# NEW BRASS QUESTION



## jungle (May 10, 2008)

Believe it or not, I got a great deal at the gun show on some brand new Remington, unfired brass (100 for $25.00).

Do I need to chamfer and/or ream this brass or do I need to do anything at all with it?. The case mouth does not seem perfectly smooth. But it is new, unfired.

I should be able to just load it up, right?


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## hyperduc (Sep 18, 2009)

If your not expecting accuracy right out of the box, sure just load them up and ensure your OAL doesn't exceed limits. 

I always take a new brass through the same routine the fired goes through, size, trim, primer pocket and neck. Might as well have it shoot right the first time.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Yes you need to chamfer the necks. I also neck-size them to fix any dents that cases always seem to get around the mouth.


-DallanC


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## Transfixer (Jul 7, 2009)

I loded 100 rounds of new .222 brass along time ago.
On the first hunt in the spring about half of it would't chamber
in my Sako. I ended up shooting it in my contender.
Now all new brass gets full lenth sized. trimed to min. spec,
flash hole debured, and primer pocket bottom squared up.

 db


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

I agree with all the others have said. This may be a first for the forum. :lol:


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## jungle (May 10, 2008)

Makes sense. Thanks everyone for that. I will put the new brass through the whole process.


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## hyperduc (Sep 18, 2009)

Quick, someone lock this thread before we have contradicting opinions.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Well I guess we could debate about contenders having sloppy chambers over say a Sako's... :twisted: 


-DallanC


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I'm not questioning any of your sage wisdom here, but trying to educate myself. 

I am new enough to handloading that I havent learned all of the ins and outs yet, so my question isnt meant to challenge your knowledge.

What would be the benefit of chamfering the brass be? I do it with all my new brass as well, but have never learned the reasoning for the chamfer.

Would any of you care to weigh in on this and let me know the reasoning behind it? Thanks!

PS: sorry to hijack your thread Jungle


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Bax* said:


> I'm not questioning any of your sage wisdom here, but trying to educate myself.
> 
> I am new enough to handloading that I havent learned all of the ins and outs yet, so my question isnt meant to challenge your knowledge.
> 
> ...


Its so you dont scratch the sides of your bullets when you seat them. This is doubly important for bullets like XLC's that have a coating on them. Some cases can have a pretty good burr on the case mouth. Chamfering removes the potential burr and makes it so bullets are easier to seat (inner mouth chamfer), and that the case chambers easier in the rifle (outer mouth).

-DallanC


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## jungle (May 10, 2008)

Bax* said:


> I'm not questioning any of your sage wisdom here, but trying to educate myself.
> 
> I am new enough to handloading that I havent learned all of the ins and outs yet, so my question isnt meant to challenge your knowledge.
> 
> ...


Not at all...Actually, I found your question quite apropos!


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## hyperduc (Sep 18, 2009)

The only time that I do it is after the case has been trimmed to length, trimming creates quite a few sharp edges and burrs that the bullet can hang up on. Other than that there really isn't a reason to do it.


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## Transfixer (Jul 7, 2009)

DallanC said:


> Well I guess we could debate about contenders having sloppy chambers over say a Sako's...
> 
> Funny thing is the contender 14in. pistol would shoot a tighter groop at 300yds. than the sako at 100yds. Out of 3 guns in .222 that I have owned the contender is the only
> one I still have.
> ...


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## James (Oct 7, 2007)

Yes, and it doesn't take much cutting. Just enough to get the burrs off. I always deburr all new or first time reloaded brass and after trimming. 

Yes, again, do size new brass and expand the neck after sizing. IOW leave the deprime tool and expander in the die while sizing even though there is no primer to punch out, the neck still needs to be sized inside.


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## jungle (May 10, 2008)

Additional study has shown that it is also good to fire-form new cases for optimal accuracy so as to form the new cases to your chamber. This also provideds consistency with your other once- fired cases.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

jungle said:


> Additional study has shown that it is also good to fire-form new cases for optimal accuracy so as to form the new cases to your chamber. This also provideds consistency with your other once- fired cases.


So you are saying not to full length size it?

Not sure I understand what you mean Jungle.

I know that brass forms to the gun it is fired from, so are you just saying to neck size it?


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## jungle (May 10, 2008)

Bax* said:


> jungle said:
> 
> 
> > Additional study has shown that it is also good to fire-form new cases for optimal accuracy so as to form the new cases to your chamber. This also provideds consistency with your other once- fired cases.
> ...


Note I said "also" meaning, it is good to do everything we have talked about on this thread with new brass in addition to fire-forming the brass. That could be done with a reduced load and undesirable bullets in your stock.

The accuracy will increase once it is fire formed to the chamber so now you have a batch of once-fired cases. This will provide consistency with other batches of already once fired cases.

I admit this fire-forming step is probably a little too much for my needs.


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## James (Oct 7, 2007)

Fire form? Yes, that happens every time you fire a load. Its automatic. Once fired brass is fireformed. I don't know how much this may afect your accuracy on subsequent loadings, but it will certainly set your head space for the next shooting if you just neck size them next time around. 

Neck sizing only will help your brass to last longer, but you need to try them in the gun after sizing and before loading them to make sure they will chamber ok. Also, it is imperative that you only shoot neck sized loads in the rifle they were fired in. If there is a chance that the loads will be fired in other rifles, you should full length size them. Chambers vary a bit in size and you will find one that the loads can't be chambered in, or it may be hard to close the bolt.


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## jungle (May 10, 2008)

James said:


> Fire form? Yes, that happens every time you fire a load. Its automatic. Once fired brass is fireformed. I don't know how much this may afect your accuracy on subsequent loadings, but it will certainly set your head space for the next shooting if you just neck size them next time around.
> 
> .........


James,

The logic here is simple. If you have once fired brass already in stock; and you say, buy some new unfired brass from somewhere, they are different from your once-fired stock. Period.

One batch has been fire formed to your chamber and one batch has not. You have two different batches in your inventory. Nothing is automatic because your new brass needs to go through one more step before it is classified as once fired brass, by definition.

Now, if you load new brass and once-fired brass, and resize them and mix them up into a box of 20. Guess what? You still have a box of ammo mixed with both brass fire formed to your chamber and brass NOT fire formed to your chamber because it is NEW brass that was just loaded. Your box of custom, handloaded ammo is now a hodge podge of new and once-fired brass. Resizing does not change this immutable fact.

They are different and there is nothing "automatic" about this. It all boils down as to whether one is willing to mix the batches before the new brass is fire formed, an extra step if one so choses to be as detailed as this.

Consider also that your once fired brass most likely came from a different production run than the new, unfired brass you just bought. This works to further illustrate the differences between the two batches of brass.


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