338 Edge Bertram Brass Shoulder inconsistancies. Fireform First?

[DIY Mtn Hunter]

100 Rounds of Bertram Brass are in from Defensive Edge. When I measured the shoulders with the Hornady .420 Headspace Gauge I found them to have 0.009" of variance, ranging from 2.456" to 2.465".

I would like to be able to do some initial load development without having to fireform custom brass that cost $3.15 a piece, but am afraid that the variance in the shoulder could skew my results on powder charge and seating depth.

Am I being too picky here? What are some recommendations? Begin load development with longer shoulder brass, shorter shoulder brass or fireform everything first (>$1 a shot + wasted time)?

 

[427Cobra]

Hey Welcome to the Hide!

IMHO you need to fire form the brass to get your headspace measurement, use the the cases with with the longest measurement to setup your FL die, you can start to do load development with your non fireformed brass, seating depth won't change much and powder charge will have to be increased due to the extra interior volume from fire forming