Forming 6.5CM from 243. When to annealing ?

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Bat Rastard

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I have 101 pieces of once fired Lapua 243 brass. I have sawed off a chunk of the neck and will be running them through a FL 6.5CM die, then trimming to final length.
Should I be annealing somewhere in this process? And if so, when ?
 
I would have sold the once fired brass and bought new SRP Lapua, but I guess you already stepped in it, so might as well keep walking...

Anneal before pushing the shoulder back. Push, expand, neck turn, and anneal again, such you get a proper fire-form.
 
I ended up with lumpy necks. Likely scrap.

I will back shelf them for now. If I ever get into neck turning, I may try to save them.

Live and learn...
 
I ended up with lumpy necks. Likely scrap.

I will back shelf them for now. If I ever get into neck turning, I may try to save them.

Live and learn...
A lee neck die can help uniform the necks, but going from a longer case you have to turn the necks no matter what.
A Turner is on my want list, I have about 150 7x57 Ackley improved cases to do.
 
He pushed a lot of shoulder up into what is now neck, the Lee Collet die does a lot more to neck uniformity than most dies, but that doughnut he created isn’t going anywhere without neck turning or reaming.

Stinks you’d cut them before asking. Lots of folks can and do use good Lapua 243win brass, and 6.5 Creed Lapua brass is pretty easily found these days - with the advantage of small primers. Personally, I’d get a cheap Forster handheld neck turner, or borrow one from a fellow reloader, and finish what you started. Like I said, sometimes, once you stepped in it, you might as well keep walking. Right now, they’re just expensive paperweights. At least if you finish them out, they’ll have utility again. Right now, they’re trash, so it’s on you to rectify your mistake and spend the energy to turn them back into high quality, useful brass.

How many pieces are you talking about?
 
I got this job out again.
I expanded all my necks. I think I am a neck turn ,and anneal from good brass.
I would not try this project again. I am optimistic of salvaging the brass.
Now to get a neck turning apparatus. Leaning towards the Hornady.
 
I've had doughnuts making 260 brass from 308... I can only imagine how much of a pain your project is haha.

Good luck, hope it turns out.
 
I got the Hornady neck turner. So far I have 14 good pieces, and 1 scrapped.
Ever onward !
 
Right now 6.5 brass is easier to find than 243. I'd stop throwing good money and my time into this.
 
I know, but the money has already left the house and my time is free.

Because of this project, I now have neck turning equipment. I think I will upgrade my trimmer too.

It's not all bad.
 
I ended up with lumpy necks. Likely scrap.

Lumpy necks: I use forming dies, I expect folds and creases at the shoulder etc. when I do not use forming dies. You claim you cut a chunk of neck off. I trim the case to length after forming. I start with a hack saw and finish with a file.

F. Guffey
 
I cut first to make room in the die for the neck. I had to trim again at the end.

I have about 80 more to do final trim on, then annealing.
I will do a final inspection, looking for shoulder bites from neck turning, but I think I will finish with 100 pieces.
 
Lots of work to produce a readily available product and an end result of a confusingly mismarked set of brass, but, alas, it is done. I’m glad you trudged through and reached the end zone - I definitely wouldn’t have started this one, but if I had, I expect I would have abandoned hope and taken the ~$100 loss against the brass and never completed the task, so I’m glad you kept the ball in motion.
 
In the future, skip the annealing. Annealing twice in a row could have been part of the problem.
 
Here is the final chapter:

The brass was functional, but not good. I was getting erratic results doing load development. I had a load that shot a 1/2" in the morning yet that evening when I tried to repeat it went 2". That was the most egregious example, but it was very puzzling throughout load development. I

I weighed all of the cases, they were all within 1.2 grains of each other.

I tried a different batch of brass that started life as 6.5C, problem solved.

I have concluded that my neck turning, and or reaming must have made some of the necks out of round, or off center. I don't have any way to measure that, but switching out the brass tightened up the groups.

I wasted a lot of time, powder, and bullets before I figured this out. Thankfully this virus shutdown has given me all the time I needed for this goose chase. I am using this as a dress rehearsal for retirement. I am going to be a kickass retiree!
 
I am using this as a dress rehearsal for retirement. I am going to be a kickass retiree!
yes sirree...convinced the wife that we need to add more land to the next house so when we get stuck at home for retirement I have my own shooting range
of course, she's stuck in the house with me currently and is likely just saying yes to change the subject lol
 
Funny how we learn....some of us by just doing....some by reading....some by watching.....no matter .....we all learn what works and what doesn’t....
Good post....by the way and no disrespect to any of us....
 
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