2 Questions

[reaper1nblack]

First question, I ordered new .270 brass unprimed. Is it ready to go, or does it need to be sized first (first time I've used new brass).
Second question I picked up some brass at the range, it's really dark. If I clean and tumble is it ok to use.
Thanks

 

[Walkalong]

Some folks, like myself, like to size new brass, and also trim if needed. Some think we are silly and we should just load it up.

As long as the range brass is just darkened from water and weather, and not corroded, it will be fine to use. Always check the brass internally for signs of case head separation.

 

[James2]

I always go through all the steps even with new brass. Yes, sizing included.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I go through all the steps especially with new brass. It used to be referred to as raw brass when I was young. Unless it has changed over the years, it should be resized and trimmed as you would any brass that is unknown to you.

You'll find out it resizes very easily, and is the easyest brass you will ever resize.

Any range brass you find should be put through full inspection by you before you use it for anything.

It may have been left lay for a good reason.

 

[gamestalker]

I always resize and also check new brass for trim length. I'll first resize and then put a caliper to it to see if it is possible to get them all to the same staring lengths. Most ofetn I find I have a couple thousandths to work with, which just produces more consistent out of the shoot first cycle loads.

GS

 

[BYJO4]

I size and trim all new rifle brass.

 

[gojuice101]

I've found that usually new brass is okay to use. However, I size it anyway, simply to make sure it is right. It sizes easily so I'd take a few minutes to size it before using it.

As far as range brass, like everyone else said, clean and inspect it carefully first.

 

[edfardos]

yes and maybe.

imho, new winchester brass has mangled neck openings, is that just a fluke? I don't buy new brass very often.

 

[kelbro]

I size a new batch and then trim after the first fireforming load.

 

[Grumulkin]

When I buy ammo, I remove the bullets and primer. I then weigh the powder charge and inspect it to be sure the manufacturer put in the right type of powder. Then I trim (if necessary) and resize the brass and reinsert the primers and bullets with their respective powder charges. I do that so I can be confident the ammo maker didn't screw things up.

It only make sense to do the same thing with new "raw" brass.

 

[beatledog7]

I have bought only rifle and magnum revolver (and a few .44 special) brass new; for the rest I've used only fired brass, mostly my own nowadays.

Take a bag of new Remington or Winchester brass. Mouths are not round and not cut square to the case body. Flash holes are all buggered up. And so on. Starline quality is better but not universally perfect. IME, all new brass needs to be treated as the same as fired brass to avoid issues

So I size all my new and fired brass, and for rifle I uniform primer pockets and flash holes; usually I trim them as well, even if just to square the necks and make them all the same length.

I'm thankful that I will probably never need to buy new brass again in my life unless I acquire a rifle chambered in a cartridge I don't already have. Even then, it's probably just as smart to buy a few boxes of factory ammo and reload that brass.

 

[reaper1nblack]

Thanks all, I should have said the found brass was what we had fired before I started reloading, it's all once fired.

 

[James2]

Yes, the dark brass is ok to use. I loaded for many years without a tumbler and my brass got pretty dark. It is not a problem, just treat it like any other. You can tumble it overnight and likely brighten it up, if you wish.

 

[moxie]

"When I buy ammo, I remove the bullets and primer. I then weigh the powder charge and inspect it to be sure the manufacturer put in the right type of powder. Then I trim (if necessary) and resize the brass and reinsert the primers and bullets with their respective powder charges. I do that so I can be confident the ammo maker didn't screw things up."

Very novel concept! But how do you know what the right kind of powder the manufacturer should be using, and what charge? Do you reapply case mouth and primer sealant? If so, what brand?

 

[Steve H]

I always resize and clean up the flash hole on new brass. Seen some terrible neck shapes in new bulk rifle brass.

 

[homatok]

With new brass I try it in the gun, if it fits I measure and trim to get a consistent length. Next I take the ones that would not fit in the gun and size them only enough so they do fit and trim so they are the same length as the first brass tried.. Thereafter I only neck size for fit in my rifle.

