Brass prep

[7000grain]

Josh, did not see a separate category unless I missed it. Have had a handful of folks reach out and ask how to go about brass prep. I took my process and updated to be more general.

Sorting and Inspecting
1. Sort your brass by caliber to ensure you’re working with the correct casings.
2. Inspect each piece of brass for signs of damage, such as cracks, splits, or dents.
3. Discard any brass that shows signs of structural weakness or excessive wear.
Cleaning
1. Clean your brass thoroughly to remove dirt, debris, and powder residue.
2. Use a tumbler with appropriate media for dry tumbling, or a wet tumbling method with stainless steel pins.
3. Ensure all cleaning media is removed from the brass, especially from the primer pockets and case necks.
Sizing and Depriming
1. Lubricate your brass casings lightly with a quality case lube.
2. Use a full-length sizing die to resize the entire case and remove the spent primer.
3. For rifle cartridges, pay special attention to proper shoulder setback.
Case Trimming
1. Measure the length of each case using calipers or a case gauge.
2. Trim cases that exceed the maximum allowable length using a case trimmer.
3. Aim for consistency in case length across all your brass.
Chamfering and Deburring
1. Use a chamfering tool to slightly bevel the inside of the case mouth.
2. Deburr the outside edge of the case mouth to remove any sharp edges.
3. This step ensures smooth bullet seating and prevents jacket damage.
Primer Pocket Preparation
1. Clean the primer pockets using a primer pocket brush or reamer.
2. For military brass, you may need to swage or ream the primer pockets to remove the crimp.
3. Ensure the primer pockets are uniform in depth and free of debris.
Final Inspection and Organization
1. Perform a final visual inspection of your prepared brass.
2. Organize your prepped brass by caliber in labeled containers or bags.
3. Store in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to reload.
Additional Considerations
• For precision rifle shooting, you may want to consider additional steps such as annealing the brass necks.
• Always consult a reloading manual for specific caliber requirements and safety guidelines.
• Take your time and be meticulous; proper brass prep is crucial for consistent and safe reloads.
• Weighing and sorting brass: For ultimate precision, weigh each piece of prepared brass using a sensitive digital scale. Sort the brass into groups with similar weights (e.g., within 0.2 grains of each other). This extra step can contribute to more consistent internal ballistics and potentially improved accuracy, especially for long-range shooting.
By following these steps, you’ll ensure that your brass is in optimal condition for reloading, which contributes to better accuracy, consistency, and safety in your handloaded ammunition. Remember, patience and attention to detail are key in the reloading process.

Benefits of Sorting Brass by Weight
Sorting brass by weight during the reloading process can offer several advantages for precision shooters and reloaders:
Improved Consistency
1. Better Groups: Weight sorting brass can lead to improved standard deviations (SDs) in velocity, which often results in tighter groups.
2. Uniform Internal Ballistics: Using brass of similar weight can contribute to more consistent internal ballistics, potentially enhancing accuracy, especially for long-range shooting.
Enhanced Precision
1. Benchrest and Competition Shooting: For benchrest or competitive shooting where small margins matter, weight sorting can make a difference.
2. Long-Range Accuracy: Some shooters find that weight-sorted brass contributes to improved accuracy at long distances.
Load Development
1. Consistent Starting Point: When developing loads, using weight-sorted brass provides a more consistent starting point, allowing for more precise tuning of loads.
2. Troubleshooting: If accuracy issues arise, having sorted brass can help eliminate one variable in the troubleshooting process.
Practical Considerations
1. Identifying Outliers: Weighing brass can help identify cases that are significantly different from the norm, which may indicate other issues like case capacity variations.
2. Caliber-Specific Benefits: Some calibers, like the .300 Win Mag, can have significant variations in case capacity between brands, making weight sorting more beneficial.
It’s important to note that the benefits of weight sorting brass may be more pronounced for some applications than others. For general plinking or hunting, the effects might be negligible. However, for precision rifle shooting or load development, many shooters find value in this practice.
The degree of sorting varies among reloaders, with some sorting to within 0.2 grains for ultimate precision, while others use broader 1-grain increments. The level of sorting often depends on the shooter’s goals and the specific application of the ammunition.