If you have 300 pieces of brass and 2500 rounds of barrel life do you carry that brass over into a new barrel of the same caliber? Do you have a match batch and a practice batch? Just wondering as I decide on a 6.5 build.
Question on brass between barrels
- Thread starter winniedonkey
- Start date
If the Brass will last completely through the second barrel, and the fired Brass will fit the new chamber without excessive headspace on the first firing in the new barrel then I do. I also don’t run match and practice, I like it all the same. That being said, I most often buy new Brass for a new barrel.
I would get new brass for a new barrel. If youre worried about having left over brass dont fire them all, set aside 100 and only use 200 in this first barrel unless you find you you need them.
I keep the same brass and cycle through new barrels. I use the same gunsmith/same reamer though, so chambers and headspace are identical. Different dimension can give you lots of problems depending on if new chamber is larger/smaller.
I am on the keep using it side. Get the headspace correct thorough sizing or long seating and keep that Lapua brass on the line.
Once you get a full charge round fired in a chamber, it "forgets" the past barrel. 55,000 PSI will insure that. The brass has a new home.
I recently started using a new 7.62 barrel. I have sold or worn out several others. Long to short is that I had 8-900 rds of ammo loaded in Lapua brass, various loads, various rifles, seating depths, various bullets etc. . All fired from 1-4 times. I normally get 30+ cycles out of Lapua 7.62.
I made sure each lot chambered. A couple of mornings prone and slung up gave me a huge pile of good condition brass and a lot of 800 yard hits on steel 6" swingers. Now I am ready to work up a load in fire formed and FL resized Lapua brass that will last this barrel and another or two.
Once you get a full charge round fired in a chamber, it "forgets" the past barrel. 55,000 PSI will insure that. The brass has a new home.
I recently started using a new 7.62 barrel. I have sold or worn out several others. Long to short is that I had 8-900 rds of ammo loaded in Lapua brass, various loads, various rifles, seating depths, various bullets etc. . All fired from 1-4 times. I normally get 30+ cycles out of Lapua 7.62.
I made sure each lot chambered. A couple of mornings prone and slung up gave me a huge pile of good condition brass and a lot of 800 yard hits on steel 6" swingers. Now I am ready to work up a load in fire formed and FL resized Lapua brass that will last this barrel and another or two.
I've found that brass easily forgets smaller chambers, but it's not nearly as easy to go the other direction and get well expanded brass back down to smaller sizes. This depends a lot on how aggressive your sizing dies are.
I like to get 2 barrels worth out of a batch of brass. After 2 barrels, time to decide if I want to continue with that case or move on.
Most of my ammo is fired in match dimensioned chambers which are all likely quite close. I agree that it is tough to get the pressure ring back down once expanded without a small base die. (Which I have if needed.)
