Unfired Lapua .308 Brass

[PharmShooter]

Guys,

I got my hands on some unfired Lapua .308 brass...Would you guys bother uniforming primer pockets, chamfering neck, etc. before loading the first batch??? The brass just seems so perfect.

Thanks!

 

[cecchino76]

I won't even bother with lapua brass , first shoot it 3-4 times and then just check it

 

[glock24]

I'd full-length size it though . . just to ensure there aren't any necks or shoulders out of whack. It's a long ride from Finland to the U.S. of A.

 

[ronas]

I use same brass. When new I only neck size it with a bushing die. Never resize until cases get tight when chambered. Only neck size like when new, I neck size about 1/2 of the neck.

 

[lightman]

I usually do. Its part of the reason that I reload. Lightman

 

[Tackman11]

I'd full-length size it though . . just to ensure there aren't any necks or shoulders out of whack. It's a long ride from Finland to the U.S. of A.

+1 and don't worry about primer pocket

 

[ksthomas]

PharmShooter,

The official recommendation here; we suggest that new brass be run over an expander mandrel such as the Sinclair, just to ensure that the case mouths are round. As has been mentioned, they can get dinged or knocked out of round during shipping, and this just makes sure that everything is back to normal before the first loading. That's it. Anything else is purely optional, and chances are, not likely to make much difference for you unless you're into registered Benchrest competition.

Enjoy, and let us know how you like the brass!

 

[Huskerhunter]

PharmShooter,

The official recommendation here; we suggest that new brass be run over an expander mandrel such as the Sinclair, just to ensure that the case mouths are round. As has been mentioned, they can get dinged or knocked out of round during shipping, and this just makes sure that everything is back to normal before the first loading. That's it. Anything else is purely optional, and chances are, not likely to make much difference for you unless you're into registered Benchrest competition.

Enjoy, and let us know how you like the brass!

I picked up this tip from accurateshooter.com and it's been a great solution. I bought mandrels for several calibers and gets everything nice and tidy without overworking the brass!

 

[cobravenom39]

I wouldn't waste time case-hardening new Lapua brass with Full-length sizing. Just neck size if you want to be extra careful.

--kevin, any more 1x NT brass going to Graf's?

 

[PharmShooter]

Well, I am pleased and surprised to see that Lapua USA replied to me post...Thank you! I will follow your advice accordingly and will update this thread with my results. Thank you!

 

[RyeDaddy]

I did an experiment just this week. New Lapua 308 brass straight out of the box vs new Lapua 308 brass with the expander ball run through the necks(not FL sized, ran the expander ball on Forster dies lower to just round out the necks) vs 8x fired FL sized abused Lapua brass with the shoulders bumped .001". By abused I mean primer pockets getting loose, have been run over pressure when I started reloading but still serviceable, will hold primer but AR gouges on necks and ejector marks all over bases. Random gouges appear on case webs and have been filled in from FL sizing. Case heads measure 0.0015" expansion from new.

I ran this experiment because I had doubts about my 8x brass, which has been annealed 1x, and trimmed 3x, and shot in my POF with above pressure loads because that node shot soooooo well. Some necks on new brass were out of round before running the expander ball. Remember, I didn't FL size the new brass, just turned the expander down further and ran the expander ball only through the neck, I've heard elsewhere this can throw concentricity out of whack.

Press and dies are Forster.
Rifle is a Rem 700 AAC-SD in a bedded McMillan A5 with a SAS TOMB mount and SAS Reaper suppressor.
Load data: 45.6 grains Varget, CCI-200 primer for all these loads. This load was the shit before moving to a new lot of brass. Decided to run same load to see if things changed from lot to lot. 8x brass was bought in 2007, new brass bought this month.

Results were that the straight out of the box untouched Lapua brass showed more neck tension on seating than those that had been FL sized or had the expander run through. 0.003" new untouched vs 0.001" FL sized or expanded.
FL sized old brass and expanded new brass seated 2.210" base to ogive length and had very little resistance. New untouched brass measured from 2.213"- 2.216" base to ogive with untouched new brass.

2 - 5 shot groups fired each at 200 yards.

8x abused brass shot 0.9 MOA avg
New untouched averaged 0.8 MOA with noticeable vertical stringing (due to uneven neck tension and seating depths?)
New expanded brass averaged 0.6 MOA

My conclusion: I will FL size all new brass before firing, even though it won't touch the shoulder. Expanded necks on new brass shot best, even though I've heard they should have problems with concentricity. I would think real FL sizing could only improve this. Next trip to the range will tell for sure. My using a Forster Co-Ax may have helped concentricity with bare expander ball vs those with traditiional presses, in my press the dies float a little.

Hope this helps.

I'm going to look into the Sinclar expander mandrels, never need an excuse to buy more tools maybe that would achieve the same results as FL sizing without as much work on the brass.

 

[ksthomas]

Cobravenom39,

They probably will, but I can't say when. All depends on the orders we get in to Mesa, and their production (and testing) schedule on that end. Keep checking with Graf's, and if I hear anything, I'll be more than happy to let everybody know.

Pretty good deal, isn't it?

 

[cobravenom39]

Cobravenom39,

They probably will, but I can't say when. All depends on the orders we get in to Mesa, and their production (and testing) schedule on that end. Keep checking with Graf's, and if I hear anything, I'll be more than happy to let everybody know.

Pretty good deal, isn't it?

It's an AWESOME DEAL! I can't wait to get a couple hundred more. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell us when you get more.