 

[Captaingyro]

@Grumulkin:

I'm not trying to criticize or belittle here; I am seriously curious and may learn something. I honestly can't tell if you were joking or not when you said you essentially re-manufacture factory ammo. I think you were kidding, but if you're serious, could you enlighten us as to why you prefer this practice to loading your own ammo from components. It would seem that in every category of component (except perhaps brass), you could get a better product at a cheaper price, and just load 'em up yourself. You obviously have the talent to start from scratch. I'm just curious why you would undo someone else's work, then re-do it.

 

[Grumulkin]

Yes, I was joking.

I find it interesting that there are those who think they have to do all sorts of stuff to new brass when, without question, they would take ammunition from the same manufacturer and shoot it in their gun without doing anything to it. Do you really think the brass they sell to reloaders is different than what they use in their own ammunition?

Sure, I'll grant that sometimes a case mouth is out of round, etc. and I've had to fix some new brass very uncommonly but in the vast majority of new brass cases I use, I don't have to do anything to. With some brands of brass I've had to fix maybe 3 or 4 cases out of 100 but most of the time the number is zero.

I don't care if one wishes to screw around with new brass but it should be understood that unless you're a competitive bench rest shooter with a very accurate gun, it's doubtful you'll see any difference on the target. In addition, in my opinion, messing around with new cases can actually make them worse. It's HIGHLY unlikely you'll see any difference after de-burring flash holes, squaring up case mouths, resizing, etc. when these processes are applied to new cases.

 

[Walkalong]

More like deriding than joking, IMHO.

 

[helotaxi]

What I have seen with some factory ammo and "virgin" brass from the same company is that the neck of the loaded ammo has been mechanically trimmed (leaving a serrated edge) while the new brass has a smooth, rounded and thick lip right at the case mouth left over from when the brass was initially drawn. I neck size and trim most of my factory brass to get rid of this "ring" around the mouth. I noticed this most with Silver State 6.8SPC brass and to a lesser extent with Winchester brass (several different cartridges).

Pretty much regardless, I trim brass to a uniform length. I do the same thing to the brass from factory loads after the first firing even though I only neck size it for my bolt rifles. I usually only buy factory ammo when I find a good deal (like $20.49/20 for Fed Premium 7 WSM loaded with 160gn Nosler Partitions or Nosler Custom .243 loaded with 85gn Partitions for $20.87/20 or Nosler Custom .338 Lapua loaded with 250gn Accubonds for $49.99/20!) and then often it's primarily to get the brass.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

[First question, I ordered new .270 brass unprimed. Is it ready to go, or does it need to be sized first /QUOTE]

No. it's not ready to go. It will need resized and OAL checked for consistency. If you are going to crimp these 270 loads wheI picked up some brass at the range, it's really dark. If I clean and tumble is it ok to use.n you assemble them, they will all need to be trimmed to the same length to get a consistent crimp.

If you (like most of us) don't crimp your 270's then the over all length isn't so critical, as long as it isn't over the maximum published data for "Case overall length".

I check all my rifle shells for case length every time I load them, they grow in length whe you resize them.

[/I picked up some brass at the range, it's really dark. If I clean and tumble is it ok to use.QUOTE]

Yes, the color is probably just tarnish or it darkened up for the heat of shooting it. Do full inspection on it and you should be fine.

 

[beatledog7]

Grumulkin, I get that you say you were kidding, but here's the thing...

If I buy Manufacturer X factory rifle ammo, I am happy to shoot it as is then work on the brass. While it is loaded ammo, I don't have access to the brass itself and would not consider pulling it down to "fix" the brass. I'd have no reason to buy factory ammo at all if my intent was to pull it down and tweak the brass. I'd just buy components, work on the virgin brass, and load it fresh.

If I buy Manufacturer X new rifle brass, I have full access to that brass and will make sure it's as good as I can make it before I load it, just as I would with fired brass. Believe it or not, some of us actually enjoy tweaking brass and will always do so before we load it.

 

[Captaingyro]

I think what Grumulkin didn't realize when he gave his facetious answer is that commercial reloaders all have a sizing station, followed by either a) a trimming station, or b) a case checking station, where cases that are out of spec can be identified.

So yes, you should do it like the major manufacturers: size new brass, at least check the length, and trim to specs any cases that are too long.