A .32 Long primer test today

[ray15]

I need to sort out some same headstamp 9MM brass and load ten each of various "small" primers and go shoot them all at the same time one of these days. That might be interesting.

I'd like to see that. You might also check your chosen brass with a scale - many maker use differing production processes which show up easily on the scale. As an example you might have .FC. and FC (no dots) and a 5gr. difference in weight. Wall thickness tends to vary, amongst other things.

 

[Walkalong]

As an example you might have .FC. and FC (no dots)

I was thinking of using Blazer, I know there is plenty of that in the buckets. Weighing to double check them is a good idea.

 

[ray15]

I was thinking of using Blazer, I know there is plenty of that in the buckets. Weighing to double check them is a good idea.

I've got a ton of Blazer. It's like FC, dot and no dot versions with ~5gr. difference. I think the only thing different between FC, CCI, Speer and Blazer these days is the headstamp. There's heavy and light versions of all four.

 

[Walkalong]

I have seen two different looking Blazer headstamps that I remember. I'll weight them.

 

[ray15]

Yes, you can see the difference by the flatness of the head. .FC. and .Blazer. are usually dished slightly, sloping into towards the primer pocket. It's more noticeable after they are fired. I've been told those are an extrusion process of some sort. The traditionally formed cases have a perfectly flat head. The scale is the best judge, but the visual clues are consistent although somewhat subtle.

 

[Walkalong]

.FC. and .Blazer. are usually dished slightly, sloping into towards the primer pocket.

I have seen these in both headstamps, and while I have not weighed any of the Blazer ones the FC ones definitely are different. I have plenty of the flat headstamp Blazer, and the last time I did a 9MM test that is what I used. I just weighed 12 of those (Sized, no primer, tumbled clean with soot on the inside) and they were from 59.99 Grs to 61.08 Grs, barely over a 1 Gr spread. I assume a larger batch would have a larger spread.

 

[ray15]

Heh, nearly all the Blazer I have is the dished variety. I have about half and half on FC. I bought a couple of cases of 115gr. Blazer Brass and they have +/- 1 grain or less across all 1000 rounds. It think all the brass from a given lot code will match well. It's not too often we get to pick up the brass from more than a few boxes from the same lot. This is one respect in which we as reloaders have our work cut out for us to equal factory ammo. Without a lot of sorting we are handicapped by a much larger variance in case volume and wall thickness.

 

[Walkalong]

Well, I have proven to myself that for the most part I cannot shoot the difference between new matching cases and reasonably well matched range brass. I have no doubt it gets rid of an errant shot here and there, but for general plinking it is hard to tell any difference.

 

[ray15]

I'm no great shot, but do strive to keep the impact of such things from affecting my testing. Especially for something like the primer test you propose variation in the brass could obscure the difference. In similar fashion when I work loads up I use good brass to see the true potential of the loads. My production runs are sorted by headstamp mainly for ease of identification but make no attempt to distinguish between the various types of each.

I strive to produce the best ammo I can. Even in cases (no pun intended) where the impact of such an issue is minor or I can't do anything about it I still strive to recognize the limitations of my process with a mind towards eliminating them at some future point. I bought new matching brass for my 357 and 38 special ammo because there's not so much to pick up and I don't have to worry about it getting mixed up with all the rest. Surely not as viable for 9mm. Graf's closed out their PPU 38 special brass for 4.79 cents apiece, so I bought 1,000 pieces whether I can even see the target much less hit it.

 

[Walkalong]

Especially for something like the primer test you propose variation in the brass could obscure the difference.

Absolutely, and a good idea to weigh them. With the .32 Long test the brass was all factory out of the same box. My 9MM "Test" cases I used were all the flat head Blazer, but I'll need a bigger batch for this test. I'll definitely weigh them.