Why Its Good To Use New Brass For Big Match?

[Rikarin]

I don't know why.

Its just 10-20 bux but still I have separation anxiety when it comes to letting go of brass at the "lost brass" match, esepcially those are brand new and I spend time adjusting my Dillon.

So, suppose I can load with often-times used brass with current settings for Desert Classic. Is it good idea? Do you do that? What'd be the worst case scenario?

[George]

Good brass is what should be used for big matches, but the definition of what good brass is seems to vary from person to person.

Some folks think only brand new brass is good brass, others think the best brass is had when it is 1x and some will use anything that fits in the press.

It has a lot to do with feeling comfortable. What I do has proven itself to me and makes me feel comfortable.

I like three qualities in match brass. All one batch/headstamp. Under 3 firings total. Fired only in my gun, ever!

I also make sure that every single loaded round gravity drops into and back out of an ammo gauge that is known good compared to my guns chamber (the barrel can be used if you don't have an accurate ammo gauge).

These are my parameters for what goes to a match. I don't care whether I get any back. Brass is trash the moment you buy it, it just doesn't know it yet ;-)

--

Regards,

[Larry White]

Everthing I shoot is once fired, local match, big match or practice, its all once fired. Even in the days before cheap once fired brass I shot used brass for lost brass matches. I know that it had worked at least once, and if its looked at before loading and case checked and primers looked at after loading its a good load. It took just one lot of brass with deep primer pockets to convince me that new brass can suck big time. Now that I just shoot limited I just load one load. If its not good enough for a match its not good enough for practice. Some of the worst loading I have ever done was with new brass. I hate the stuff.------Larry

[AlamoShooter]

for an important match I used to put the Brass through the gun at least once. I pretended I was fire forming it to the barrel, like it was a rifle round. And when it was loaded as match amoe I would take the barrel out of the gun and drop each pice of my "match amoe" in the barrel. ,,, Now I use a Dillion case gage and will make shurr that the base of the rounds are not hammered out or look realy bad. I shoot Super comp so if I have one that looks off I will drop it in upside down in the case gage. most of it has ben shot for a year I will allways have at least one practice day with the amo that was loaded and I will shoot the culled out rounds just to prove to my self that even the culls would have worked.

"Seperation disorder",= I like that,

No I haven't left new brass on the ground at a lost brass match ,,in a long time,, I guess that would be the last time I did realy good at a match.

Just think of the Brass is part of the match fee. It will not go to waste, somone that helped put the match on, or helped as a volunteir, so that you and others have a good time will get it, and be happy with it. maybe they will use it to teach a kid to shoot and that kid will grow up to be a shooter and build a range so that your grand kids will have a place to shoot.

So See what a great person you are for leaving good safe brass at the match.

Edited October 26, 2005 by AlamoShooter

[Kevin Kline]

Im the same way, I shoot once fired for big matches, local, whatever. But then again, I shoot a Glock in Prod (minor), no high pressures.

[AlamoShooter]

Im the same way, I shoot once fired for big matches, local, whatever. But then again, I shoot a Glock in Prod (minor), no high pressures.

Ho yes I gess that is relivant. I shoot 95% of my stuff at minor on Steel 130 PF maybe. So the stuff that I shoot Majior I will make an efort to keep seperate fom the rest, and I will watch the sell base and feal the the primmers as I seat them.= some get soft.

[AikiDale]

I shot the Area 5 with Winchester White Box from Walmart.

[ong45]

When you typically spend close to 1k to travel to a match, it seems like a bad idea to pinch pennies on brass.

James

[shred]

I agree with James, but it really comes down to "what's a jam or poor shot worth to you in this particular match?". New brass is going to be more consistent and reliable than used. Will that matter? If your blaster is a good one, probably not. I loaded 1000 rounds in new brass for the World Shoot. I actually shot 600 rounds of well-used brass (all I had on hand), and it all worked, but a few times I did catch some "I hope this works" thoughts floating around my brain. That isn't good for ultimate match performance.

[XRe]

I actually shot 600 rounds of well-used brass (all I had on hand), and it all worked, but a few times I did catch some "I hope this works" thoughts floating around my brain.

For big matches, I follow the same process that others describe - I gravity check all ammo in my barrel's chamber, as well as double checking primer seating, etc. I do this regardless of the age of the brass. This goes a *long* way towards squashing those kinds of thoughts - any remaining are just my own anxiety and not founded in reality. The only potential issue I have from there is a case separation due to work hardening. So, I use "lightly used" brass, or new, depending on what I have available.

