CoalCrackerAl
Member
It was Starline brass in 7.62x39. Before that i bought PPU it didn't grow until after a couple loading's. I learned my lesson to check lengths after 1st resize.
Do You Resize New Brass?
- Thread starter DMW1116
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roval
Member
i do since i reload on a progressive.one thing i wanted to suggest was using a lube or just tumble the new brass briefly. new starline brass was so squeaky clean it pulled the carbide ring of my dillon die( it was obviously defective and replaced by the company). the dust from tumbling acts like a lubricant for new brass.
lightman
Member
I'm another that resizes everything before loading.
wbm
Member
Yes.
The_Quartermaster
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Just dawned on me, the only time I didn't resize was when I had bought two 250 count bags of Federal LC 5.56 brass. I tried all 500+ that were there, none of my one Hornady 55 FMJ was able to be slid through so I took that gamble. I was new and possibly stupid at the time.
Thanks but have that trimmer plus the 38 Special one too. I don’t remember the max case length but my older brass basically all had to be trimmed. With this batch I have about 200 cases in two matches sets of 100. The 100 Starline are new. The 100 Fiochi have between 4 and 6 firings. I have 25 range pickups I’m working through now. I haven’t looked at the head stamps but half a dozen are nickel plated.
I resize everything before reloading. New brass gets sized mainly because I will have a known starting place. New cartridge brass is mass produced and occasionally a faux pas will slip through inspection and it's no big deal running new brass through a sizing die. Rifle brass also gets length measured and if necessary, trimmed. I have some brand new 32 H&R brass and I size them before reloading. I measured the diameter before sizing and after sizing. The unsized brass was .004"-.005" larger in diameter. Will that larger diameter make any difference, especially in a revolver cartridge? Probably not, but I know the diameter of every case before reloading...
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gwpercle
Member
whenever brass is shipped loose in bags like Starline uses the mouths get banged around and dinged out of round . You aren't so much sizing them smaller but making them nice and round and removing any dings . Good to do when loading softer lead , coated or plated bullets .
Gary
Gary
Before I started loading for myself last year, a friend offered to load some 6mm Rem hunting rounds for me. I thought it might be a couple boxes........it turned out to be 150 rounds.
When I started shooting it, immediately ran into problems. About 1 in 5 would not chamber, and most of the rest was so tight you had to force the bolt down. I asked and he had simply loaded new R-P brass, had not resized any of it. Loaded it as it came out of the bag. I've measured and it is the same size as my no go gauge. So I sorted it all and pulled the bullets from all the oversized rounds that won't chamber, pulled the primer extraction pin on the dies, then resized the brass so it would fit. Good news is this new never fired brass is now only a couple thousands under my exact chamber size and is being reloaded with tested loads that work well in the gun. Other than the work, I came out ahead on the deal.
Lesson learned.......for me anyway.......resize it all. Have also done so with new Starline and LC pull down brass and it helped both. Other than an extra step, don't see any downside......and lots of potential upside.
.38 Special
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If it's "important" brass - for hunting, carry, whatever - then yes. Otherwise, it often is "no". So far that has never caught me out - at least with Starline brass in .357 - so I'm probably not going to change.
Ironicaintit
Member
Sure do. Just because it's new doesn't mean it's ready to go.
I resize new brass PLUS I tumble all new brass. I once bought a 100 rd. plastic bag of rifle brass and something caused the powder to turn into a clumped charcoal mess. Probably lube the factory used to form the cases. Was lucky that I pulled down this brass for another load project and found the bad piwder before trying to shoot them. Found 8-10 out of 100 that the powder was clumped.
westernrover
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- Starline 357 brass comes new with the necks sized correctly. They will have an OD of 0.374". A typical carbide sizing die will size them down to an OD of 0.370". A loaded case will be 0.376".
- You can size the neck with a carbide ring die as far as your expander will push it back out. My Redding expander will push Starline out to an OD of 0.373" measured below the step at the mouth.
- If the die is run farther down than where the expander enters or the base of the bullet will seat, the carbide ring will squeeze the cartridge body down excessively.
- To avoid this excessive resizing, don't push a standard carbide ring farther down than the expander will go.
- To size the body of the case below the expander's depth, you can use an enlarged carbide ring. The Lee Factory Crimp Die has a larger carbide ring. The Redding Dual Ring sizing die also has one, but it is at a fixed distance from the smaller ring. You could also enlarge the carbide ring or have a machine shop or die maker do it for you.
- The best way I've found to control the amount of sizing on the neck portion is to use a Redding steel (non-carbide) die. This die is tapered so the body is not sized as much as the neck. Unfortunately, it's still machined for thin brass so if it is pushed all the way over a Starline case, it will size excessively small. The depth of the sizing can be reduced by unscrewing the die to raise it in the press. With this method, I can set my neck tension exactly where I want it.
- Using the tapered steel die this way will leave the head of the case unsized. To size this lower portion of the case, I use the larger carbide ring mentioned above. I use the Lee FCD (with the crimper removed).
- When the head begins to expand after several firings in chambers that are cut for moon clips and chamfered, I push the case all the way into the FCD with no shell holder. I just hold the die and tap the shell in on a piece of wood. I use a soft dowel or drift to push it back out. I hold the die upside down with the dowel in it and knock the dowel on a wood plate to push the case up and out. This busts all bulges. I use case lube to avoid any problems, and the cases typically go in with one tap and come out with one firm tap. If I'm doing a few hundred cases, I wear a glove to keep the die from cutting my hand.
nettlle
Contributing Member
Yes I do resize it.
FWIW and an aside; Today I started processing some new 32 H&R brass. Did something I haven't done in 40+ years; out of curiosity I measured the length after sizing. SAAMI calls for 1.075" case length and I measured 20 random picks. shortest 1.754", longest 1.756. I think that's pretty darned good for a mass produced brass item...
Bcwitt
Member
I think it is worth doing. I always did when i got new brass. It dosent have much resistance @ all. If the case is slightly out of true, the size might help it a bit. At the very least it uniforms the cases. I cant think of a reason to not size it, actually.
GeoDudeFlorida
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Cacas ex Fortuna
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Every case, every time
I haven't used any Starline 357 brass but I have used plenty of Starline 9mm Largo brass. I definitely needed to size them before loading. Some were a little big and the 9mm bullets would drop in too far. Plus there was a few that were out of round from shipping.
As I mentioned earlier, I size all new brass no matter the manufacturer.
As I mentioned earlier, I size all new brass no matter the manufacturer.
Oh man! $%^^!!!, Getting old sucks! My measurements were indeed 1.074" to 1.076". Typing has become a "hunt and peck" chore and I normally have to reread a post looking for old age faux pas (especially spelling). These darn keys are pretty close together!
Thanks for the kind reminder GDF...
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