Reloading questions

[Gazza]

But in short

No
Yes
Either
Yes

Some serious scrolling was just undertaken to match those answers to the questions!

[Duey]

You know it

[rox]

I will be shooting for fun only but would like to safely maximise my usage of cases if possible.
Guns will be new or newish and probably Sabatti Str types.

Once/Twice fired Brass in your calibres is available very cheaply. Some baulk at the idea; I use it almost exclusively and win matches at a very high level (often with significantly higher 'V' counts). Consequently, getting the absolute maximum case life is not necessarily an overriding concern (think 1 to 2 pence per case use). Shooting more, as a consequence of cheap ammo, is a far bigger factor towards success than trivial reductions in theoretical group sizes.

If you full-length resize suitably (i.e. place the shoulder between 1 and 3 thousandths under your chamber size) you'll get excellent case life, as well as the accuracy benefits (although you'll still find plenty of folk who believe that neck sizing is more accurate). I subscribe to Jim Hull's idea about case sizing - namely that the case should fit the chamber "like a rat turd in a violin case", but with the caveat about the shoulder mentioned above. The whys and wherefores invite a longer discussion, but ask if you wish. Jim ran Sierra's testing range for nearly 20 years.

If I had a semi-automatic way to anneal brass I would do it every 2 or 3 firings. Since I don't, I shelve brass after around 5 firings until either I've retired or have acquired a suitable machine (before shelving it is cleaned immaculately with stainless media and an appropriate solution to passivate and leave a hard wax coat, to reduce the effects of time that can lead to splits). If I did anneal and continue using, my brass cost per case-use would be fractions of a penny.

As for lube, for full-length sizing I use a home-brew of liquid lanolin and alcohol, sprayed-on. It's super easy, works superbly for all but the most challenging sizing tasks, is very cheap, and I've never had a lube-dent. For the short period I neck-sized I used graphite lube, or sometimes (with cryo-treated neck bushings) no lube at all - but those days are long gone.

As with all questions of this nature, do your own research, form your own ideas, test your own theories, find what works for your specific needs, and above all be safe.

..

[Alpha1]

I will be shooting for fun only but would like to safely maximise my usage of cases if possible.
Guns will be new or newish and probably Sabatti Str types.

Once/Twice fired Brass in your calibres is available very cheaply. Some baulk at the idea; I use it almost exclusively and win matches at a very high level (often with significantly higher 'V' counts). Consequently, getting the absolute maximum case life is not necessarily an overriding concern (think 1 to 2 pence per case use). Shooting more, as a consequence of cheap ammo, is a far bigger factor towards success than trivial reductions in theoretical group sizes.

If you full-length resize suitably (i.e. place the shoulder between 1 and 3 thousandths under your chamber size) you'll get excellent case life, as well as the accuracy benefits (although you'll still find plenty of folk who believe that neck sizing is more accurate). I subscribe to Jim Hull's idea about case sizing - namely that the case should fit the chamber "like a rat turd in a violin case", but with the caveat about the shoulder mentioned above. The whys and wherefores invite a longer discussion, but ask if you wish. Jim ran Sierra's testing range for nearly 20 years.

If I had a semi-automatic way to anneal brass I would do it every 2 or 3 firings. Since I don't, I shelve brass after around 5 firings until either I've retired or have acquired a suitable machine (before shelving it is cleaned immaculately with stainless media and an appropriate solution to passivate and leave a hard wax coat, to reduce the effects of time that can lead to splits). If I did anneal and continue using, my brass cost per case-use would be fractions of a penny.

As for lube, for full-length sizing I use a home-brew of liquid lanolin and alcohol, sprayed-on. It's super easy, works superbly for all but the most challenging sizing tasks, is very cheap, and I've never had a lube-dent. For the short period I neck-sized I used graphite lube, or sometimes (with cryo-treated neck bushings) no lube at all - but those days are long gone.

As with all questions of this nature, do your own research, form your own ideas, test your own theories, find what works for your specific needs, and above all be safe.

..

My guess is you have just confused the hell out of the Guy well done.

[Martin]

This might help:

http://www.6mmbr.com/JGcaseprep.html

[Gazza]

Thanks Martin. Ill give it a read now