3 quick brass questions.

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Tomekeuro85

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I have a few questions about accuracy resulting from brass preparation.

First, Does deburring the flash hole make much of a difference?

Second, would it make much of a difference in accuracy if the brass was not all uniform. For example, if one case is 2.006, one is 2.009, one is 2.015, one is 2.012, etc. Would that have a negative effect on group size?

Finally, Does sorting by weight make much of a difference? I have heard both sides, but has anyone done any reliable testing?

Thanks all


-Tom
 
IMO and IMX, all of those will make a little difference, however, each one separately will not make much of a difference at all. So the real answer is, "it depends". It depends on several things: what kind of accuracy you're looking for and at what distance, are the reloads for a rifle or for a handgun, etc.?

If you have a tack driver rifle when shooting perfectly uniform rounds, then introducing any one of the factors you mentioned will most likely not noticably affect the rifle's accuracy. But, if you introduce all three variables, it might.

Deburring the flash holes can lead to more uniform ignition of the powder in the case. More uniform ignition yields a lower standard deviation of bullet speed. How much really depends on the type and amount of powder in the case.

I think your second factor, non-uniform case length, might make the most difference. If the cases aren't all the same length (and the COL is), then variations in pressure can be quite large. Differences in pressure lead to differences in bullet speed.

To my knowledge, sorting of bullets by weight doesn't make as large a difference in accuracy as you might expect. That is, assuming we're not talking about large differences, maybe 2 or 3 grains variation between bullets. Larger variations will lead to different pressures and, of course, different bullet speeds. Sorting by case weight, within a specific brand of case, might make more of a difference since case weight is usually in direct relation to case volume. If there is a substantial variation in case volume, then there will be a variation in pressure which leads to ... well, you know the outcome of that.

All in all, the biggest factor in accuracy is first and foremost the shooter, followed by the firearm, then the environment (wind, temp, etc.), and lastly the ammo (assuming relatively good ammo is used by the shooter). Only when the first three are just about perfect (or understood), will the slight variations in ammo caused by the factors you mentioned make a noticable difference.
 
What kind of baseline are we talking about? If we're looking at a rifle that has a hard time printing 1MoA, then none of the 3 are going to make a difference.

If you crimp, brass length can make a pretty big difference.

I gave up sorting brass by weight and haven't lost any points at 600yds. Maybe the groups are a tad bit bigger, but I can't measure them.

Ty
 
None whatsoever.. the zombies, bowling pins, small critters etc will not know or care if you are a few thou off in case length.
 
Brass

Question: Does deburring the flash hole make much of a difference?

Answer: I doubt it makes much of a difference but I do it most cases. I recently went to deburr Hornady brass and after trying several cases, found nothing to deburr so I stopped. I'll probably buy a lot more Hornady brass.

Question: Would it make much of a difference in accuracy if the brass was not all uniform. For example, if one case is 2.006, one is 2.009, one is 2.015, one is 2.012, etc. Would that have a negative effect on group size?

Answer: I assume you're talking about case length. As long as the cases aren't longer than the upper limit for the particular cartridge you're reloading for, it won't make enough difference for you to tell unless you're a shooter able to cover 5 shots with a dime at 100 yards.

Question: Does sorting by weight make much of a difference? I have heard both sides, but has anyone done any reliable testing?

Answer: It probably does make a difference but I don't do it. I do develop loads using one brand of case which is perhaps a version of this. Military cases, for instance have thicker brass, less capacity and would weigh more than say a Remington case.

Some things you didn't ask:

I think the powder you choose for a particular cartridge can make a huge difference.

The particular bullet you use can make a huge difference. I have no patience with inaccurate bullets. I will pay more and do so happily for well made bullets.

One thing that isn't emphasized much is the centering of flash holes in the primer pockets. In a recent batch of military brass for my .30/06, I started out with over 2 coffee cans full brass and discarded half of them because of poorly centered flash holes. This is the most blatant example of this but in a batch of .222 Remington brass by Remington, I found several very eccentric flash holes that would have to adversly effect accuracy. The results were worth it. With a cross wind with 10 mph gusts, I was getting less than 1 MOA out of my .30/06.
 
Go with Mal H or anyone else that says that by themselves don't mean much of an improvement, but all together will make some difference...:D
 
Thanks guys. I was mainly referring to my rifle cases. After careful measurement of my first reloads, I realized that both my .223 and .308 were shooting sub-MOA, although before measurement I thought I had group sizes of 1.5", the actual average was more like .8". I guess I'm just bad at estimating haha. Best for .308 was .4" and worst was 1.7", best .223 was .25", worst was 1.1" which I guess is good, but not good enough for me. I guess I would say that it would make me quite happy to cover 5 shots with dime, or at least a quarter at 100 yards. I personally thought that what would make the most difference was the varying case lengths, since the OAL was the same every time, that meant the bullet was seated a little deeper or a little shallower than the one before it. The other two I had my doubts. I have uniformed all my cases to 2.005 since that time, so I'll see what happens next trip to the range. Thanks again.
 
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Tomekeuro85,

This has been covered pretty good. One thing I would add, improvements thru match prepping brass may not show up at 100 yards, but are much more likely to show up at long range.

Don
 
To add a couple of thoughts....

The case length shouldn't matter much if you aren't crimping and they aren't so long as to pinch in the chamber when they release the bullet.

When it starts to engage the lands is when the pressures really begin to happen so if your OAL is consistant, so should be your pressures.

Neck tension CAN be a factor but unless your groups start with .0 I doubt it is all that important.

Oh, if you want to check something that is a REAL factor please check your bullet runout on your loaded ammo. Culling your precision ammo by runout can reduce your groups.
 
Tomekeuro85 said:
Thanks guys. I was mainly referring to my rifle cases. After careful measurement of my first reloads, I realized that both my .223 and .308 were shooting sub-MOA, although before measurement I thought I had group sizes of 1.5", the actual average was more like .8". I guess I'm just bad at estimating haha. Best for .308 was .4" and worst was 1.7", best .223 was .25", worst was 1.1" which I guess is good, but not good enough for me. I guess I would say that it would make me quite happy to cover 5 shots with dime, or at least a quarter at 100 yards. I personally thought that what would make the most difference was the varying case lengths, since the OAL was the same every time, that meant the bullet was seated a little deeper or a little shallower than the one before it. The other two I had my doubts. I have uniformed all my cases to 2.005 since that time, so I'll see what happens next trip to the range. Thanks again.
Your .223 should plop them into a dime size group with sufficient experimenting. I think all the things a guy can do to his cases just add to the fun. Knowing the bullet will go where the crosshairs are is soooo sweet.
 
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