Head Stamp or Weight Sort?

[JackEllis]

I'm in the process of prepping a pile of mixed head stamp .30-06 brass. Several of the lots are big enough to use for hunting loads and the rest will be used for practice/plinking rounds.

Assuming I want to squeeze a bit more consistency out of hunting quality rounds, which would be more critical - using weight sorted cases that are within a grain or two of one another without regard to head stamp, or cases that might have a bit more weight variation but have the same head stamp? I noticed that with .223, there were some instances where I could put together a batch of mixed head stamp cases that were within one grain. Haven't weighed the .30-06 cases just yet.

Another way this comes into play is the "vintage" of cases from one manufacturer. I've got at least two different vintages of Remington Peters cases and two vintages of WCC cases, which also happen to be the biggest lots of the group.

It turns out my wife has a mild case of OCD and it might be contagious.

[bsumoba]

I would sort into same headstamp AND year. If there is no year, then headstamp will have to suffice. Then, I would sort by weight.

The problem with sorting mixed brass into common weights are that you still have case volume issues because some mfg will have thicker/thinner brass and that difference in volume will cause issues.

I would actually clean, size and trim the brass first. Then, sort and weigh.

[SixPointEight]

Head stamp is more than enough for your needs. Commercial/military is probably enough.

But head stamp alone is far batter than weight alone

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[tonyjr]

With mixed rounds , you don't know how many times a case has been trimmed
Weighing depends on how clean the cases are , how many times the flash hole and primer pocket have been reamed / cleaned .
I run the cases thru the sonic about every 5th reload to really clean inside the case .
For range brass , I figure if they don't want it , it is probably never been reloaded .
By the way , if you vibrate with wax / whatever - that can change weight of case .

[micro911]

I use the brass from the same lot. After complete case prep, I weigh the brass. Pretty much all of them are within couple of grains. I use them. I do not mix brass for precision reloading.

[LynnJr]

I would sort into same headstamp AND year. If there is no year, then headstamp will have to suffice. Then, I would sort by weight.

The problem with sorting mixed brass into common weights are that you still have case volume issues because some mfg will have thicker/thinner brass and that difference in volume will cause issues.

I would actually clean, size and trim the brass first. Then, sort and weigh.

This.
On my 300 Ackley rounds Weatherby and Norma brass weighs between 212 and 220 grains. If you use RWS brass it weighs around 296 grains and the same load that produces winning accuracy is now over pressure.
You can still use all of your brass just keep it in like groups.
Prep it first.

[tonyjr]

I am now doing 762 and 308 reloads .
It seems on 2nd reload the 308 is growing and needs to be trimmed .
Is there a point where the case is too thin and if so , how do I tell ?

['09CTS-V&'87Turbo-T]

This.
On my 300 Ackley rounds Weatherby and Norma brass weighs between 212 and 220 grains. If you use RWS brass it weighs around 296 grains and the same load that produces winning accuracy is now over pressure.
You can still use all of your brass just keep it in like groups.
Prep it first.

That's a whole lot of weight variation between RSW & anything else.
Could that 296 be a misprint for 196?

[LynnJr]

That's not a misprint and it requires a substantial drop in the powder charge.

[JagerDog]

Commercial brass, headstamp I find is fine for "hunting" type accuracy and beyond. Might weigh a few of obvious different vintage to verify.

['09CTS-V&'87Turbo-T]

That's not a misprint and it requires a substantial drop in the powder charge.

Many thanks for the verification, Sir. I would never have believed that there would be that much variation.

[noylj]

I shoot 0.75-1.00MOA with my .30-06 using mixed cases (military and commercial all mixed together). Sorting for anything case related seems to apply more to sub-0.5MOA rifles and not standard commercial rifles, unless you are pushing the max pressure.
If you like, sort by both.

[bazineta]

I am now doing 762 and 308 reloads .
It seems on 2nd reload the 308 is growing and needs to be trimmed .
Is there a point where the case is too thin and if so , how do I tell ?

They grow with each resizing; in general, the tighter the chamber fit the less it'll grow -- if you're doing FL resizing, ensure you're not making the brass smaller than it needs to be. It seems to me that many FL dies tend to result in more headspace than SAMMI minimum, so it's worth checking.

There's really no set amount that a case even from the same lot will last; some will show separation warnings on the first firing, while others will go until the necks split first. Usually, you'll see the signs of the case stretching on the outside, as a shiny ring about 1/2" from the head. That should cause you to examine the case interior, either with the paperclip test or visually (I use a cheap otoscope; works great for this purpose). When you notice a valley in the case interior matching the outside ring, it's time to toss that piece.

[tonyjr]

Thanks , I think what you are talking about is case bulge -
I am a big believer in " when in dough - throw it out " The few I throw in brass bucket are more than made up for in range brass .
At 30 for a bulge buster die , I can buy a lot of cases .
On the 5th or 6th reload , I have been running the pistol cases thru the sonic - people say it is not nessacary , but when the water is dirty - I disagree .