Brass question.

[Ruger GP100 fan]

Since my post on another member's thread seemed a bit off-topic to me after posting,I decided to start my own. A member wrote that primer pockets would become too loose to reuse a case after about 5 or 6 re-loadings. I have not found this to be true with my 22-250 brass and I'm wondering if I'm just not getting the pockets clean enough. I am slowly working my way to the best ammo I can make for accuracy. So far I am just backing off the resizing die to avoid pushing the shoulder back,basically neck sizing only with a RCBS FL die and using Varget and 52gr bullets only to keep things simple...for now. The pocket cleaner leaves some carbon deposits and I want a better way. My questions are: Is the pocket loosening up not a problem with this round and what works best for cleaning pockets? Also,is the sizing die in this set a "bushing" die,also mentioned on another thread. Thank you.

 

[huntinggamo]

some brass has more issues than others, for example in .260 rem if i use Remington brass it has a tenancy to loosen the primer pockets after 4-6 firings where as if i use .243 Winchester brass necked up to .260 or Nosler brass in .260 it will last longer, i have 12 firings on my current Winchester brass with no issues....

 

[Ruger GP100 fan]

I'm using what were new Winchester cases when I started.
Can I get some feedback about neck reaming and turning,too? Thank you

 

[243winxb]

Pockets open from high pressure expanding the web/head area. You have standard dies, not bushing. Outside neck turning is what you use with bushing dies for best results,great with factory unturned also. Some case trimmers like LYman has a outside turning attachment, it works. I cant remember cleaning a pocket, its been so long. You should follow general rules for reloading. Cleaning the pockets is a good thing

 

[Walkalong]

Pockets open from high pressure expanding the web/head area.

Yep, doesn't matter how clean or dirty the primer pockets are.

 

[loadedround]

I also agree with the two previous posters.

 

[Ruger GP100 fan]

Well I'll be...I thought cleaning the pockets was important for accuracy. Is the main concern,then,the flash holes?

 

[Strongbad]

You can deburr and clean up the flash holes but it really wont make that much difference. Your best bet if the brass you're using is opening up in the pocket and your loads aren't maxed out would be to change brass. For what it's worth I've used Norma brass in my 22-250 since new. The necks split (because I don't bother to anneal) before any of the pockets have given out and that's with top loads.

 

[Ruger GP100 fan]

I was given a bag of 100 new Winchester cases when I bought the gun used. How do they compare to Norma on quality? So far I'm not having any problems with either the necks or the primer pockets after 5 uses.

 

[howlnmad]

Norna brass comes ready to load, right outta the box, no muss no fuss. But you do pay for this and the quallity. If you've gotten five reloads outta Winchester brass, then I wouldn't worry but I would start watching closely for failures.

 

[243winxb]

In 243win, the Winchester or Rem brass is fine if you sort by weight after sizing, trimming, chamfer & deburring, uniforming the flash hole. My testing showed it removes some "flyers" from the groups. Custom dies help also. When you can average under 1" @ 100 yds, then its time to start fine tuning, if you want smaller groups.

 

[Walkalong]

Well I'll be...I thought cleaning the pockets was important for accuracy. Is the main concern,then,the flash holes?

It sounded as if you questioned cleaning PP's in relationship to PP life. We responded that there was no correlation.

In relationship to accuracy it may make a minuscule difference. I used a PP uniformer every time on my 6 PPC cases, and used a tool to remove any "hanging chads" on the flashhole. (Once and done)

Yes, I would agree that prepping the flashole would be more beneficial than cleaning the PP in lessor brass. Neither will make a big difference. In a factory rifle you will probably never see the benefit.

 

[Grumulkin]

At one time or another I cleaned primer pockets, uniformed primer pockets, deburred flash holes, turned necks, etc. I now don't do any of those things because I don't think they contributed to measurable accuracy gains. Neck turning will probably only do you good if you have a tight chambered bench rest gun.

As far as loose primer pockets go, if I have a case where the primer goes in VERY easily, I will mark that primer with a permanent marker and then discard that case after shooting. Also, be aware that some brands of primers seat more easily than others. For instance, CCI primers go in the pocket with a bit more force than Remington primers.

 

[FROGO207]

I have just started reloading for 22-250 and am using a mixed lot of brass. Three reloads so far and no problems with primer pockets or split necks. FWIW I do anneal them every other reload cycle as a rule in all bottle neck ctg.. No I do not do any special things to my primer pockets other than depriming unless I see a lot of crud when doing the brass inspection after that. I almost always clean them in corncob media for 1 hr to get the surface crud off the brass before I do reload them. That's just me, it probably does not make much difference in the end result but I think that they are cleaner.

 

[cfullgraf]

I find if I de-burr the flash hole of a case, there is less chance that polishing media clogs the flash hole during tumbling.

 

[Grumulkin]

I have never annealed a cartridge case in my whole reloading career that that started around 1967. What does annealing REALLY get you?

 

[243winxb]

Annealing

Work hardened brass will crack, so they say, when sizing and expanding many times. Annealing will make the brass necks soft again. But it really can not be done right by the home reloader IMO. To much heat and the brass is to soft. Factories have special chambers to anneal in, leaving no black stuff on the brass. There are now temperature sticks/kits to better read the temp. when annealing, i have not tried them. If you do not want to work harden your brass, use bushing dies or custom dies that do not overwork the brass.

 

[MrOldLude]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbRdJqyFDGY

This is a decent video that discusses the process of home annealing brass cases.

 

[243winxb]

Well I'll be...I thought cleaning the pockets was important for accuracy. Is the main concern,then,the flash holes?

You should follow general rules for reloading. Cleaning the pockets is a good thing. Uniform flash holes with no burr inside & all the same diameter is good to do for benchrest accuracy.

 

[Strongbad]

I've been annealing brass for years. No doing it by hand isn't as precise as it would be if done on a mass production machine but it's always been good enough. That being said, it's a bit of work and I don't bother doing it on anything small that I can buy brass for relatively cheaply, like the 22-250 or 243 for example. My 338/378 is the exception. Those get annealed, and I use a bushing die. Even with a bushing die work hardening is going to happen. The only difference is you're working them less in the resizing process so it takes longer.

As for flash hole deburring and primer pocket cleaning, I think it's an excellent practice and certainly couldn't hurt but in the overall scheme of things in a sporter rig, you'll probably never see any appreciable difference.