Case prep and step by step reloading

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SuperV
Posts: 300
Joined: Mon Nov 05, 2012 1:34 pm

Case prep and step by step reloading

#1 Postby SuperV » Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:35 pm

Hi. I would like to know what case prep you guys do. Then a step by step or your reloading process. I'm looking at improving my process.

AlanF
Posts: 7495
Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:22 pm
Location: Maffra, Vic

#2 Postby AlanF » Fri Dec 27, 2013 3:44 pm

Ben,

NEW CASE PREPARATION
  1. Cull damaged/malformed cases.
  2. Batch cases by weight (usually 3 piles with middle one comprising about 60% of cases).
  3. Uniform primer pockets with Sinclair reamer.
  4. Ream flash holes with K&M tool.
  5. Expand 6.5mm necks to 7mm with K&M expander (no Lapua 284 brass available).
  6. Load for fire-forming with light load of faster than normal powder, with projectile jammed.
  7. Lightly lube fired cases with One-shot sizing wax.
  8. FL Resize (Redding FL S-Type Bushing die) for snug (0.002) shoulder.
  9. Rub off remaining wax with micro-fibre cloth.
  10. Clean primer pocket with (same) reamer.
  11. Trim neck to length with Lee handheld case trimmer.
  12. Chamfer inside and outside of case mouth with hand tools.
  13. Polish outside neck and neck mouth with steel wool.
  14. Brush inside neck with nylon brush.
Note that I don't neck turn (used to), or check case concentricity.

NORMAL CASE PREPARATION (after 2nd firing)
  1. Lightly lube fired cases with One-shot sizing wax.
  2. FL Resize (Redding FL S-Type Bushing die) for snug (0.002) shoulder.
  3. Rub off remaining wax with micro-fibre cloth.
  4. Clean primer pocket with (same) reamer.
  5. Polish outside neck and neck mouth with steel wool.
  6. Brush inside neck with nylon brush.
Note that I don't clean cases using tumbler or ultrasonic. The microfibre cloth and steel wool seems to suffice.

Expect different recipes from others.

Alan

SuperV
Posts: 300
Joined: Mon Nov 05, 2012 1:34 pm

#3 Postby SuperV » Fri Dec 27, 2013 3:48 pm

Alan how come you no longer neck turn is it not worth the effort

Brad Y
Posts: 2181
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 8:21 pm

#4 Postby Brad Y » Fri Dec 27, 2013 4:09 pm

No turn chamber I suspect! Alan do you ever have to cut out donuts? After 3 firings on shehane cases in a no turn chamber I have cut one by hand with the wilson inside neck reamer (got a wilson trimmer and case holder on order from sinclairs) and the donut was quite large and it was actually a fair way up the neck- alot further than what I could clear with the bullet seated out further and my chamber is only 20 thou shorter than yours I think!

My procedure

Inspect all cases
Expand with K&M (6.5-284 to 284)
Re inspect as I have had one or two where I didnt use enough lube that had small splits in the necks. It hasnt seemed to affect anything, but I separeated those for foulers.
Uniform primer pocket with sinclair uniformer
Deburr and uniform flash hole with lyman tool
Load light fireforming load 54gr 2213sc and 168SMK

After fireforming

Tumble cases prior to sizing so any dirt/grit/carbon doesnt get into the dies
FLS to provide 1 thou bump and 2 thou tension
Clean primer pockets
Trim all to same length and chamfer inside and out.
Weigh cases and separate any that arent quite within the found weight range and keep them aside for load development or foulers or club use cases.

igidoo
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2013 8:34 pm
Location: Mudgee

#5 Postby igidoo » Fri Dec 27, 2013 4:37 pm

Alan,
When you batch cases by weight what is the normal sorting ranges you use as acceptable and not acceptable?

Thanks.

Ian

AlanF
Posts: 7495
Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:22 pm
Location: Maffra, Vic

#6 Postby AlanF » Fri Dec 27, 2013 7:26 pm

SuperV wrote:Alan how come you no longer neck turn is it not worth the effort

Ben,

When I started shooting 6.5-284 in about 2003, the necks on the Lapua brass were often up to 0.003 thicker on one side than the other, so neck turning seemed advisable so I did it, and had tight necked chambers. However the neck consistency has gradually improved with this particular product, and I've decided not to bother since moving to the 7mm case. Obviously this is something that will depend on the brass you use. I don't intend to go back to turning unless the brass warrants it.

