doctorjohn
Member
I received a 22 Hornet for Christmas. I have the Lee Collet die, Lee standard dies, and a Lyman M die. I was very fortunate to find a bag of new Winchester brass. Should I full length resize the new brass before the first loading?
22 Hornet - Full Length Resize New Brass?
- Thread starter doctorjohn
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Not necessary if they will chamber, and the case necks aren't dinged or flattened from shipping.
I always at lease back off the FL die and neck size and expand new brass just to insure proper neck tension.
But you really shouldn't have to.
rc
I always at lease back off the FL die and neck size and expand new brass just to insure proper neck tension.
But you really shouldn't have to.
rc
It's a long way and a rough ride from the manufacturing plant to your front door.
Case mouths can get dinged and dented and IMO should be sized, deburred and chamfered.
Just a thought, by the time you posted your question, waited for replies, read replies and responded to replies, you could have had all this brass sized and prepped.
Case mouths can get dinged and dented and IMO should be sized, deburred and chamfered.
Just a thought, by the time you posted your question, waited for replies, read replies and responded to replies, you could have had all this brass sized and prepped.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
What fun would that be for the rest of us though? 
rc
rc
icanthitabarn
Member
Who wants brass?
gamestalker
member
I've rarely bought new brass that wasn't dinged up, and I just always like to at least run them through a neck die to uniform them a little anyway.
GS
GS
ArchAngelCD
Member.
Like said above, it's usually not necessary BUT, I like to run new brass through a neck die or a backed off FL die before the first loading. It's quick and east with no lube needed if you size the necks only.
BTW, where did you get the brass?
BTW, where did you get the brass?
doctorjohn
Member
I went to a "mom and pop" operation that sells reloading supplies to try to find some Lil Gun for the Hornet. He didn't have any of that powder, but he said that he had some new brass, and I grabbed it. He had purchased the remaining inventory of an LGS that closed its doors, and the brass was part of that inventory.
I generally just re-size the neck to where the case chambers with out force; this includes the Hornet. Rounds such as the Hornet and 30/30 have long necks and generally size about half way down the neck. This insures the rounds are less likely to separate the head. I'm a firm believer that the less re-sizing the better.
GooseGestapo
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The .22Hornet is one of the cases/cartridges that I've found I get best results with near full length sizing.
My rifle (Ruger M77/.22Hornet KBZ- heavy barrel stainless-steel) gets best accuracy with brass sized to fully size the neck, and partially reduce the case body to get concentricity with the brass body to neck and bullet alignment.
My rifle has a terrible cut chamber, but it's not overly loose, just not round or perfectly concentric with bore. Fired cases are slightly "bent" due to poorly cut chamber.
It shoots best when the cases "lie" in the chamber in a consistent manner. If the lower case body isn't resized to be concentric, it may be held in an "out of alignment" condition and bullets won't enter the throat straight. I've encountered this on more than one Hornet through the years.
The only Hornet that responded well to just partial neck sizing was a Contender pistol with a 7.5" bbl. Very, very LOUD with regular Hornet ammo. Most of my loads were slightly reduced using BlueDot powder. But then again, most of the shooting I did with it was with .22cal air-rifle pellets over a CCI small rifle primer w/no powder. I was a "broke" college student in mid-70's and it was a joy to be able to shoot "anything" that went "bang"... I held to the lower taper on the multi-X of the reticle and at 50' it would shoot "minute of pigeon"... But I digress.
Your rifle will tell you what you need.
I've always run the NEW brass through a sizer to uniform the necks and case mouths prior to loading. With the Hornet, I found out accidentally that if I use the Lyman M-die and slightly flare the neck on the very thin Hornet brass, that I get superlative accuracy where otherwise it might be unremarkable. YMMV. This allows the bullet to be seated straight in the thin neck. Seated in over tight necks with sloppy seating dies, the bullets won't be seated straight.
