At the range today I was given 2 boxes of freshly fired brass. This included a box of Frontier 7 mm Mag and a box of Remington .308. How would you resize this brass, would you Full Length, Partial Full Length or Neck size only? The reason I am asking is the bolt on my Remington .308 closes easily on the .308 brass (I haven't tried the 7 mm). Look forward to your replies.
How would you resize this brass?
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loadedround
Member
Any unkown brass not fired in your own rifle needs to be full length resized. I can not see any exceptions to this rule...all rifle chambers are of different dimensions and fired cases reflect this.
qajaq59
Member
I'm with loadedround on this one. Far better to full size it the first time since it wasn't fired in your own gun.
JimKirk
Member
Full Length Size... then do what ever you normally do to your brass after the next firing.
Tim the student
Member
I'll be another echo for the chorus and say FL.
howlnmad
Member
Add another vote to FL sizing.
Joker7940
Member
+1 for FL size
Steve Marshall
Member
If the brass chambers easily in your rifle, why FL size? This is one of those old saws that don't hold up to reason. Some chambers are bigger than others, hence you FL size brass fired in them so they'll fit yours. Some chambers are smaller than others. Neck size brass fired in them as they already fit your rifle. My first Enfield had a HUGE chamber. I've never encountered fired brass that wouldn't chamber easily. And yet, by neck-sizing only,
I've gotten up to 17 reloads on Remington brass. Do you think I screwed up by not full length resizing? Not even hardly.
I've gotten up to 17 reloads on Remington brass. Do you think I screwed up by not full length resizing? Not even hardly.
This was my thinking on this when I asked. I figured since the brass already fit loosely in the chamber it wouldn't (shouldn't) be necessary to size the brass except for the neck. I think I'll try neck sizing only first and then brass should be fire formed to the chamber after the next firing.
I thought that after it was fired in my guns this was the correct time to neck size the brass. If the brass has been fired formed to the chamber then why would I want to resize the body of the brass? I know the neck needs to be returned to size, but it seems to me that you would want the cartridge to fit the chamber so there would be less working of the brass. I guess I'm still a little confused about when to use the Neck sizing and die and when (and how) to do a Partial resizing with a regular FL sizing die. Help!
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Because if the chamber of the rifle it was fired in was larger in diameter, the brass expanded to fit and shrunk in length. That in turn can cause excess headspace in your chamber.
If you FL size it, the case dia is decreased and the shoulder will be pushed back where it came from, giving closer headspace in your chamber.
That in turn prevents case stretching that would occure if it had not been FL sized.
Case life would be increased if you can stop that initial stretch in the first place.
rc
It is if you want to neck size only. I would partially full length size is all I was saying.
Anyway, rcmodel is right about the headspace issue. When you FL size the brass it will not only push the case wall in but the shoulder forward (until it hits the part of the die that pushes it back) and if properly FL sized, will eliminate any possible headspace problem the first time you fire it in your rifle..
Okay, I think I get it. To be honest I had never heard of "partial" full length resizing until I signed up here. As far as full length resizing this brass even though it seems to fit okay in this rifle it does make sense once you understand that the should is pushing forward when the body is being compressed. I was thinking that the shoulder would be pushed back and the body compressed so it didn't make sense to me why I would want to push the shoulder back further than it already is if it already was going to move forward again when fired in my gun. Thanks for clearing this up.
GP100man
Member
scrounged range brass or "once fired " gets the paper clip check for head seperation then partially sized enuff so the bolt will close easily.
I have a means for checking springback after flareing for cast boolits if it springs back too much it gets annealled a bit .
No way to prove its right , but it works for me & I have 06 brass I quit countin the loadings on, but this is mid pressure loads also !!
I sat & watched & waited for a fellow to shoot a box (50cal. can) of surplus ammo at a range I scrounge at , 63 peices of greek HXP surplus , yes i asked before scroungin it up !!!
He took the rest home , dang it I love these people that burn alot of ammo to set a scope !!!!!!
I have a means for checking springback after flareing for cast boolits if it springs back too much it gets annealled a bit .
No way to prove its right , but it works for me & I have 06 brass I quit countin the loadings on, but this is mid pressure loads also !!
I sat & watched & waited for a fellow to shoot a box (50cal. can) of surplus ammo at a range I scrounge at , 63 peices of greek HXP surplus , yes i asked before scroungin it up !!!