Alan

AlanF
Posts: 7495
Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:22 pm
Location: Maffra, Vic

#7 Postby AlanF » Fri Dec 27, 2013 7:34 pm

Brad Y wrote:No turn chamber I suspect! Alan do you ever have to cut out donuts? After 3 firings on shehane cases in a no turn chamber I have cut one by hand with the wilson inside neck reamer (got a wilson trimmer and case holder on order from sinclairs) and the donut was quite large and it was actually a fair way up the neck- alot further than what I could clear with the bullet seated out further and my chamber is only 20 thou shorter than yours I think!

My procedure

Inspect all cases
Expand with K&M (6.5-284 to 284)
Re inspect as I have had one or two where I didnt use enough lube that had small splits in the necks. It hasnt seemed to affect anything, but I separeated those for foulers.
Uniform primer pocket with sinclair uniformer
Deburr and uniform flash hole with lyman tool
Load light fireforming load 54gr 2213sc and 168SMK

After fireforming

Tumble cases prior to sizing so any dirt/grit/carbon doesnt get into the dies
FLS to provide 1 thou bump and 2 thou tension
Clean primer pockets
Trim all to same length and chamfer inside and out.
Weigh cases and separate any that arent quite within the found weight range and keep them aside for load development or foulers or club use cases.

Brad,

I am in the happy position of being able to ignore donuts. Because of the long freebore (0.239) the bullet bearing surface does not get to neck-shoulder junction of the case. And I only size about half the neck which helps too. There is still plenty of neck tension, thanks partly to the thick (unturned) neck walls.

One thing you do which is an improvement on my prep sequence is to weigh cases AFTER neck trimming. However in my experience neck trimming removes a miniscule amount of brass. And I only have to do it once or twice in the life of the case.

Alan

AlanF
Posts: 7495
Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:22 pm
Location: Maffra, Vic

#8 Postby AlanF » Fri Dec 27, 2013 7:47 pm

igidoo wrote:Alan,
When you batch cases by weight what is the normal sorting ranges you use as acceptable and not acceptable?

Thanks.

Ian

Ian,

The last lot of Lapua 6.5-284 brass I sorted numbered 400 cases.

267 (about 66%) had a 1 grain weight spread.
38 were lighter
60 were heavier
The rest were culled (mainly with dented necks which are usually fixable).

Nearly all cases will be used, but the weight outliers not at big matches.

Alan

IanP
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Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:30 am
Location: Adelaide

#9 Postby IanP » Fri Dec 27, 2013 7:47 pm

__________________________________________
A small ES is good. A small SD is better. A small group is best!

IanP
Posts: 1193
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:30 am
Location: Adelaide

#10 Postby IanP » Fri Dec 27, 2013 7:59 pm

Brad Y wrote:No turn chamber I suspect! Alan do you ever have to cut out donuts? After 3 firings on shehane cases in a no turn chamber I have cut one by hand with the wilson inside neck reamer (got a wilson trimmer and case holder on order from sinclairs) and the donut was quite large and it was actually a fair way up the neck- alot further than what I could clear with the bullet seated out further and my chamber is only 20 thou shorter than yours I think!


Brad, the idea is to either neck turn into the shoulder or inside ream the 6.5x284W lapua cases after the first firing! Expanding the necks up to 7 mm brings the thicker shoulder material up into the base of the neck so you should not be surprised that after 3 firings you have donuts forming. The donuts started forming after the first shot you fired with the new cases.

This is one of the reasons I prefer the 280AI as it comes as a 7mm necked case and if you buy the Nosler brass it comes pre-formed with the AI shoulder. Your Shehane will be an accurate 7mm rifle without a doubt but it comes with the need to maintain the cases.

Ian
__________________________________________

A small ES is good. A small SD is better. A small group is best!

