bcr":3108wlfd said:
mouth. Is that true for all rifle cartridges? I've never done that before. Does it have to be done every loading or just before the first loading?
Hi,
Everybody's got their own drill on "prepping" cases, some a bit more, some less, elaborate. (Kinda depends on what you're gonna do w/ 'em next: a bench rester will get more good from the extra steps than a fellow loading "minute of Bambi" loads for a 75 yr old Win 94 that's been shot so much you can see light thru it from four different directions! Ok, SLIGHT exaggeration. Maybe...)
Anyway, I think ALL rifle ammo should be full length sized, trimmed, and chamfered before loading. If you buy primed brass, you'll need to neck size only before the first load, and leave the trimming until after it's been fired once.
This part of the drill's pretty standard regardless of your intended use. From there, you may wish to use a primer pocket tool to clean and "even" the primer pocket, as well as a flash hole deburring tool. The primer pocket tool's a good thing to use before repriming as there can be a buildup of residue in the pocket, and you'll generally get more uniform primer seating. The flash hole deburring is something a lot of us don't do, but those who do attest to its effectiveness in making their ammo more consistent.
As already mentioned, don't make too big a deal of chamfering, and cleaning primer pockets and deburring flash holes aren't tough jobs, either. Not that I'd ever recommend such practice, but a lot of this stuff is "keep your hands busy while you watch TV" stuff once you've learned what needs to be done.
Once that's all been done the first time, you won't have to repeat the flash hole deburring at all. The primer pockets should be cleaned every time or two you load the case. Chamfering doesn't need to be done again until the next time you trim the brass. Brass needs to be trimmed once it reaches max length: that's determined by measuring it after each firing (they sell simple go-no go type tools to make short work of it if you don't want to use your caliper.) It's not practical to suggest how often you'll need to trim, as your chamber and load combo will determine how much stretching of the brass is going on in there. Some of my brass needs trimming after about three firings, that shot in another rifle may go six or seven...
There's always more to learn and do, but that'll get you going for a while!
Rick C