After I got into the habit of thoroughly checking through my match ammo, I stopped having ammo issues in matches, and concerns over whether my gun would run or the ammo would work went away.... I've gotten back into the habit, now - still ironing out the remaining reliability issue w/ my gun, but I'm not concerned about ammo, at least

[Rikarin]

Hahahahe. I know, I know, its pennies.. But maybe its so small and shiny. You know, girls like small and shiny things..... my precious....... I rather feel like want to pay of RO to collect them. Serious.

But then, if its comfot level, I can tottaly feel comfortable with leaving brass cloroed brass. Somehow, nickle brass are the ones, I got attached to so much!

Goeff, thanks for the ammo guage test. I would do that

[n2299]

I guess it's what George wrote about been comfortable because I only use "twice fired" brass, ie once in someone else's gun(bought them once fired from LE ranges) and once in my SV for Level 2 and above matches.

[vluc]

wow...I don't give it any thought. Same rounds I run at a local match are what goes to a big match. Shot Ohio, Area 8, tri-states, etc with the same stuff I use every week.

Got a few plaques and trophies, maybe if I used new brass I'd get some more?

[lynn jones]

When you typically spend close to 1k to travel to a match, it seems like a bad idea to pinch pennies on brass.

James

+1

the main reason to go to a match is to have fun. to have fun your gun must work. you'd spent $20 in a heart beat not to have gun problems, wouldn't you? i would.

lynn

[Putty]

I have big boxes of brand new Starline on the rack, and loaded "new" for big events (3-4 so far). Then I shot over 2k rounds training in Bend and figured out that Benny Hill's gun will fire and cycle just about anything. So now I just load the standard specs to maintane major and check them like everyone else.

I am going to try the lkytx method, buy once fired for cheap and leave it for others.

[.40AET]

I wouldn't use new brass for a big match either. At the begining of the season I try to figure out how many big matches I will attend and buy enough once fired brass to cover it. You can get nickel from the brassman for the same price as brass. (Nickel is easier to clean and stays clean all summer) AND, it's pretty. Buying new brass is a waste of money. By the time I go to the matches, I could care less about the cost of the brass. It's a small price to pay to help insure that a sh!tty peice of brass doesn't ruin your chances of winning.

PS- If you order match brass, don't wait until the middle of the summer. You may not get your first choice. Do it this winter.

[al503]

I third George's being comfortable. I only shoot once fired single headstamp brass for matches that have been through my gun once. I'm using Rem in 40 and some batches are up to 11 loadings without a single failure.

I would actually be less comfortable using another brand, new or not until I used it extensively in my gun.

Also, regardless of the manufacturer, there is always a chance of variances between lots and even in the same lot. I know the chances are miniscule but itt would be a terrible day if you loaded up a bunch of rounds with new brass that's out of spec. I remember reading a post here about a member not being able to get his new brass (major manufacturer) into the shellplate of his Dillon. It turned out that the rim was too thick. After I read that, I decided to only use brass that has been proven to work for me in my own gun.

[vincent]

I just started shooting .38 SuperComp and until a few weeks ago I'd never bought new brass for anything. For 9mm, .40SW, and .45ACP I've always bought once fired brass. For big matches I would cull out the once fired nickel brass in the bucket and use it since it lookes nice (no other reason). If quality lower cost once fired brass was available for .38 SC I'd gladly buy it and would use it for any match.

What I change for ammo used in major matches is how closely I inspect the components and the finished product. I also load more carefully in an attempt to increase consistency.

[LPatterson]

I bought some new brass for a 45ACP once and worked up some loads with .1 grain difference looking for accuracy because I didn't have a chrono. After shooting all the new stuff once I discovered that I had to increase the powder .2 to get the same accuracy on the 2nd loading. I almost forgot to mention that it was nickle +P. Now I sort out certain brands for practice and other brands for accuracy & power factor that I use for matches. With a 45 if it drops into & falls out of a case guage it will work & that is all that is needed.

[JFD]

After only using a certain brand of new brass for "big" matches, my attitude changed when I ran into 3 out of 1000 that didn't have a flash hole punched. With the once fired I use now at least I know it has a flash hole.

I stick with once fired nickle Winchester for anything but local matches, but I wouldn't hesitate to use anything (besides the cast bullet ammo) I've loaded in any match. It's all loaded and checked the same.

[XRe]

After only using a certain brand of new brass for "big" matches, my attitude changed when I ran into 3 out of 1000 that didn't have a flash hole punched. With the once fired I use now at least I know it has a flash hole.

You know, you can prevent that problem by leaving the decap pin in your sizing die when you're running new brass

[Harmon]

all my pistol ammo is loaded so that in a pinch i could use it to shoot a big match with...practice ammo, everything!

new brass for a big match..no

crap brass for any match...no

crap brass for practice that could get mixed into your big match ammo...ugh no.

if the brass isnt any good, im not going to use it, but to not use brass because its been fired twice prior is silly.