Brad Y
Posts: 2181
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 8:21 pm

#11 Postby Brad Y » Fri Dec 27, 2013 11:52 pm

Alan- yes if im going to weigh cases, I figure get the primer pockets, flash hole and trimming done etc then weigh them to get a good accurate figure. With the 260 improved with 308 palma cases I shot them for ages, then weighed and batched them and saw how much it helped and mixed them back together again. But I wont be shooting it in big matches in the future.

Ian- yes Im still waiting for the trimmer to arrive and have a heap of cases sitting waiting for neck reaming. Though I do like the sound of what Alan is doing and only sizing a certain amount of the neck so the donut wont affect the tension on the projectile. My chamber is only 20 thou shorter than his but with hybrids jumping I cant get away from the donuts.

Our rifles have the sheer accuracy at 300-600 probably not to need full on case prep. But if your going to do it for keeping everything consistent for the longs you might as well do it for the shorts anyway.

ned kelly
Posts: 617
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:01 am
Location: Woodend, Victoria

#12 Postby ned kelly » Sat Dec 28, 2013 7:47 am

G'day All,
I use to weigh cases but in testing at 200yds in a BR rifle there was no appreciable difference between 2 batches of cases with about 1.5gn difference in weight.
My techniques is:
Uniform pockets (and clean with same tool)
De-burr the flash hole
Neck turn EVERYTHING, even in no turn chambers (up to around 90% clean up)
Regularly check case OAL and keep trimmed to the shortest case in the box.
I also look out for donuts and if they become an issue with seating depth, ream them out and those cases are relegated to practice/club use or chuck them out and get new brass.

I think it is more important to put exactly the right quantity of powder in the case rather than worry about the weight of a case and the variations in case volume. It is more important to ensure uniform ignition (flash hole & primer pocket) and bullet grip (neck turn and trim OAL)
Oh and practice in all conditions..........and finding time to go shooting, that's the hard part.
Hope this helps
Cheerio Ned

johnk
Posts: 2211
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2008 7:55 pm
Location: Brisbane

#13 Postby johnk » Sat Dec 28, 2013 9:57 am

Has anybody recently investigated the relationship between case weight & case fluid (water) capacity?

I can recall that in the past, in some instances when this was tested, there was not a consistent correlation between case weight & volume. One experimenter postulated that that occurred because an element of weight variation was attributable to the inexactness or inconsistency that occurred when extractor slots were cut.

Another point (red herring?) raised at that time was that it was not useful to test fluid volume of cases until they had been adequately fireformed in the chamber.

DaveMc
Posts: 1453
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:33 pm

#14 Postby DaveMc » Sat Dec 28, 2013 12:19 pm

Peter, Marty and I did exactly that John but we did it a little more scientifically. We used metho to avoid bubbles and other accurate techniques (under magnifying glass) to get the miniscus exactly level. I believe a lot of tests in the past were done with poor control over some of the variables.

3 batches of brass (1x winchester 284, 1* Lapua 6.5*284 fireformed to Shehane and one by Remington 7mm RSAUM). Fireformed, cleaned in stainless steel tumbler, trimmed to same length and neck turned to same thickness.
A lead shot (think it was BB or #2) was squeezed onto flashole to seal then tared empty and metho added. With practice we could repeatedly get this technique to measure internal volume to +/- 4mg metho (about 0.06grains). All three batches showed a very strong relationship between volume and weight to the point the variation around the fitted line (weight brass vs internal metho volume) was same order of magnitude as our metho weighing errors. - It would appear weight sorting is very accurate indeed (at least in these batches)

SO YES WEIGHING DOES WORK ("on good batches of brass" but I would be wary between batches).

There is more to this story but I will consult with Peter and Marty before divulging all.... :D

Barry Davies
Posts: 1383
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:11 pm

#15 Postby Barry Davies » Sat Dec 28, 2013 12:22 pm

Another variation that is overlooked ( because most don't have the facility to check it ) is the variation in material relative density of cases one to another - makes a difference to case weight/ internal volume relationship. as well as accounting for most of the variation in case weights.
A variation in relative density can make two cases weigh the same but have different internal volumes.
Does happen, that's why I place little importance on case weight variations.( within reason )


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