Fireforming new brass: the poll

[MThuntr]

I've always fireformed my brass before load development. Sacrifice 100 primers, a bit of powder, and some cheap-o bullets. I've considered switching to the COW or other inert filler over a bit of fast pistol powder. to save bullets.
What are you guys doing? Waste of time and resources?

 

[mcr-85]

I've hunted with my fireforming loads. They have been plenty accurate enough. Granted it's a coyote rifle and I'm hunting coyotes with it. It takes longer for me to get fireformed brass with this approach. I got to where I'd shoot rocks when I go hunt to get through them a bit faster.

Edited to add that I thought we were talking about rounds that needed fireforming. I was talking about 22-250 to 22-250 Ackley.

For rounds that aren't getting fireformed into a new cartridge, such as load 6.5x284 and shoot and it comes out the same 6.5x284, I do load development with virgin brass.

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[ID_Matt]

If you have a good chamber with fairly minimal headspace, I don't see the reason to waste the components.

 

[49ereric]

My M1917 seems to have generous head space so I grow brass for it and the lengthened brass won’t chamber in another 06. No field gauge obviously.
forming 8mm/338 mag brass from 7mm mag I tried the COW but didn’t see the results I wanted so I switch to pull down Turk bullets with medium load to finish the cases.
Never did try it with new cases as my deer hunting shots are not long range.
For long range hunting I would fire form all brass.

 

[A382DWDZQ]

If I get a load that shoots well with my new brass, I have no problem using it like that. If it shoots differently after forming, I’ll adjust. I’m trying to also keep track of case measurements to see what changes.

 

[Axlrod]

I buy 150-200 new brass for each new rifle or new barrel. I like to shoot them all at least once, during this time I try a couple powder/bullet combo's and see where they pressure out. Most of the new barrels I have shot will speed up around 125 rounds, so I don't do actual load development until then. They really aren't fully fireformed after one firing. My 30 Nos. doesn't need the shoulder set back until after the 3rd firing. I don't understand the term "waste of components" when it comes to shooting. The only thing that makes you shoot better is shooting.

 

[MillenialHunter]

I find a load that shoots good with virgin brass and chronograph it. Then I adjust the powder charge with the formed brass to match that velocity. Always worked for me so far.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I work up loads with virgin brass. That same load has worked in all of my fired brass, as well. I’ve seen ZERO reason to fireform my brass.

 

[wind gypsy]

Depends what you call "load development".

On most new hunting barrels i get enough brass to last roughly the life of the barrel and by the time all the virgin brass is fired once the barrel is broken in. If the barrel doesn't suck you don't need to do anything special to land on a load that shoots well when shooting virgin brass on a fresh barrel. The "load development" is just making minor tweaks for when velocities change with fired brass and a broken in barrel.

 

[Rob5589]

I never have. Anecdotally, I was just developing a load for my 7/08 and noticed no difference between the virgin brass and the once fired in regards to speed or dispersion. Decent chamber, good brass, probably not enough difference for the majority of shooters.

 

[Harvey_NW]

If you have a good chamber with fairly minimal headspace, I don't see the reason to waste the components.

2 of my custom chambers are tight enough I have to FL size about half a lot of new factory brass to get no resistance on close, that 28 Nos is one of them. Don't have to worry about overworking brass and shouldn't be any change from new to fired, lol!

 

[huntnful]

Depends what you call "load development".

On most new hunting barrels i get enough brass to last roughly the life of the barrel and by the time all the virgin brass is fired once the barrel is broken in. If the barrel doesn't suck you don't need to do anything special to land on a load that shoots well when shooting virgin brass on a fresh barrel. The "load development" is just making minor tweaks for when velocities change with fired brass and a broken in barrel.

I ditto this exactly. Mostly just shoot new brass while testing bullets and powders and getting the throat cracking a little. But stuff shoots great in new brass. Then when it’s all fired, it shoots really great in the fired brass.

 

[Alex Genereux]

I think if you are trying to get the most out of your setup it would be best to shoot brass formed to your chamber. I am starting on my new build with 200 new adg brass. I plan to load dev on new then load dev again on once fired.

 

[Lawnboi]

I’ll shoot a match or game or whatever with virgin brass, Iv figured it out enough that I don’t feel it holds me back, for what I do.

That said I will not go on a hunt or shoot a match without a broken in, read sped up, barrel.

If a rifle shoots a powder charge and bullet well in virgin brass it’s going to do the same once fired. Atleast in my experience. I won’t mass load once fired before checking though.

 

[Harvey_NW]

That said I will not go on a hunt or shoot a match without a broken in, read sped up, barrel.

How often do you clean? I'm approaching 200 rounds on a Bartlein barrel and it hasn't increased at all since day 1, but I cleaned it after 100 rounds. Heard claims that the speed comes from pressure from a dirty barrel and will fall back off once the barrel is properly cleaned and stripped of carbon and copper.

 

[sodaksooner]

I have had to buy factory ammo lately to get the cases, so I guess I fireform by default!

 

[wind gypsy]

How often do you clean? I'm approaching 200 rounds on a Bartlein barrel and it hasn't increased at all since day 1, but I cleaned it after 100 rounds. Heard claims that the speed comes from pressure from a dirty barrel and will fall back off once the barrel is properly cleaned and stripped of carbon and copper.

What cartridge?

I had a 6.5x47 benchmark speeding up still around 350 rounds. I do wonder if it had something to do with the bullets though. They were swampy era JLKs which just seem to be a hair thinner and have a short bearing surface so don’t build pressure as fast.

 

[Harvey_NW]

What cartridge?

280ai. Been shooting 58.4gr H4831 behind 162 ELD-M since I broke it in and settled on a load with about 30 rounds down range. That load averaged 2800fps at the time, and recently put 11 over the chrono with an ES of 36, SD of 9, avg of 2807fps.

 

[Lawnboi]

How often do you clean? I'm approaching 200 rounds on a Bartlein barrel and it hasn't increased at all since day 1, but I cleaned it after 100 rounds. Heard claims that the speed comes from pressure from a dirty barrel and will fall back off once the barrel is properly cleaned and stripped of carbon and copper.

My match gun I’ll clean every match be it 100 or 200 rounds. Similar for my other rifles, maybe a bit more on the 223. I used to not clean and it cost me a few times, so now I clean, usually a day soak with bore tech eliminator and a day soak with c4. Followed by a bore scope to see what’s happening.

Iv had some barrels not really speed up as well, but Iv also had some speed up alot.

I try to get 200 rounds on one before doing anything but playing around at the range.

 

[Harvey_NW]

My match gun I’ll clean every match be it 100 or 200 rounds. Similar for my other rifles, maybe a bit more on the 223. I used to not clean and it cost me a few times, so now I clean, usually a day soak with bore tech eliminator and a day soak with c4. Followed by a bore scope to see what’s happening.

Iv had some barrels not really speed up as well, but Iv also had some speed up alot.

I try to get 200 rounds on one before doing anything but playing around at the range.

Interesting, good feedback. Have you noticed any correlation between the type of manufacturing, and the speeding up? Tracking my Preferred barrel in 25 Creed but only at 90 rounds right now. Just got a borescope as well, might be dealing with my first carbon ring in a 28 Nos