{"id":341,"date":"2023-06-06T21:31:55","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T21:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/?p=341"},"modified":"2023-06-06T21:31:56","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T21:31:56","slug":"reloading-new-brass-day-gun-digest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/?p=341","title":{"rendered":"Reloading: New Brass Day &#8211; Gun Digest"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<h2 id=\"h-a-discussion-on-the-particulars-of-brass-condition-when-it-comes-to-handload-performance\"><strong>A discussion on the particulars of brass condition when it comes to handload performance.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The big brown truck that brings happy packages lumbered down my driveway, stopping in front of the house. The dogs let me know some danger was present\u2014they bark at anything\u2014and I headed out to greet our friendly driver.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething jingly in this one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Something jingly, indeed. Today would be a good day. Today was new brass day. If gun owners can proclaim it is \u201cnew gun day,\u201d and musicians can have \u201cnew guitar day,\u201d then dammit, we reloaders are allowed to have new brass day.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"517\" src=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-feature-nosler.jpg\" alt=\"new-brass-feature-nosler\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-289423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-feature-nosler.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-feature-nosler-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-feature-nosler-768x496.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-feature-nosler-696x450.jpg 696w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-feature-nosler-650x420.jpg 650w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">New brass day is always a happy day at Massaro Ballistic Laboratories. <em>Photo: Massaro Media Group.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Using new brass might seem counterintuitive to the reloader, as the very name of the action alludes to the fact that the ammo had been previously fired at some point in time. I prefer to use the term \u201chandloading,\u201d as it implies the hand-tuning of the case, powder charge and seating of bullet, rather than just making something functional once again. But, using new brass does pose some issues, which will need to be sorted out.<\/p>\n<p>By no means do I feel we all should be shooting new brass all the time, as I still rework fired cases for my guns to this day. I do prefer to use spent cases from factory ammo that has been fired in my guns.<\/p>\n<p>Looking at a reloading manual, you\u2019ll see the SAAMI specification for case length for each cartridge, and then you\u2019ll see a \u201ctrim to\u201d length, a bit shorter than the SAAMI dimension, to allow for the stretching of brass cases. More often than not, I don\u2019t trim my spent cases to that dimension, but to the SAAMI spec, so that if I use new brass, I don\u2019t have to trim it excessively.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Special Treatment<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The majority of new brass available for sale will need to be treated almost the same as if it were once fired. I\u2019ve had all sorts of new brass arrive with dented case mouths, burred-up flash holes and other ailments, so I\u2019ve learned to treat it all as if it were once-fired.<\/p>\n<p>The exception to this rule has been brass from Nosler, Norma, Lapua and some of the boutique brass makers, like Kinetics\u2019 match stuff. This doesn\u2019t mean that the Federal, Hornady, Winchester or Remington brass is bad, or inferior \u2026 just that the shipping methods sometimes cause some undue harm.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler.jpg\" alt=\"new-brass-norma-nosler\" class=\"wp-image-289426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler-696x435.jpg 696w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler-672x420.jpg 672w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler.jpg\" alt=\"new-brass-norma-nosler\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-289426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler-696x435.jpg 696w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-norma-nosler-672x420.jpg 672w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">New Norma brass made a very good choice for the .223 Remington and 68-grain Hornady match bullets. <em>Photo: Massaro Media Group.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It really isn\u2019t anything that a pass through the resizing die wouldn\u2019t cure, but it\u2019s nice when you unbox some of the Nosler Premium Brass and thoroughly inspect it from stem to stern without finding a flaw. I could just go from box to press to rifle chamber without having any worries; at worst, I might want to put a VLD chamfer on the case mouth if I\u2019m being really picky about precision. I have relied on both Nosler and Norma brass for quite some time for my dangerous game handloads and have never been let down.<\/p>\n<p>Does the new, premium brass make a huge difference in handgun cartridges? One of the best features of handgun cartridges is the simplicity of design: The vast majority of these cases can be reused many times without issue. That said, I do like new brass for my everyday carry ammo, or hunting ammunition for those who pursue big game with a handgun. But for the majority of handgun work\u2014especially for the high-volume shooters\u2014so long as the brass thickness doesn\u2019t vary so much that it\u2019ll affect the crimp, you might not see the same results as you would with a rifle.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>New Versus Old Brass<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There are instances where new brass just won\u2019t give the same performance as once-fired might; the belted magnum cartridges come quickly to mind.<\/p>\n<p>I once worked diligently with a friend to get his 7mm Rem. Mag. to deliver the accuracy he wanted. He had tried all sorts of factory ammunition, and while it wasn\u2019t terrible\u2014three shot groups printing 1\u00bc-MOA\u2014he decided to try handloads.