New brass - need case prep?

[Grumulkin]

Well gentlemen, I really don't care if you size, trim and otherwise play with your new brass. If it makes you happy do it. Having started reloading as on unsupervised teenager back around 1967 with a Lee Loader on the kitchen table for a sporterized 7X57 Mauser I'll pretty soon be at the stage I can be classed with the "old guys."

Over the years I've sized, uniformed primer pockets, turned necks, etc. but with the exception of loading for one cartridge have NEVER trimmed or sized new brass though I have deburred flash holes and chamfered the case mouths. I guess there would be one other exception and that would be for the very few new cases where the mouths were grossly out of round or the case bodies dented.

If doing all those things helped, then the ammo I make from resized, trimmed and otherwise screwed around with brass should be more accurate and work better than ammo made from new brass I haven't messed with but that has never been the case. In fact, the opposite is sometimes true.

But, as I said, if doing those things makes you happy, go ahead and do it.

 

[Walkalong]

It does, and I will. Thanks.

 

[R.W.Dale]

On the subject of out of round case mouths. I do not size these, what I do is bump the expander ball through the neck thus restoring thr neck shape

 

[Walkalong]

Yep. That is all some folks do with new brass. Not knocking it. Just not my preference.

 

[Ranger J]

Wearing both a pair of suspenders and a belt may seem excessive to some but chances you will not get get caught with your pants down. I once got a bunch of WW 45/70s that were contaminated with something oily? inside and I loaded them right out of the bag and ended up pulling most of them after no fires and hang fires. I trust the dealer but I still want to cut the cards.

RJ

 

[Offfhand]

As noted in earlier posts, new cases almost have somewhat out of round necks and mouths. This is easily corrected by using a correct size expanding mandrel. Notice I say correct size, which is important. Excellent expanding mandrels are available from K&M and Sinclair. The expanding button in a sizing die is a poor substitute as they are often the wrong size and screeching them in and out of a neck can distort the case, especially if the new case has already been abused by squeezing the neck into a sizing die. Expanding mandrels are tapered and gently round the neck without altering correct original dimension, they are inexpensive and money very well spent.

 

[Walkalong]

Excellent point offhand. They are the best way to fix out of round necks.

The die body and two double ended mandrels are Sinclair. The single end mandrel I made. Notice how the flat isn't quite perfect.