just received my order of lapua match 308 brass from graf and sons and upon the start of processing i took a few notes just to have the specs of how the brass came from lapua and noticed that all the headspacing on this brass is in the -.005- , -.006 headspace dimension , i had previously had issues with a lee sizing die that when adjusted to set die to -.002 i would occasionally get a piece that would excessively bump shoulder to -.005 .so i would sort by using my rcbs precision mic gauge into lots with matching head space, when i used those pieces (-.005) with my go to 175smk/varget load i would have a very stiff bolt on extraction to the point i would have to palm stamp the bolt handle to get it to open. this is my first time working with higher end match brass such as lapua and have seen some guys saying similar things about their lapua brass . safe to say just size quick / load and get first firing over with ?
New .308 Lapua Match brass with excessive headspace from lapua ?
- Thread starter FullMetalJacket
- Start date
Brass that is sized too much does indeed lead to higher pressures. However, you have to take into account the internal capacity of different brass manufacturers. I have used undersized lapua brass in a rifle that had a bigger chamber than the rifle I has previously fired the brass in. It led to the same thing you were seeing; stiff bolt as well as blown primers. I do not recall new lapua brass leading to pressure issues. Just charge a few with the load that has been working for you, and determine if you need to back it off.
I agree with the above.
Put an empty/unloaded piece of your new Lapua brass in the chamber and close the bolt and then eject it. Normal? Was the bolt hard to lift at all? I would bet everything would be fine...
If an empty/unloaded piece chambers and ejects fine, I would consider backing off your load for the first firings for the virgin brass. Once the brass is formed to your chamber, bump the shoulder back .002 and your go to load should be fine.
I just went out in the garage and measured some brand new Lapua 308 brass I have, and from the same lot, 2x fired Lapua brass. With my hornady headspace gauge, I measured the headspace of the brass to be 1.6230". The 2x fired Lapua brass in my custom PCR Remington 700, measured 1.6290". That is a difference of .006" from the brand new brass to the previous fired Lapua brass. With the 2x fired brass, I bumped the shoulder back to 1.6260" for my rifle to like the brass with no chambering issues. You shouldn't have an issue.
sorry about luck you need to send me that brass, cuz if you show up to a match with brass thats all scratched they will look at you
and be like " look at this mall ninja mofo his brass looks like he drug it here behind his truck and if he thinks he can hang with us he had best
check himself! cuz where a bunch off sopmod tier1 badass' sumsabitches and are ammo is g14 classified!
just poking at ya. run them through a tumbler and the scratches will probably go away. but inspect the die for dirt or nix.