He took the rest home , dang it I love these people that burn alot of ammo to set a scope !!!!!!
Hondo 60
Member
Parker51,
Why did you post this question? The first 6 responses all said Fl resize, yet you jump on the seventh when they question why FL resize.
I know for me anyway, I get apathetic when people post questions but then say they're gonna do it their own way anyway. Why bother answering the question?
Why did you post this question? The first 6 responses all said Fl resize, yet you jump on the seventh when they question why FL resize.
I know for me anyway, I get apathetic when people post questions but then say they're gonna do it their own way anyway. Why bother answering the question?
Steve Marshall
Member
That's what i love about these forums- you learn so much. So the brass was fired in a fat chamber and the "headspace" shrank? That's not been my observation at all. (e.g. machine gun brass) But, oh well. So now you take this fat cartridge case with the short "headspace" that already fits your chamber and FL resize it. Oh, Oh.
If it fits your chamber easily now, your sizing die probably won't size the case at all. Oh yeah, I forgot how the expander stretches the case when it comes out. Maybe that'll improve the headspace fit. Ooops! That rarely happens. I forgot. And as someone who once sized 7.62x51 machine gun brass with and without an expander and then checked both the headspace fit AND the OAL and found no discernable difference between the lots, I throw down the anti-laziness gauntlet and challenge others to do the same. Not 1 or 2 but say 50 of each. Please measure the "headspace" before and after and the OAL also. (for you purists- I know that headspace isn't measured on brass but it is a much handier term than datum envelope or some such)
And just for a philosophical point, I believe the OP was planning on comparing notes with others just to see if his idea/ideas were in line with others on the forum. And to Hondo 60, that snippy little comment was even less High Road than this snippy little comment.
So, Parker 51, my advice to you is to get a case gage, try a few with neck sizing only, try a few with full length sizing and see which is more apropos. I'll wager at least 50 cents that you'll be happy with the neck sizing. And think of all the money you'll save on lube.
If it fits your chamber easily now, your sizing die probably won't size the case at all. Oh yeah, I forgot how the expander stretches the case when it comes out. Maybe that'll improve the headspace fit. Ooops! That rarely happens. I forgot. And as someone who once sized 7.62x51 machine gun brass with and without an expander and then checked both the headspace fit AND the OAL and found no discernable difference between the lots, I throw down the anti-laziness gauntlet and challenge others to do the same. Not 1 or 2 but say 50 of each. Please measure the "headspace" before and after and the OAL also. (for you purists- I know that headspace isn't measured on brass but it is a much handier term than datum envelope or some such)
And just for a philosophical point, I believe the OP was planning on comparing notes with others just to see if his idea/ideas were in line with others on the forum. And to Hondo 60, that snippy little comment was even less High Road than this snippy little comment.
So, Parker 51, my advice to you is to get a case gage, try a few with neck sizing only, try a few with full length sizing and see which is more apropos. I'll wager at least 50 cents that you'll be happy with the neck sizing. And think of all the money you'll save on lube.
GP100man
Member
Cabela`s or CTD must`ave had a sale on the stuff , it`s everywhere !!!!
Appreciate all the responses provided except for the one offered by Hondo 60 which had nothing to do with reloading. I didn't say the first 6 responses were incorrect and having read the book(s) I know this is what is recommended. I had pretty much made up my mind what I intended to do before I asked the question but had the first 6 said I would probably shoot my eye out or my gun might explode if I neck sized this brass than I might have changed my mind a little sooner. After reading RCModel's explanation for why I shouldn't just neck size this brass I changed my mind and decided it would probably be a good idea to run it through the FL sizer. I guess when I ask questions I am looking for more of an explanation as to why I should or shouldn't try something different. I thought this board was for discussing reloading problems and different procedures, not to be reprimanded for saying that I might try something different than what the majority had recommended. I've been reloading for about 15 years now and I've probably reloaded and shot several thousand rounds during this time. I don't feel that I am a risk taker when it comes to reloading and I tend to heed the advice of the more experienced reloaders on this board. However, I also like to think there may be "other" ways to do things that aren't necessarily wrong, and may even work out better. That's why I asked this question and many others. Again, thanks to those of you that responded to my question.
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