Winchester .223 Brass

[dispatch55126]

I'm looking to start reloading (this is not a "what do I need thread") and have a question about Remington or Winchester brass. When you first buy the bulk brass, do you need to size them or can you go straight to the loading?

 

[cdrt]

I run them through the sizing die to true-up the case mouths since they get dinged when shipped in bulk and to make sure they are expanded enough to be able to seat the bullet correctly.

 

[K3]

I used to FL resize my new .223, but after I started using the precision mic and noticing that the shoulders don't need to be bumped back, I neck size to fix the case mouth.

The nice thing about that is that I don't have to gunk them up with lube and then tumble them for any length of time. I trim and chamfer, of course, and I do run them through the tumbler for about 10 minutes to get any little brass bits from the trim/chamfer out.

Then I weigh the brass and separate into lots, prime, and start loading.

 

[neal7250]

I like to trim and resize new brass. Makes everything uniform, and it seems to help in the acuracy dept. If you measure new brass you will notice that the case length will be off from 1 up to around aprox. 8 thous. I have also noticed variations in cut.(not being square)

 

[Cypress]

I always FL size new brass. I got a few once that would not chamber after I looaded them and that broke me.

 

[04JRB]

I full length size and trim/chamfer/deburr all brass, whether brand new or new to me. I have had some factory new brass that needed the mouth sized just to seat a bullet recently. I think it was winchester IIRC. I still use winchester brass, although some of the cases have not been very "concentric" lately. They seem to be slightly off center while trimming.

 

[dagger dog]

I think the idea behind the resize and trim is to give a good starting point on all new brass. That way every process keys of the same dimensions.
Also the other processes ,chamfer and deburr, are not really well done by the factory.

Then there is "the do everything you can to enhance accuracy" bunch, and they get into outside neck turning,primer pocket swaging,flash hole deburring,weight segregation, and the list goes on and on.

Its a personal preference thing that gives the reloader peace of mind that his loads are the best he can produce.

Plus it's a lot of fun!

 

[wcwhitey]

I use an RCBS trim die. You will find that after FL sizing very few Winchester cases will need to be trimmed. I like Winchester Brass for that reason. Brass prep is the most important step in reloading, get them all uniform and you will be rewarded with accuracy. Bill