17 replies to this topic

[Stiff Neck]

Here's a challenge to anybody who feels up to it. I'm probably not a good enough shooter for it to make a difference.Load up your best accurate round and shoot a couple of 5-shot groups. Make sure you've debured the flash hole and uniformed the primer pocket.Then shoot the same load again, this time using brass that has NOT has the flash hold deburred or the primer pocket uniformed. Is there any difference?

[ShooterJohn]

I've already done that and YES there is a difference. But and here's what I've noticed. It only seems to make a difference with my Federal Gold Medal Primers and magnum primers. What I've found is the groups are more consistent with the uniformed and reamed flash holes. You don't get the fliers you'd get other wise. Now throw this in the mix. Are you weighing your cases and segregating them into weight groups. That makes a difference too. Just reaming and uniforming helps but to be really consistent you need to be weighing too. Oh and then there's case length trimming so the pressures stay the same. Not so much with neck reaming but I like to make sure the bullets are concentric. Did I answer your question or make it more foggy?

[Fishwrestler]

Ok Shooter Now you got me confused I am goingto send all me reloading stuff back and just send money and empty brass to you lol Robert

[Stiff Neck]

That wouldn't be fair to let ShooterJohn have all the fun prepping the brass by himself! :)Ok, I know that weighing cases helps but I'm just not interested in keeping track of each case and in which order I have to shoot them. At least I could toss out the heaviest and lightest 5% or something like that, or keep the oddballs for blasting or something. Is there any reasonably quick way to do this without a digital scale?

[Heywood]

Oh and then there's case length trimming so the pressures stay the same.

I try to stay within -.001 of the listed case trim length for a given cartridge. Do you have a std. deviation that you try to stay within? What do you think is acceptable? With FL resized I'm usually dead on for trim length but with neck sized it becomes a little more difficult. I've got a Gracey trimmer so I just power through them. You have the Giraud, don't you?

[Cranky Farmer]

You have the Giraud, don't you?

John does, and so do I. He is such a bad influence ... he gets me to buy the cool toys!!

[Heywood]

It was a tough choice, sometimes I wonder if I made the right one but it works well for what it does. The price point ended up being the driving factor.

[ShooterJohn]

I trim my cases to fit my chamber. That being said, the figure given in your reloading books is fine. Yes I have a Giraud Power Case Trimmer and I speed through the process. Which with all of the brass I have will be again in a few years!

[koiloco]

John,Will your Giraud Trimmer do 50bmg?I just bought a .50DTC and will be trimming some 50bmg soon.I'd like just have 1 trimmer for everything.ThanksBen

[Cranky Farmer]

It will, you just need to buy the cutter head and case holder for it.Look at the bottom of this page http://www.giraudtool.com/prod02.htm

[ShooterJohn]

SBF answered the question and it sure does.

[Magic Chicken]

HOLY dog poop!!! now that is a trimmer! sure beats the dog poop out of my manual Hornady POS!

[Cranky Farmer]

Yea, it rocks out loud. I love mine. If you want to try one out let me know ... we can plan a shooting and case trimming outing.

[Magic Chicken]

I think it would rock if we had a board wide or southern CA wide shooting and case trimming outing. Wouldn't mind meeting some folks and picking their brains, not like zombies, but you know...

[HOG]

John, I weigh bullets and keep them in same weight groups too. Steve

[Magic Chicken]

when you guys weight sort brass and bullets, what ranges do you group together? .1gr, .5gr, 1gr, etc...?

[HOG]

On bullets I think you will find out of 100 they will group themselves by weight. After weighing 100 I will have maybe 3-4 groups of bullets with the same weight. When I load I make sure they are reloaded by weight group.Steve

[A17Shooter]

One thing that hasn't been mentioed here is checking the bullet shape. Sometimes a Lot of bullets will vary considerably by shape and that causes them to be seated at different distances from the point they engage the rifling lands. To check this you will need comparator and check from the base of the bullet to the comparator. I remember a batch of Sierra 6mm 107 MK that had this problem. So, now have we identified enough things for checking and sorting that it will take an hour to load each round? A17ShooterPS - No I don't do all this stuff to each round. There gets to ba a point of diminishing returns where you have to have an exceptional gun and be an exceptional shooter to find where the difference is between doing all these procedures and just doing the basics. Maybe just do 20 or so with everything you consider important to use for load testing and just do the basics with the rest. But, it's up to you.