How much did your load change from new brass to once fired?

[Bigeclipse]

I know this is a loaded question but what kind of changes did you see when you went from new brass to full length sized once fired? How did you go about testing and adjusting? Did you mainly just adjust to get your speed back on track? Reason I ask is I got a killer load going with my 6.5prc. I have about 75 more pieces of brand new brass, so it should last me awhile since this is mainly just a hunting rifle but when I do eventually run out what should I do to re-varify my load? I do believe I am in a velocity/accuracy node so hopefully not to much change.

 

[Dmagna]

I load 5 virgin brass and 5 1-2 fired brass. Just to check POI change and speed change. I don't have a load that changes poi but the SD and ES are better on the 1-2 fired brass due to less case expansion and more consistent neck tension.

 

[jbs2014]

I had a shift in velocity and ES when I started firing the once fired brass in .408 and 338-378. I had to adjust the charges by about .5 grain on 338-378 and 1 grain on the .408 to get them back in the velocity node that I had found. If I remember 106 grains of Retumbo pushed my 275 grain RMBs to 3050 and with the once fired brass I had to step it p to 106.5 to get back into the 3050 FPS range. With the .408 I think I had 2856 with 133 grains of retumbo and I had to move it up to 134 grains to get to 2856. That is with setting the shoulders back .001-.0015.

 

[LVJ76]

I've never used new brass for load development, but I qpuldnrecpmmens ypu shoot your loads again and also try a couple of increments pf 0.3 gr both up and down amd see what happens.

On reloads I always neck size only and that has worked great for me as far as accuracy goes.

 

[Jud96]

I've seen 20-40fps change from virgin to once fired. If I find a good load with virgin brass, I'll just bump down .3-.5gr to get back in the node with once fired brass. I've done this a few times and it works fine.

 

[Dmagna]

I've seen 20-40fps change from virgin to once fired. If I find a good load with virgin brass, I'll just bump down .3-.5gr to get back in the node with once fired brass. I've done this a few times and it works fine.

Never tried it myself. But thanks

 

[Bigeclipse]

I've never used new brass for load development, but I qpuldnrecpmmens ypu shoot your loads again and also try a couple of increments pf 0.3 gr both up and down amd see what happens.

On reloads I always neck size only and that has worked great for me as far as accuracy goes.

I don't shoot enough in this rifle to shoot all my brand new brass. Id just be burning the barrel for no reason. This rifle wont see more than 500 yards and is currently shooting .25MOA groups with the virgin brass. I have 75 more pieces of virgin brass which will likely last me 5+ years in this particular rifle so my plan is to take the once fired brass I do have (about 25 pieces) size and try to get back into the node and then log everything into my load book for later

 

[RT2506]

I have seen no difference, little bit of a difference and a HUGE difference between new and previously fired. You will never know until you give it a try in YOUR rifle. I never work up a load for new cases anymore. I learned my lesson a long time ago. I almost sent a rifle down the road that turned out to be one of the most accurate rifles I ever owned. It was a Rem. 700 in 7 Rem. Mag. Was trying to do a load work up with new Remington cases. I had 100. Thought I had a lemon of a rifle. It shot patterns not groups. I ran out of new cases and decided to just part size some cases (using a FL sizing die to just size the neck and just bump the shoulder) and load up the most accurate load I had found so far. This load would put 3 shots in about 2 inches. With this load and turned out most anything you put into this rifle as long as the case had been previously fired and part sized it shot SUB MOA. So you never know until you give it a try.

 

[26Reload]

I am loading NEW Lapua 65284 brass for my new rifle in same...
The new brass has really tight necks....mic' the ID at .258 in several....no wonder...
So I loaded up 2 groups 5 each two different powder charges....5 with new brass 5 with new brass neck resized...
In both charges the actually speed was very close...but each new brass without the neck resized had one charge that was out of the norm for velocity...which in turn thru the average speed, ES and SD off a touch.....if I throw out the extreme hi or lo round everything falls into place.....both rounds with single digit SDs.........so I guess now,I have to figure out which I want to go with...as one round is at 2930fps(53.5gr rl26..3.120")...the other 3010fps(54.1gr rl26..3.120")...and being this is my first proof carbon with 150 rounds through it already........i might have to stay lo fps to keep from burning it up.........

 

[Bigeclipse]

I am loading NEW Lapua 65284 brass for my new rifle in same...
The new brass has really tight necks....mic' the ID at .258 in several....no wonder...
So I loaded up 2 groups 5 each two different powder charges....5 with new brass 5 with new brass neck resized...
In both charges the actually speed was very close...but each new brass without the neck resized had one charge that was out of the norm for velocity...which in turn thru the average speed, ES and SD off a touch.....if I throw out the extreme hi or lo round everything falls into place.....both rounds with single digit SDs.........so I guess now,I have to figure out which I want to go with...as one round is at 2930fps(53.5gr rl26..3.120")...the other 3010fps(54.1gr rl26..3.120")...and being this is my first proof carbon with 150 rounds through it already........i might have to stay lo fps to keep from burning it up.........

I should have added that I sized all the new brass with the sizer die I have and Sinclair expander mandrel.