a lot on the line. Open up the virgin brass necks with an oversized expander mandrel, then FL resize with the appropriate bushing die. It won't push the shoulder back, but it does a decent job of getting the neck tension where you want it to be. In my hands, they don't shoot quite as well as fire formed brass, but not badly either.

Brass is already turned, neck sized, and primed. Just need to load em up. Do you really think it's worth FL sizing new brass? Never thought about it because the base hasn't really had a chance to expand.

Back in November of last year i worked up a load with new brass in a new barrel, all i did was take it out the box, run it over a mandrel, neck turn it, then wet tumble in SS media for 30 min to clean the grease out of the necks. The gun shot great in load work (never FL sized or neck sized it). I then proceeded to shoot the LR Club Championship at Bayou Club in Houston TX. in December with that same brand new brass prepped exactly like i just described i worked up the load with. I won the match and shot my highest score i ever shot at 1000 in FTR (590 26X). Since then i have been shooting the brass fire formed and it shoots about the same accuracy wise (very good).

Moral of the story, don't be scared of new brass!

 

[johnnyi]

I have had really good results shooting new brass at both 300 & 600. I have shot some of my best x counts and scores with new brass.