New Lapua .308 brass Variation

[WEA]

I am new to reloading. I purchased 200 rounds of Lapua .308 brass. I figured get the best to start with would reduce the hardware being the problem. Without exception they were under the SAAMI 2.015 case length spec e.g. 2.006 to 2.012 with most in the .008 - .011 range.
Question: Should I just put aside the extreme low outliers and trim all the brass back to some consistent length that would include most of the brass, then load to correct OAL and shoot the stuff until it grows to spec????? Is there an alternative???

 

[BOLTRIPPER]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

i would FIRST........complete your profile

 

[ChadTRG42]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

I wouldn't worry about the few extra thousandths. You won't be able to tell the difference on the target or on a chronograph. If you want to get real anal about it, you could trim them. But they come ready to load and will shoot fine the way they are.

 

[THUNDERBOLT68]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

i agree with chad trg42

 

[Black-X]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: THUNDERBOLT68</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i agree with chad trg42 </div></div>

I agree with Thunderbolt68.

I went ahead and sized mine to be sure they were round but that's about it.

-X

 

[Wil]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

I agree with BOLTRIPPER

 

[TT]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

If you have a "factory" chamber I wouldn't worry about it. You might consider using a neck turning mandrel to iron out any brass with dented case mouths...

 

[McCrazy]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

I load my Lapua brass straight out of the box and shoot them.

Make sure you trim the brass after firing it though when it starts to exceed 2.015".

 

[WEA]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

Not sure why I'm getting heckled about a profile that conatins no info the would have any bearing on my question.

 

[1911fan]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

It's our way of saying "Welcome to the Hide, we'd like to know more about you" and considered courteous to do so. There, feel better? Now fill out your profile!
I'd just run the brass through the mandrel, load, and shoot. CHADTRG42 is right, you won't be able to tell the difference.
I'd also use a neck lube, powdered mica or moly, the first time around. New Lapua brass can be a bitch, and cause uneven seating lengths, which WILL affect accuracy to some degree.


1911fan

 

[THUNDERBOLT68]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

sorry we i am not trying to heckle you i probably should have read all of chadtrg42 comment i meant to say that you really do not need to do anything to lapua brass and unless you have a tight neck gun and shooting for teens as you shoot the brass it will allow you to uniform it after a couple of firings

 

[WEA]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

Thanks for the input. At my level of ignorance I haven't prioritized the variables relative to their significance to accuracy, I've just tried to list them. They all kind of group together and I have no way to know how to prioritize them to get the most bang for the buck i.e. which will yield the biggest improvement to accuracy.

I think I'll just load all the cases up and use the short length outliers be used by people that just want to fire the Crusader, and fire the rest until they get to proper length.

 

[okiefired]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 5R milspec</div><div class="ubbcode-body">First of all I have encountered many smart ass people on this website. I can ask a general question and someone will come back with an answer that is uncalled for. So what if the profile is not filled out, so what if you don't know every little thing about someone. As long as there is a question and you have an answer or suggestion then just do that, answer or suggest, don't give smart answers.


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To the original post, just use them like they are and over a period they will work out so enjoy and shoot. </div></div>



You make posts like that and dont understand why people reply with "smart ass" answers? I agree that there seams to be more and more uncalled for negative or insulting comments but it sounds like you dont like this forum very much. If I were you, I'd have to ask myself, "why am I here?". I dont think its unreasonable for us to want to know who we're talking to. Especially concidering the kinds of topics usually discussed here. Not intended to be personal, just sayin what I think.

okie

 

[918v]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

cuz u could b a terrorist or sumptin'

 

[Wil]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

I still agree with BOLTRIPPER... <grin>

 

[desertHK]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: McCrazy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I load my Lapua brass straight out of the box and shoot them.

Make sure you trim the brass after firing it though when it starts to exceed 2.015". </div></div>

1+. Don't see any significant changes in accuracy department, other than the nut behind the trigger.

 

[scaxeman]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

SAAMI <span style="font-style: italic">maximum</span> case length is 2.015" the trim to length is 2.005". Once you fire the virgin brass, then trim the lot of it back to the minimum. A SAAMI "minimum" chamber length (to mouth of case) is 2.025". If you start growing your brass out that far, you'll have difficulty extracting it again. For my "hot" loads, I expect to see my brass grow .005-.007". I trim after every firing to 2.005, works well.

 

[Grump]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Darrell Buell</div><div class="ubbcode-body">SAAMI <span style="font-style: italic">maximum</span> case length is 2.015" the trim to length is 2.005". Once you fire the virgin brass, then trim the lot of it back to the minimum. A SAAMI "minimum" chamber length (to mouth of case) is 2.025". If you start growing your brass out that far, you'll have difficulty extracting it again. For my "hot" loads, I expect to see my brass grow .005-.007". I trim after every firing to 2.005, works well. </div></div>
FINALLY, someone who really addressed what the "specs" really are!

Yeah, we can be a tough crowd. Most of the smart-ass responses are at least mildly amusing. Keeps me coming back.

To the OP:
I almost always fire my brass once, trim it to minimum (2.05 inch), and then hope it lasts long enough to someday trim again...except I think I set up the X-Die for stuff trimmed to the middle at 2.10. Between FL sizing and shooting it in a long-chanbered gas gun, that batch of brass is on its way out.

 

[WEA]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

One of the faults appears to be mine. I read SAAMI Spec as 2.015 and not Maximum Length 2.015. I can easily make the 2.005 - 2.010 with 95 percent of the Lapue brass right out of the box. If as you say, a few thousandths difference won't affect the accuracy significantly, then the range of length won't affect me. I'll test them this week-end. The way I now understand it is that I can just go ahead and shoot the so called short stuff until it gets beyond 2.015, then trim (My son has just purchased an X-Die)and shoot on.

One thing I discovered from reading another of the threads is that I'm way under velocity. GAP Crusader 5R, USO SN-3, 24 inch barrel with 40grs. of H4895 behind a 168gr. SMKBTHP is only getting me 2428- 2479 on the chrono at 10 feet after going through a suppressor (forget the make). Its gentle as lamb and still doing 1 MOA at 200 yds. I've less than 100 rounds fired from a bi-pod. I'm a very happy camper. Of course the guy next to me on the range left a 1 inch bughole at 200 yards that left the center of the paper partially detached. I'm saving it as goal to shoot for. He insist that while gentle and slow might get me to 300 yards with the US Optics, I need to up the velocity to get to 600.

I've got another problem with measuring accuracy, but I'm a bit gun shy after the 2.015 mistake.

 

[vinconco]

Re: New Lapua .308 brass Variation

Most chambers especially factory are much longer than the max case length. Sinclair sells a nifty little gauge that will measure the actual length of you chamber so you can get a more accurate trim to length. Sinclair chamber gauge