I HATE NEW BRASS!!!

[JRose]

What the heck do I have to do to get consistent neck tensions on my new Winchester brass? I full length sized it, sent it through a neck expander die, then neck sized it with my bushing sizer.

Still all over the place. But once I fire it, then neck size it with the bushing die, it's all good....

 

[bohem]

Re: I HATE NEW BRASS!!!

Did you try annealing it, then neck sizing the dings out of it and then checking the neck tension?

Sure it's a PITA to do this to new brass, but it's cheaper than running powder bullets and primers through it and having to do a full loading cycle before you get consistency.

 

[Asm1]

Re: I HATE NEW BRASS!!!

Thats so easy Jrose!

Sent them new virgins to me and i will blast them for you and send them back 1x

 

[heikki02003]

Re: I HATE NEW BRASS!!!

That's to be expected. It's a common occurance.
You can run them through a thousand cycles of expanding on an expander mandrel then neck sizing with a bushing and you'll never get consistent necks... unless you neck turn.
Fireforming is very critical to uniform brass. Not only will it align brass and strighten them (given your chamber is cut straight)it will also to some degree uniforms the brass thickness at the neck.
Try this (if you have the tools). Measure neck thickness variation of your unfired brass using a Sinclair neck sorting tool (or the like). Choose a few with the greatest variation and record what it is. Now fireform. The heat along with the colition of the brass into the chamber helps the higher areas of brass to flow into the shallower areas. After fireforming your neck thickness variation will be less. You will find that the more out they are the larger the gain will be. If they are only out a thou (as good Lapua's are) you will not notice a difference.

 

[Ratbert]

Re: I HATE NEW BRASS!!!

I go the opposite way you did. I use a Lee Collet die with an undersize mandrel to get them smaller than I want, then I open it back up with the Lyman neck expander. That way you're working with ID (which is what determines neck tension) rather than OD.

 

[JRose]

Re: I HATE NEW BRASS!!!

I guess I need to start neck turning.... Or send my brass to Frankie...

 

[Asm1]

Re: I HATE NEW BRASS!!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JRose</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I guess I need to start neck turning.... Or send my brass to Frankie... </div></div>

I will keep them warm !