Load development with new brass?
- Thread starter MachoKing
- Start date
I noticed doing load development on my Warbird that new brass used .4 grains less to get the same velocity as once fired brass. I just load accordingly
My thinks I only have 3 guns
My thinks I only have 3 guns
When i used my first batch of lapua brass everybody told me just load and shoot... i found that the necks were so tight i couldnt hardly seat a bullet. Your situation may be different but i had to run them all through my FL sizing die before i kept loading them. You should be fine to start load development without fire forming.
The new factory Lapua brass I've used has varied in neck tension from.0025 to .004 which is why one feels different pressures when seating bullets. You can run them through a sizer with the expander ball being careful not to bump the shoulders. You could also use an expander mandrel to open up the necks a little and then run them through your sizer. You could use a turning mandrel to open them up a bit but sometimes springback doesn't allow much opening or ease of neck tension. Finally, you can load 'em up and shoot.
It's been my experience that after inspecting the mouths and running a mandrel into the ones that are dented or bent that just loading them up and shooting can still give me a decent load while doing a load work-up. Once fire-formed, if you have correctly identified your optimum charge weight, the adjustment needed to fine tune should be minimal. Some of mine have remained unchanged while others required an adjustment of 0.1 - 0.2 grains. The ones needing a powder weight change were still within the OCW node and shot accurately, they just needed some tweaking to be centered back into the node.
It's been my experience that after inspecting the mouths and running a mandrel into the ones that are dented or bent that just loading them up and shooting can still give me a decent load while doing a load work-up. Once fire-formed, if you have correctly identified your optimum charge weight, the adjustment needed to fine tune should be minimal. Some of mine have remained unchanged while others required an adjustment of 0.1 - 0.2 grains. The ones needing a powder weight change were still within the OCW node and shot accurately, they just needed some tweaking to be centered back into the node.
