Trimming rifle brass?

Bill Jordan

I have a batch of NEW brass. If the caliber matters, it's .17 Rem. Fireball. I spoke with Forster, and their suggestion is to Trim new brass, size, O.D neck turn, load , fire, inside neck ream. Do you all agree? If no, why not? This will only be shot in 1 rifle, a Rampro Custom
Thanks
Bill Jordan




"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than to have a frontal lobotomy."

Nwcid

Measure it and trim if needed. Brass is brass, new, old, pulled, 10x fired, whatever and it needs to be checked and properly prepped for your gun prior to loading it.

mrbruce

I never trim until it's been fired once unless it needs trimmed first to be safe....
You need to find out what the length of YOUR chamber is not what the book tells you it is...
If you don't have one, find someone with a Hawkeye bore scope and open up the primer pocket so the end of the bore scope will enter all the way. Push the case into the chamber and hold it in tight and look through the borescope and see exactly where the end of the case sets....
Most folks trim way more than is needed....

nononsense

Bill Jordan,

"I spoke with Forster, and their suggestion is to Trim new brass, size, O.D neck turn, load , fire, inside neck ream. Do you all agree?"

Before I write anything more, let me state that I am a fan of Forster equipment.

I disagree with the order of the elements in your process list above.

There is no reason to trim new brass right out of the box. I measure, weigh and segregate them sure but I will usually lube them lightly, size, clean, then check how square the case mouth is. Sizing when using an expander ball can pull the case mouth out of square which affects the accuracy of ammunition. You can measure and trim the minimum required to square the case mouth. The mouth needs to be square in order to have equal tension around the entire neck.

Rarely, if ever, does the average shooter need to O.D. turn necks or I.D. neck ream. I turn some necks for specific projects and I only ream if for some reason I make a mistake with the brass forming/neck turning and create a doughnut at the junction of the neck and shoulder.

Everyone has their own methods and process so you'll get a variety of answers concerning the order and value of some of the steps.

Best.

greystone

Since I de-bur all my flash holes with the Sinclair tool I neck size all my new brass and then trim them all to the same length. If I didn't de-burr the holes I don't think I would bother to trim new brass.

zimmden

Bill, Since your gun is a custom chambered 17 fireball, it may NOT be the same as SAAMI standards. Rampro should provide you with chamber dimensions if not. Do not trim or neck turn brass until you determine the proper amounts for your chamber and neck diameter. A few simple gages available from Midway or Sinclair are an inexpensive and invaluable investment for super accuracy and safety. Bob

Bill Jordan

Thanks, nononsense; I like their stuff also. Seeing as the cases cost $.40 each, I want to bs careful! zimmden,s advice is also taken. Time to go shopping!
Bill




"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than to have a frontal lobotomy."