Should I do anything with new Lapua brass?

[TheDeicide]

I have just bought 100 pieces of Lapua 30-06 brass. Is there anything I should do before loading up some ammo. I am pretty new to reloading for optimum performance. I can't find any good books, so I joined here hoping for info. I'm not sure if I need to use it on these or not, but I purchased a Gen II FlashHole Tool w/Handle made by Sinclair.

 

[Derek M.]

I didn't do anything to my Lapua 30.06 or 308 or 6.5x284 brass. The only thing I would do is neck turn if needed.

 

[TheDeicide]

Thanks for the info Derek. I am still acquiring equipment and I'm not decided on a tool for the neck turning yet.

 

[AJ Peacock]

Neck turning won't do much/anything for you if you have a typical non-custom loose neck on your chamber.

It might shorten your brass life though IMHO.

If you have a custom/tight neck, then you probably already know if you need to neck turn or not.

AJ

 

[Loner]

de-burr the flash hole, check the necks for being round visually and load it.

 

[RDM416]

I have just bought 100 pieces of Lapua 30-06 brass. Is there anything I should do before loading up some ammo. I am pretty new to reloading for optimum performance. I can't find any good books, so I joined here hoping for info. I'm not sure if I need to use it on these or not, but I purchased a Gen II FlashHole Tool w/Handle made by Sinclair.

Glen Zediker has a great book on handloading "Handloading for Competition" It is available at Champions Choice, Champion's Choice - Home Page and other places if you google it. My experience with Lapua brass is that it is good to go right out of the box.

 

[Mikecr]

I agree with RDM416 on the book. It is excellent.
But IMO, all new brass needs chamfering & deburring of the mouths.

 

[AJ Peacock]

+1 on the book.

AJ

 

[dirtball]

I have not found ANY new brass, including Lapau to be ready to load out of the box, bag etc.
I usually start by running them through an expander die to get the necks round again, then measure a few for length to make sure they are all longer that normal trim length, 2.494" for 30-06, they usually are, then trim, chamfer inside and out, and debur flash holes, resize the necks and you should be ready to go.
But if you just want to put bullets in the air and burn powder you can bypass all of the above.

Dave

 

[TheDeicide]

Thanks for all the info guys. I am going to grab that book after Christmas. I found another book with a dvd I am going to possibly buy as well. I don't think I can get too much information on the topic. I couldn't find that book in hardback though. I'm pretty rough on the paperbacks

 

[Derek M.]

I guess I've been mistaken on Lapua brass. I was under the impression that their flash holes are drilled and no need to debur. I should have mentioned that I do size all of them in my die before loading so as to get consistency.

I sent my dies back to the manufacturer with some fired cases and my measurements to ream the neck large enough to where I'm working with only .0025 less than a loaded round. A lot less brass working and fewer annealing processes necessary.

I will add the expander button, resize each case, then remove the expander and squeeze the neck down again, ready for reloading. I've found this reduces runout by a substantial margin.

Got the idea from this article: Bugholes from Bipod

After placing the correct shell holder onto the ram I use a stiff brush to remove any dirt trapped on the surface of the shell holder. Then the Full-Length Redding resizing die goes into the press. This die is adjusted to bump the shoulder exactly .001-.002". I have removed the expander ball on the decapping shaft. Trust me, don't use the expander. In most cases it will just tweak the neck or throw it out of alignment.

Bumping the shoulder .001-.002" is the key to concentricity. If your press is in good shape and you use high-grade dies your end result will be excellent. But, again, get rid of the expander ball. Your brass is fire-formed to your chamber. It is already straight and round--so you dont want to tweak it with the ball.

After my sizer die modifications, there is much less brass work-hardening and runout is near non-existent from what I can see on my gauge.