New case prep

[257Shooter]

I have never reloaded new brass only once fired.

What do you do with brand new brass prior to reloading?

I have new Hornady brass for my .223 and am looking for some guidance.

Thanks in advance.

[jef612]

I run mine through the press - full length size
Probably not necessary - but that's my process

[brewster29]

I uniform primer pockets, and at the very least will run the cases over the expander to round out the necks which often are out of round from handling and shipping. Depending on how the cases look I may chamfer the necks a little. I typically spend more time and effort on fired brass: depriming, tumbling in SS pins, resizing, trimming to length, chamfering.

[tranq78]

Some people will full length resize a new casing and uniform the primer pocket.

I just de-burr the flash hole and make sure the new case fits properly into a case gauge. Sometimes the new case length can be just a smidge too long so a case gauge will help me check this.

To be completely honest I haven't really noticed a whole lot of difference in accuracy whether I uniform the flash holes or not. But I'm not a benchrest shooter.

[catnthehat]

With new brass I simply run the exapnder ball over the necks to uniform them, then chamfer and deburr, then fire them. The rifle's chamber takes care of everything else as far as sizing goes.
I use Lapua brass whenever I can for my match rifles so don't bother with primer pockets, flash holes, etc.
With my Hornady brass I uniform flash holes after the first firing.
Cat

[marky_mark]

Depends what your use is
For a 223 I would just run it through a mandrel and chamfer the necks
For something where your after maximum precision I would be doing a little more

[obsessed1]

Depending on brass make and what rifle it's used for..
De-burr flash holes
Uniform primer pockets
Trim to uniform length
Run through expander to set neck tension
Chamfer case mouth.

[257Shooter]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

With new brass I simply run the exapnder ball over the necks to uniform them, then chamfer and deburr, then fire them. The rifle's chamber takes care of everything else as far as sizing goes.
I use Lapua brass whenever I can for my match rifles so don't bother with primer pockets, flash holes, etc.
With my Hornady brass I uniform flash holes after the first firing.
Cat

Thank you all for the replies.

Cat - Why do you fire first then uniform the flash holes as opposed to doing this step prior to a first fire?

I think my plan will be to neck size, uniform the flash holes and chamfer/deburr.

I am not a precision shooter, just trying to get the most accuracy I am able.
As well, always trying to learn new things and develop a best practice for myself.

Thanks again

[257Shooter]

Should also mention, I will measure the cases and trim as needed (would think they should all be good.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by 257Shooter

Thank you all for the replies.

Cat - Why do you fire first then uniform the flash holes as opposed to doing this step prior to a first fire?

I think my plan will be to neck size, uniform the flash holes and chamfer/deburr.

I am not a precision shooter, just trying to get the most accuracy I am able.
As well, always trying to learn new things and develop a best practice for myself.

Thanks again

I just make sure the cases are chamfered and necks demurred first , because after the first firing I then do the case prep all together, lengths uniformed, flash holes and primer pockets uniformed, length checked etc. I then load the cases .
Lapua cases negate most of these steps because they are so uniform.
Cat

[aardvaark]

Always deburr the flash holes, always. And run the neck sizer thro them cuz invariably there’s some that have dents and oblongs in the necks. I weigh them all too, especially with cheap brass. In addition to what’s been said above. Sometimes there’s a huge variance in min to max weight. Which translates to a big diff in case capacity. Federal and Winchester brass are the worst for this. And Hornady is a close second or third. My opinion, but I think that the brass we reloaders get is their seconds, cuz their factory brass that’s been factory loaded doesn’t have that kind of variable. I’ve checked. If you can get Federal blue box ammo brass, I’ve found it to be very good. Part of the reason why it shoots so good in so many different guns.

[257Shooter]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I just make sure the cases are chamfered and necks demurred first , because after the first firing I then do the case prep all together, lengths uniformed, flash holes and primer pockets uniformed, length checked etc. I then load the cases .
Lapua cases negate most of these steps because they are so uniform.
Cat

Makes perfect sense!

Thank you all for your replies

[Pathfinder76]

Has anyone found that uniforming primer pockets and deburring flash holes makes a difference on target?

[DLab]

Depends on which type of bullet, BT or FB I'm seating. On new brass an initial case inspection for neck deformations, they get a pass over the mandrel.
If I'm seating FB bullets the necks get a light chamfer, BT's just get loaded and everything gets fire formed. Sizing after first firing is minimal mostly just the necks, takes 3 firings to fully form new cases. First firing or two get light loads to break in the case easy, as far as work hardening the base.
So unless there's an issue, I don't trim to length, chamfer and debur till then, also FL bushing die gets set up from there for appropriate shoulder bump/ base sizing.
I don't uniform flash holes or pockets, unless I find an issue with either, after 6 or 8 firings I'll some times run the primer pocket uniforming tool in them just to check. I seat primers by hand ,you can feel any variance in seating pressure or crush to sort out an issue.
I some times weight sort brass, although I'm not convinced entirely it makes a difference short range. I've seen 25 fps variance rounds go into the same hole as the other 4 at 100yds. Internal capacity measured makes more sense.
For target work quality brass is a must, hunting maybe not so much of a factor depending, are you shooting 20 -40 rounds a year or hundreds?
Generally, I take 30 or so brass and run them till their done, with annealing they go 12-15 firings plus, depending on the load, easy to keep track on the # of firing and I always have new brass on hand.

Under 300 yards most of these steps may gain some accuracy but 400 - 1000 yards is where it matters IMHO
For the average hunter, using a factory gun I think basic prep on new brass is more than sufficient, again IMO.
Now, if you're shooting F-Open or 1,000 yard Bench rest that's a different story.

[aardvaark]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

Has anyone found that uniforming primer pockets and deburring flash holes makes a difference on target?

I’m not sure what it means to uniform a primer pocket. I’ve got that little de burring tool that fits into the primer pocket and I use it to clean out the carbon from the primer pocket.

But as far as deburring the flash hole, yes that makes a difference, again, especially so in cheap brass. I’ve seen flash holes that were mostly covered by a piece of brass that stayed there after punching the flash hole. Imagine how the flame would appear trying to blow past that? You’d have poor and uneven ignition of your gunpowder. Some cases would blow the primer charge to one side. You’ll get even ignition with even flash holes. Similar to trying to light a piece of paper with a piece of metal randomly blocking different amounts of your flame from your lighter, as an analogy. You’ll get different pressures with everything else being equal, which causes different points of impact.

[brewster29]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

Has anyone found that uniforming primer pockets and deburring flash holes makes a difference on target?

You know, I could never prove uniforming pocket depth helps on paper with a hunting cartridge, but I am often surprised by how much primer pocket depth varies on domestic brass. I have not seen many flash holes with burrs or metal shards in them. Lapua and Nosler prepped brass don't need much work at all.

[Pathfinder76]

An interesting experiment with flash holes.

https://youtu.be/sk6LqLDo8Jg

[bucksnbears]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

With new brass I simply run the exapnder ball over the necks to uniform them, then chamfer and deburr, then fire them. The rifle's chamber takes care of everything else as far as sizing goes.
I use Lapua brass whenever I can for my match rifles so don't bother with primer pockets, flash holes, etc.
With my Hornady brass I uniform flash holes after the first firing.
Cat

Same here.

[brewster29]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

An interesting experiment with flash holes.

https://youtu.be/sk6LqLDo8Jg

Well worth the time to watch!