Fireforming NEW Brass
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Recently there was a question on another forum concerning fire forming without a bullet; that spurs this question. What method, if any, are you folks using?
I recently got 500 rounds of new LC .223 brass and was in the process of FF when this came up. My initial brass prep also consists of neck sizing the new brass with a Lee collet die, uniforming PP and then trimming all to same length with a Giraud Tri-Way.
Over the years I have tried various methods of fire forming brass for my various bolt action rifles. The method I choose to continue with requires a bullet in the lands so that the head of the case is in contact with the bolt throughout the firing sequence. The reason for this is, as I understand it, to allow the front part (shoulder/neck) to do most of the initial stretching.
This is only utilized on new brass as fired brass would already have stretched close to the head.
Here is an article that explains it better than I can.
https://sierrabulletsblog.com/2016/09/14/reloading-101-fireforming-cases/
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I pull the ejector out of the bolt, jam a bullet about 30 thousandths, load and shoot.
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@orkan said:
I pull the ejector out of the bolt, jam a bullet about 30 thousandths, load and shoot.
What is the reason for pulling out the ejector?
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Spring loaded ejectors will push the case forward in the chamber. You want the case head firmly against the bolt face when forming. This keeps the brass movement up at the shoulder/neck area, where it belongs.
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@orkan Makes sense.
