Re: Once Fired Brass

[wIg SpLiTtEr]

How often do you have to re-size your brass once it's fire-formed? Is it possible to get two or more firings? Id think you could just determine your chamber specs and set your die to set back the shoulder a thousand or two, is that correct? Would it be true to say as long as it chambers easily, without resistance, and has been trimmed to length its good to go?

Thanks

 

[TexIndian]

Re: Once Fired Brass

That's pretty much correct. If you just neck size without bumping the shoulder back, the brass will eventually get hard to chamber. How many firings you can get depends on several factors and I've got different guns that act different in this regard. With a couple of guns, I can tell I need to bump the shoulder because accuracy starts falling off before the cases get hard to chamber. Sometimes a full-length resize is needed.

 

[wIg SpLiTtEr]

Re: Once Fired Brass

When you say full length re-size do you mean bump the shoulder back a couple thousands so that it will chamber smoothly? I was always under the impression that the more fit your brass it to your chamber the more accurate you can make the round. Is that incorrect?

 

[Country]

Re: Once Fired Brass

You don't just size to an easy chamber fit without some system to judge how much you have sized past the point that it just starts to chamber.
Otherwise you could over size the case and get excessive head space .
The easies and cheapest system is to just adjust the die down a bit at a time until that tight case just chambers with some resistance on the bolt and then adjust a slight amount more until it chambers with ease.
That way you don't overshoot the right minimum head space spot .
How often you have to size depends on may factors. How good the brass is , how hot the loads are , how much you resize each time , what type of action the gun has , the design of the brass case taper etc.
Some people can tighten a case in ONE SINGLE shot and others can make them last for 20 reloads. Pressure is a big factor on how quick the case will tighten up. You go by your own gun and as you shoot and reload you will feel the cases getting harder to close the bolt .

 

[NCHillbilly]

Re: Once Fired Brass

If you are loading for an autoloader(ie. ar type)or a lever gun,you'll need to full length size every time.If it's for a bolt gun,you'll be better off just neck sizing.Just make sure the cases are going to be shot in the same gun they were fireformed in.If you need to full length size,get a headspace gauge from Dillon or Wilson.They will let you know if your sizer die is set correctly.

 

[MitchAlsup]

Re: Once Fired Brass

My latest set of cases (32 reloading cycles went like this:

6 loads->bodydie->6 loads->bodydie->5 loads->bodydie->5 loads->bodydie->4 loads->bodydie->4 loads

Each cycle the fired case was measured in an RCBS case micrometer to determine if the case needed NO or body+NO sized.

And at this point the cases are about done.

 

[eclipse57]

Re: Once Fired Brass

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MitchAlsup</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My latest set of cases (32 reloading cycles went like this:

6 loads->bodydie->6 loads->bodydie->5 loads->bodydie->5 loads->bodydie->4 loads->bodydie->4 loads

Each cycle the fired case was measured in an RCBS case micrometer to determine if the case needed NO or body+NO sized.

And at this point the cases are about done. </div></div>

Did you ever anneal? If not do you think you would have gotten any more case life if you had?

TIA