<\/p>\n<p>My tried-and-true loads weren\u2019t any better than the factory stuff, and I decided to take a closer look at his fired brass. Using a Redding Instant Comparator, we found that the brass was stretching nearly 0.010 inch upon firing, so we grabbed one of the Redding Competition Shellholder sets and used the one with the correlative depth to keep the shoulder as close to the chamber dimensions as possible.<\/p>\n<p>This brought the group size down to just over \u00bd-MOA, which is more than likely the result of better chamber concentricity. In this example, once-fired brass was assuredly better than new stuff of any brand. This is common to many of the belted cases with a steep shoulder.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium.jpg\" alt=\"new-brass-nosler-premium\" class=\"wp-image-289424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium-696x435.jpg 696w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium-672x420.jpg 672w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium.jpg\" alt=\"new-brass-nosler-premium\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-289424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium-696x435.jpg 696w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-nosler-premium-672x420.jpg 672w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The author\u2019s Winchester Model 70 in .300 H&amp;H Magnum likes brand-new Nosler brass and a 200-grain AccuBond. <em>Photo: Massaro Media Group.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>My .300 H&amp;H Magnum, with its slight 8\u00bd-degree shoulder, doesn\u2019t mind headspacing off the shoulder at all, but it does show a definite preference for longer bullets. Loading the 200-grain Federal Terminal Ascent or Nosler AccuBond into virgin Nosler brass will give \u00be-MOA all day long. The gun likes lots of bearing surface, so 180-grain copper bullets perform well. It does, however, prefer bullets in the 195- to 200-grain range, and I really didn\u2019t find much difference between new brass and fired and resized brass.<\/p>\n<p>Many dangerous game hunters won\u2019t even consider handloaded ammunition, let alone once-fired brass. The theory\u2014as I\u2019ve heard it proclaimed\u2014is that those hunters want no possibility of a failure to feed because the brass wasn\u2019t resized properly and would be willing to sacrifice a bit of accuracy for the guarantee of hearing a bang during a charge. Based on the size of the targets and the short distance at which they\u2019re taken\u2014I\u2019m talking brown bear, lion, Cape buffalo, elephant, hippo\u2014a 2-MOA gun has plenty of accuracy. Virgin brass is no issue at all in this application and can provide a means of using boutique projectiles that aren\u2019t offered in factory loads.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale.jpg\" alt=\"new-brass-scale\" class=\"wp-image-289427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale-696x435.jpg 696w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale-672x420.jpg 672w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale.jpg\" alt=\"new-brass-scale\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-289427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale-696x435.jpg 696w, https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/new-brass-scale-672x420.jpg 672w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brand-new Hornady brass in .450-400 3-inch Nitro Express, destined for a Cape buffalo hunt. <em>Photo: Massaro Media Group.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While I still hoard spent brass\u2014I will pick it up no matter what it is and sort it out later\u2014I do love new brass day, especially for my favorite old rifles, like my Heym Express .404 Jeffery and Winchester 70 .300 H&amp;H Magnum. I\u2019m also happy that component brass, of any brand, is starting to show up again, putting smiles on the faces of reloaders once again.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Editor&#8217;s Note:<\/strong>\u00a0This article originally appeared in the May 2023 issue of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gundigestservice.com\/customer\/subscribe.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gun Digest the Magazine<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>More On Reloading:<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-27\" style=\"margin: 8px 0; clear: both;\">\n<hr\/>\n<div>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/storm-tactical-target-pack?path=5\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-271572\" src=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/44-Targetposters-pack-GD-reduced-300-300x235.jpg\" alt=\"44-Targetposters-pack-GD-reduced-300\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignright size-medium wp-image-271572\" src=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/44-Targetposters-pack-GD-reduced-300-300x235.jpg\" alt=\"44-Targetposters-pack-GD-reduced-300\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\"\/><\/a>NEXT STEP: Download Your <strong>Free<\/strong> Storm Tactical Printable Target Pack<\/h3>\n<p> <strong>62 Printable MOA Targets with DOT Drills &#8211; Rifle Range in YARDS<\/strong> This impressive target pack from our friends at Storm Tactical contains <a href=\"https:\/\/gundigest.com\/storm-tactical-target-pack?path=5\"><strong>62 printable targets<\/strong><\/a> for rifle and handgun range use. Target grids and bullseye sizes are in MOA. Ideal for long-range shooting!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Subscribe to the Gun Digest email newsletter and we&#8217;ll send your print-at-home target pack right away.<\/strong> Just enter your email address below. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- AI CONTENT END 1 --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A discussion on the particulars of brass condition when it comes to handload performance. The big brown truck that brings happy packages lumbered down my driveway, stopping in front of the house. The dogs let me know some danger was present\u2014they bark at anything\u2014and I headed out to greet our friendly driver. \u201cSomething jingly in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tactical-gear"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=341"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":343,"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341\/revisions\/343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}