Painless load development (mine)

[rdp123]

What’s the consensus for prepping virgin brass? I was told run it through the sizing die just enough to get the expander ball through the neck, then chamfer and debur before priming and loading. Now I’m looking at a fresh bag of starline .223 and thinking I’ll just load it.

 

[Marbles]

What’s the consensus for prepping virgin brass? I was told run it through the sizing die just enough to get the expander ball through the neck, then chamfer and debur before priming and loading. Now I’m looking at a fresh bag of starline .223 and thinking I’ll just load it.

I just load it.

 

[mtnbound]

What’s the consensus for prepping virgin brass? I was told run it through the sizing die just enough to get the expander ball through the neck, then chamfer and debur before priming and loading. Now I’m looking at a fresh bag of starline .223 and thinking I’ll just load it.

Chamfer, lay brass out on a towel and spray a little Oneshot in the neck, let dry and load.

 

[marjje]

What’s the consensus for prepping virgin brass? I was told run it through the sizing die just enough to get the expander ball through the neck, then chamfer and debur before priming and loading. Now I’m looking at a fresh bag of starline .223 and thinking I’ll just load it.

I'd say it depends. I've had new brass with dented necks that I wouldn't have been able to load without sizing. Not a lot, but enough to not assume 100% are gtg.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

What’s the consensus for prepping virgin brass? I was told run it through the sizing die just enough to get the expander ball through the neck, then chamfer and debur before priming and loading. Now I’m looking at a fresh bag of starline .223 and thinking I’ll just load it.

One Shot, FL size, chamfer/debur, load.

 

[Harvey_NW]

What’s the consensus for prepping virgin brass? I was told run it through the sizing die just enough to get the expander ball through the neck, then chamfer and debur before priming and loading. Now I’m looking at a fresh bag of starline .223 and thinking I’ll just load it.

I run the necks over an expander just to even them out and push out any dents, then chamfer and deburr and load. Bagged brass will usually have quite a few, and even my last box of ADG looked like shit.

 

[id_jon]

I like how every answer has been different so far lol.
I used to just load, but last time I did that I had SDs of like 25. Now I dry tumble to get the inside of the necks a little slick, expander mandrel, and then 3 way trim.

 

[Matt5266]

I do the same process as all my once fired brass

 

[AndrewMT34]

What’s the consensus for prepping virgin brass? I was told run it through the sizing die just enough to get the expander ball through the neck, then chamfer and debur before priming and loading. Now I’m looking at a fresh bag of starline .223 and thinking I’ll just load it.

I run a caliber specific expander mandrel through the neck, then chamfer/deburr and ready to load.

 

[wind gypsy]

What’s the consensus for prepping virgin brass? I was told run it through the sizing die just enough to get the expander ball through the neck, then chamfer and debur before priming and loading. Now I’m looking at a fresh bag of starline .223 and thinking I’ll just load it.

Depends on condition. If dinged up i'll run it over a mandrel and tumble in dirty cleaning media for more consistent seating. Chamfer/debur if necessary.

 

[rdp123]

Thanks for the input everyone! Sounds like all but one of y'all does some variation of what I've been doing. I'm gonna load 50 fresh out of the bag, shoot em, and see how they group. I'm not very exacting, especially after I realized that most of my bad groups were actually my fault. If they stay under 1.75" for a 10-round group and the gun doesn't blow up, I'll dispense with the brass prep for the other 150 fresh cases. If the groups really open up or the zero shifts wildly, I'll report back.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I do the same process as all my once fired brass

For my once fired, I skip the chamfer/debur and add a step to insert .002 feeler gauge between shellholder and bottom of FL sizing die to gap for consistent shoulder bump.

 

[Formidilosus]

Once again-

 

[Marbles]

Once again-

View attachment 1009126

I really owe you a massive thanks for this thread. It got me to start reloading and has kept me from overcomplicating it (which I absolutely would have done).

 

[rdp123]

RIP virgin brass prep.

The zero did shift. I’m guessing it’s from starting a new box of bullets.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

RIP virgin brass prep.

The zero did shift. I’m guessing it’s from starting a new box of bullets.

View attachment 1009842

I’d check other parts of your system, but that’s just me. I’ve never seen a zero shift that large from one box of bullets to another. Even from one lot of bullets to another.

 

[rdp123]

I’d check other parts of your system, but that’s just me. I’ve never seen a zero shift that large from one box of bullets to another. Even from one lot of bullets to another.

Most def different lots

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Most def different lots

I’ve personally never witnessed a shift like that from lot to lot either. But maybe I don’t understand the scale. It looks like a 1.5” shift from center of the red square?

 

[rdp123]

I shoulda measured when I had it in front of me, but I think more like ~1” down ~0.5” right

 

[Gstew1930]

First time with this bullet or powder. Loaded 10 half a grain under book max. I think this one is good to go