Sorting Brass by headstamp

[davester00]

So I would like to know how important it is to sort Brass for .45 ACP

I will be shooting @ 25yrs with a semi custom pistol that is known to shoot 3" groups at 50 yards.

My load is Winchester primers, 4.0 Solo w/ 200grn LSWC loaded in a dillon 550b.

? Holding that I am steady to hold the pistol steady to hit bulleye.

How important is it to sort headstamps for slow shooting at 25 yards?

I have to say I like uniformity but if it won't help me hit bulls eye at 25 yards then what is the use.

Thanks in advance.

Also are 9mm as forgiving on this head stamp sorting as .45 ACP?

[Sarge]

I don't shoot bullseye but I would think for optimum accuracy you would benefit from sorting.

[DMS42]

I shoot bullseye. Unless you can put 10 rds. into one ragged hole slow fire at 25 yards sorting the brass by headstamp probably won't help your group size. Sorting probably would help your 50 yard slow fire scores though. I've found more than a 5 grain difference in weight between various headstamps and close to that even within the same headstamp. So I sort as I don't want different ammo for each yard line. I even try to use the same headstamp for practice.

I also shoot IPSC type matches and there I don't sort and instead try to use all the odd headstamps or the brass that I don't have much of. That way I don't care that much if I get the brass back.

Sorting never hurts -- it just takes time that maybe could be used better doing something else.

[smokshwn]

Until your skillset is very high, practicing the shooting discipline you participate in will reap far more benefits than spending that same time sorting brass.

[tunakilla]

Until your skillset is very high, practicing the shooting discipline you participate in will reap far more benefits than spending that same time sorting brass.

+1 dry fire instead of sorting

[DougCarden]

Dave, I am an accuracy nut, and have done little research on this topic. What I found from other people's research, backed up by me trying it too, is that for 50yd accuracy your best accuracy will be from same headstamp brass. The next best thing is mixed brass that has been rollsized, so they are all consistent.

For my Bianchi Cup ammo I use all one headstamp....Thanks Itchy!.....and rollsize it. For 35yds and in it doesn't make a measureable difference. If you are OCD, or dont mind taking the time to do it, it wont hurt, but it can be mindless fun, lemme tell ya.....

Hope this is helpful,

DougC

[LPatterson]

I'm the OCD nut in the crowd, I sort everything. I have brands I like, Winchester, Federal and Remington, these go in separate bins from everything else. Amerc goes in the trash, other brands like Speer or Fed are saved for a local match where I leave it for someone else to pickup. I have been know to give away brands I am not interested in using, PMC, CCI, *I* and military brass. For accuracy, I will pick a case and try different powder weights at 15 and 25 yards. At 50 yards the entire target is my aiming point.

[Chris Christian]

I don't shoot bullseye any more, but when I did I "felt more comfortable" with a single headstamp for 50 yard Slow Fire, but didn't bother with it for 25 yard stages. I don't know if it made a difference. I can tell you that for USPSA/IDPA mixed brass can produce some extreme velocity spreads. If you are loading just above the PF you can be "dissapointed" at the chrono with mixed brass. I've seen as much as 100 fps difference in revolvers with mixed brass. Some of that was due to individual chambers, but a lot had to do with differing internal case volumes when loading 130 PF to make a 125 PF. Lesser, but still significant ES, have occured with 9mm and 45. It didn't seem to affect accuracy, but it sure created havoc with the chrono. One solution is to load mixed stuff, then chrono headstamps, and use the fastest ones on the chrono. But, that's sometimes too much to think about at a major match, and you might get the "wrong stuff" run through. Any decent load... mixed brass or not... works at the club level. Sanctioned matches?... I'll stick with one headstamp whether it's 9mm, .38, or .45.

Chris Christian

[John Z Sr]

For all my semi's, I don't bother sorting, but for my revo's I do. Some brands work much better in my moonclips. I've done alot of reloading over the last many years and have seen the difference in rifle for sure, but never really studied the effects in pistol. For me, the peace of mind knowing I'm feeding my revo's the most consistant stuff, gives me less to worry about at a match.

[Yagi]

I sort by headstamp so i know which is my major open load and my minor specially when i am doing my chrono (that is of course 9mm)...

Edited January 20, 2010 by Yagi

[fltbed]

Back when I shot Bullseye,(45 acp)sorting by head stamp was only my first step. After resizing, I would then sort by length and further by weight. (Wish I had a digital scale back then).

From my experiments back then, I found the closer I could get to the max .898 case length the more accurate the loads were. (I knew one competitor who went so far as to use trimmed down 45 win mag brass just to get his case length to the max .898) Sorting by weight was supposed to ensure uniform internal dimensions and consistent powder burn.

With my gun in a ransom rest the load would normally shoot around 2-2 1/2” at 50 yards.

It made me feel good knowing my equipment would perform to such a high standard but even when I was at my best, I was averaging in the low 80’s slow fire.

The old saying “you can’t buy accuracy” is not a cliché, it’s fact!

In my experience, the 9mm Luger probably has the worst variation in case weight, internal dimensions and case wall thickness. However, I know many a Major 9 shooter who use a mixed bag of head stamped brass without issue. (I would go so far as to say probably close to 90% of Major 9 shooters on this board use mixed head stamps without issues.)

Today I still sort by head stamps but only to cull out brands that I, my gun or my reloading press has problems with. The rest get loaded up and still shoot better than I can.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

[njl]

If all your brass isn't your own purchased brass (either you bought it new, or bought it as ammo), I think it makes sense to sort it regardless of caliber. Particularly in .45 and 9mm, you have the possibility of crimped primer pockets, berdan primed brass, odd primer size (some .45 brass uses SP primers), crap brass (AMERC) you probably wouldn't reload by choice, etc. This also gives you a chance to look for other issues with the brass.

[lpspinner]

I'm almost OCD, but not quite. I like to sort my brass, mainly for the consistency in seating. To me, it's just so much easier and piece of mind.