Lapua reloading question

[hunter966]

Well I have another question for you all.

I bought some Lapua brass for my 308 and was wondering a couple of things, I've been reloading for years and have used Win. and Rem. brass but none with the quality of this Lapua brass.

First question: from the mouth to down below the shoulder the brass seems to have been heated. Is this what is called anealed brass if so what purpose does it serve.

Second question: this is virgin brass and seems to be very hard to insert into my sizing die. I ran the necks through some powdered graphite and then lubed the body of the cases.

I ran a Rem. case through and it was smooth and easy. What gives with the Lapua.

Long winded I know but thanks for the help.

hunter966

 

[britz]

Yes, the coloration is the heating annealing process and it helps "reset" the molocules in the brass after the brass has been put through the formation process. From what I can guess, the lapua brass is much harder than remington or winchester brass. It is MUCH better brass than rem or win.

 

[AJ Peacock]

Yes, the coloring on the shoulder/neck area is from annealing.

As far as feeding hard, does it look like you need to inside or outside debur them? I've seen the end of the necks have a little bur that needed to be debured to make them go into the dies easily.

AJ

 

[hunter966]

AJ I never thought about need to check the necks but I'll go take a look.

Thanks guys for the help.
hunter966

 

[AJ Peacock]

AJ I never thought about need to check the necks but I'll go take a look.

Thanks guys for the help.
hunter966

Regardless, make sure you are lubing the inside of the necks well. I use Imperial sizing wax, it is the best I've ever found and I've used them all.

AJ

 

[Buffalobob]

Lapua 308 brass has a smaller inside case capacity than many other brands of 308 brass. You should be cautious approaching max recommended loads.

 

[Natty Bumpo]

I ran a Rem. case through and it was smooth and easy. What gives with the Lapua.

When I've been resizing Lapua and Win or Rem .308 brass, I can tell just by the feel whether it's Lapua or another brand. Never gave it much thought before. Like some have already mentioned, maybe the Lapua brass is harder. I'm using a Redding full-length die with an expander ball (not a type S die).