Too, I've started using the Lee Factory crimp die to lightly crimp the case mouth. Further improves cartridge/bullet concentricity. I discovered this all from working up a GOOD cast "boolit" load about 20yrs ago. I wondered why the cast bullet loads shot so much better at 50yds than the jacketed loads. I now get groups (5-shots) that approach 1moa at 100yds, and on a consistent basis.
All this resulted from analyzing why some "new brass" that had been nearly fully sized and neck-expanded with a M-die, and then instead of being loaded with a cast boolit, I loaded them with some then new Hornady 35gr V-max's (hard to believe now nearly 20yrs ago!) that shot sub-moa. Subsequent reloads with just partially neck sized and no flare wouldn't shoot 3-moa. Same 5 cases !!! But repeating the near full sizing, and flaring with M-die, then light fcd crimp, voila, same superior accuracy. Mystery solved... Sloppy chamber "thwarted" !!!
edited to add: I'm still using some of the original Hornet brass I bought in factory loaded ammo in the mid-70's. After 50+ loadings, I'm losing them to split necks... but I did have one case head seperation, first I ever had, so I threw out 2 dozen or so that were/are showing some distress (bright ring above the case head area).
btw; neck turning to take away "thick spots" resulted in premature case splitting. Neck-turned brass also needs to be annealed...
My rifle (Ruger M77/.22Hornet KBZ- heavy barrel stainless-steel) gets best accuracy with brass sized to fully size the neck, and partially reduce the case body to get concentricity with the brass body to neck and bullet alignment.
My rifle has a terrible cut chamber, but it's not overly loose, just not round or perfectly concentric with bore. Fired cases are slightly "bent" due to poorly cut chamber.
It shoots best when the cases "lie" in the chamber in a consistent manner. If the lower case body isn't resized to be concentric, it may be held in an "out of alignment" condition and bullets won't enter the throat straight. I've encountered this on more than one Hornet through the years.
The only Hornet that responded well to just partial neck sizing was a Contender pistol with a 7.5" bbl. Very, very LOUD with regular Hornet ammo. Most of my loads were slightly reduced using BlueDot powder. But then again, most of the shooting I did with it was with .22cal air-rifle pellets over a CCI small rifle primer w/no powder. I was a "broke" college student in mid-70's and it was a joy to be able to shoot "anything" that went "bang"... I held to the lower taper on the multi-X of the reticle and at 50' it would shoot "minute of pigeon"... But I digress.
Your rifle will tell you what you need.
I've always run the NEW brass through a sizer to uniform the necks and case mouths prior to loading. With the Hornet, I found out accidentally that if I use the Lyman M-die and slightly flare the neck on the very thin Hornet brass, that I get superlative accuracy where otherwise it might be unremarkable. YMMV. This allows the bullet to be seated straight in the thin neck. Seated in over tight necks with sloppy seating dies, the bullets won't be seated straight.
Too, I've started using the Lee Factory crimp die to lightly crimp the case mouth. Further improves cartridge/bullet concentricity. I discovered this all from working up a GOOD cast "boolit" load about 20yrs ago. I wondered why the cast bullet loads shot so much better at 50yds than the jacketed loads. I now get groups (5-shots) that approach 1moa at 100yds, and on a consistent basis.
All this resulted from analyzing why some "new brass" that had been nearly fully sized and neck-expanded with a M-die, and then instead of being loaded with a cast boolit, I loaded them with some then new Hornady 35gr V-max's (hard to believe now nearly 20yrs ago!) that shot sub-moa. Subsequent reloads with just partially neck sized and no flare wouldn't shoot 3-moa. Same 5 cases !!! But repeating the near full sizing, and flaring with M-die, then light fcd crimp, voila, same superior accuracy. Mystery solved... Sloppy chamber "thwarted" !!!
edited to add: I'm still using some of the original Hornet brass I bought in factory loaded ammo in the mid-70's. After 50+ loadings, I'm losing them to split necks... but I did have one case head seperation, first I ever had, so I threw out 2 dozen or so that were/are showing some distress (bright ring above the case head area).
btw; neck turning to take away "thick spots" resulted in premature case splitting. Neck-turned brass also needs to be annealed...
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