I need some help from the reloading gurus.

[C-130 Dude]

well. I'm sure many guys here have way more experience at it than I do but In The past I've had really good luck using Lapua basically right out of the box. Basically run it through a die, trim it and load it. Even Erik Cortina does it so he claims in some videos. But this particular box shot horrible that way. Yesterday I took some of the once fired and prepped it up, loaded and shot it and it shot MUCH MUCH better. So I don't know where to put the blame but I see what I need to do I believe. I have some more loaded up to test tonight. We'll see how those do

I've never actually heard of Eric saying he shoots new virgin brass in a "competition" straight out of the box. Anyway, you had problems. So something must be up. Take a good look at your process. Try another lot. Maybe you got a bad one, I doubt it-but it's possible. Powder, primer, case, and bullet. It could be your barrel doesn't like it.

 

[Benchrest Braxton]

The only thing you should be doing to factory lapua brass is expanding the necks with a mandrel and then a small trim/chamfer.

 

[ShootnMathews]

I've never actually heard of Eric saying he shoots new virgin brass in a "competition" straight out of the box. Anyway, you had problems. So something must be up. Take a good look at your process. Try another lot. Maybe you got a bad one, I doubt it-but it's possible. Powder, primer, case, and bullet. It could be your barrel doesn't like it.

I can't say exactly why but the fire formed brass shoots better. After shooting some loads this evening I found the powder charge it likes but I'm definitely going to have to adjust the seating depth some.

 

[Boss Hoss]

The only thing you should be doing to factory lapua brass is expanding the necks with a mandrel and then a small trim/chamfer.

For a factory tube I will agree. Depends on what the Smith made the neck diameter in the chamber for the custom ones. I have to turn brass for almost all of mine.

 

[FEENIX]

You are 100% wrong. Just to show you this man is a HOF shooter has held world accuracy records in the past and I have spent 100's of hours in his shop. You head would explode if you were to witness even how he carefully turns brass including the lube he uses so heat will not impact the machining of the neck thickness just as one step.

Speedy does not waste his time weighing cases. Conducted exhaustive research on this and it is of no benefit. Some folks still do it, but they are not gaining anything by it except making themselves feel better. With some people that is all it takes and if it helps them so be it.

Are you talking about sorting brass by weight? I do not think that is what @cdherman is implying.

 

[C-130 Dude]

I can't say exactly why but the fire formed brass shoots better. After shooting some loads this evening I found the powder charge it likes but I'm definitely going to have to adjust the seating depth some.

Most all guns I've had performed (accuracy) better using fireformed brass. I honestly can't remember one that didn't. Maybe a well shot hunting 30.06, I just can't remember.

 

[C-130 Dude]

I'd like to hear remarks from a competitive, 'winning', long-range shooter how he preps is brass step by step~!

Take a look on YT. Tons of brass prep videos. Most of the videos are pretty good. Most of the heavy hitters have videos on there.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Weight is of no consequence and is a complete waste of time when it comes to brass. There is no way to correlate internal case capacity of two pieces of different brands even with different lots by the same manufacturer. Where the extra weight in a case is may or may not be in an area that impacts case volume capacity.

Weighing brass may help you to feel better about your components, however, makes no difference unless the internal capacity of the case is actually known.

I disagree.

 

[cdherman]

I disagree.

Best response of entire thread. Guess I must have flunked physics in terms of my gross misunderstanding of solid matter properties. IIRC I got an A. In college. In case you disagree this is a physics question. I got an A in chemistry and calculus too.

Listen: I think it is correct that between different brands of brass (and for that matter different lots from the same manufacturer) the weight of the brass may not correlate completely with capacity. The thin walls of a case expand totally to the confines of the chamber upon firing (assuming a full power charge of powder). If the base/web area is reasonably consistent, then the space within the case during firing will vary based on the amount of brass in the walls. This statement is a law of physics, not opinion.

I would hope and also believe that a given lot of brass from a given manufacturer will have some degree of consistency in the base region. At least they will be using the same equipment and setting the equipment to the same tolerances. I will note: I've have even Lapua brass show bimodal or trimodal weight curves, making me think that they had more than one machine producing brass and the 2 or three lines were not perfectly in tune.

I would guess that there is a lot of brass in the base. But there is a lot of brass in the walls too, since the case is a lot longer than just the base. I don't really know just how much the ratio of un-expandable brass in the base is to the rest of the case. (what I do know, is that once you start expanding the base, you are into deep dodo...)

If the variation in brass weight is in the base, then I will concede that weighing brass is less useful. I don't know the answer to that question.

Anyone?

 

[VinceMule]

Weight variations are in the case head, web thickness, shoulder thickness, and neck thickness within the same lot, same brand. Eliminating the extremes in weight +/- is a good start.

Also, best to buy 1000-2000 cases, sort in batch weights, shoot accordingly.

 

[ButterBean]

 

[sturner]

It's makes you wonder when we shot in the 70s and 80s how did we ever hit anything without a chronograph and we thought neck sizing only was the ticket
All I'm saying is that you can do it without because we did it without
But I've never shot out a tube with a pill using a recipe however I've shot a lot of barrels out with bullets using a load that I developed without using a chronograph
New people to reloading may not have access to all the tools at first I know I didn't so you make do with what you got

 

[sturner]

That's as good as the doe eating popcorn

 

[Boss Hoss]

It's makes you wonder when we shot in the 70s and 80s how did we ever hit anything without a chronograph and we thought neck sizing only was the ticket
All I'm saying is that you can do it without because we did it without
But I've never shot out a tube with a pill using a recipe however I've shot a lot of barrels out with bullets using a load that I developed without using a chronograph
New people to reloading may not have access to all the tools at first I know I didn't so you make do with what you got

Times, technology, materials etc. change over time. Firearms are not even close to being manufactured the same way as they were in the 70's and 80's. There is the capability to manufacturer a better product than existed 40-50 years ago.

Most if not all of the old accuracy records in the 70's and 80's have been eclipsed, in many cases many times over. Some of the old timers do not like to think about the changes that have and continue to shape the shooting sports. For me it is always fun to shoot small.

I can also say I have seen more than a few "shot out tubes" that were just polluted to death or were being cleaned incorrectly, damage to the crown for example. The bore scope does not lie.