Reloading Safari Ammunition-New or Once Fired Brass???

[uplander01]

I've done things many different ways at the reloading bench over the years, (some good, some bad things,LOL), but have always wondered what other opinions are on a basic issue when it comes to getting your ammunition ready for Safari. It's pretty well established that once brass has been fire-formed in your rifles chamber and then taken through the reloading process you will end up with brass that is identical length, has more uniform concentricity, and ultimately will produce more consistent accuracy. So, when you are preparing for your safari, do you stick to using brand new unfired brass, or do you fireform and then load your ammunition? Looking forward to hearing some fellow handloaders opinions- Thanks

 

[JimP]

If I have new brass I'll use it. Other than that I consider brass as brass.

I will however full length size my hunting brass along with clambering each and every round in the rifle that I am going to use just to make sure that there are no problems.

I've seen way too many who have had problems with their loads when out hunting to not do as I do.

When that shot opportunity comes along you want to eliminate any problem that might show up.

 

[Tex .416]

Brass that has been fired in that specific rifle and then correctly resized always will provide more reliable ignition along with better accuracy.

Correctly resized means using head space gauges to make sure the shoulder is set back 0.002” - 0.003”, and absolutely no more than 0.005”.

If it is a belted mag, some dies will not do a good job of sizing the area in front of the belt and a bulge develops. There are dies made specifically for resizing that area in front of the belt, if needed.

For a final quality control check, point the muzzle toward the ground and drop a round into the chamber. It should drop all the way in without having to use the bolt to push it in. This check also can reveal a need for cleaning in that area or burrs.

The problem with some new brass or an incorrectly adjusted sizing die is there is too much room between the shoulder and the chamber wall, which is what is meant by excessive headspace. When the firing pin hits the primer, the firing pin pushes the cartridge forward until it hits the chamber wall and only then does the firing pin begin to indent the primer. Excessive headspace causes a weak indention of the primer and potential ignition problems.

On rimmed cartridges, the rim controls headspace.

On belted mags, originally the belt was created to act like the rim on a rimmed cartridge and provide the stop just as the rim does on a rimmed cartridge. SAAMI and CIP specs for many/most belted cartridges still use the belts for headspace measurements. On .300 Win Mag as just one common example, new brass will have 0.010” of space forward of the shoulder, but it still fires fine because the belt keeps the cartridge from moving forward - that is the reason for the belt. The belt really was needed back when the .300 H&H was created because of its long gently sloping shoulder to assure reliable ignition.

Modern cartridge designs like the .300 Win Mag with sharper shoulders, but which still have belts, really benefit from using fired brass resized to headspace off of the shoulder rather than the belt.

 

[ftrovato]

I personally don't think it matters.

I've hunted with new and used brass.

But if I am reloading, I insure that said ammo with that lot of brass fires & groups in my rifle as intended.

However, what does matter is cycling every round through your rifle before you go into the field.
For me that includes factory loaded ammo.

 

[deewayne2003]

For the .470 on tuskless I used new Jamison, but wouldn’t hesitate to use once fired.

For the .300win I used on Impala & bushbuck it was once fired.

 

[Firebird]

Just for fun go to the range and compare new against once or multiple fired brass. Use a chronograph and see what you find as far as velocity and accuracy differential. It’s hunting accuracy and not even long range so I don’t think it will matter but your rifle might say otherwise-

 

[wiyofa]

I've done things many different ways at the reloading bench over the years, (some good, some bad things,LOL), but have always wondered what other opinions are on a basic issue when it comes to getting your ammunition ready for Safari. It's pretty well established that once brass has been fire-formed in your rifles chamber and then taken through the reloading process you will end up with brass that is identical length, has more uniform concentricity, and ultimately will produce more consistent accuracy Portsmouth traffic. So, when you are preparing for your safari, do you stick to using brand new unfired brass, or do you fireform and then load your ammunition? Looking forward to hearing some fellow handloaders opinions- Thanks

I always fireform my brass before loading for safari. Once it's matched to my rifle’s chamber, I get better consistency, accuracy, and reliability. New brass can work, but it’s not as uniform and I don’t trust it as much for critical shots. For something as important as a safari, I want every round to be as perfect as possible.

 

[Rare Breed]

I've done things many different ways at the reloading bench over the years, (some good, some bad things,LOL), but have always wondered what other opinions are on a basic issue when it comes to getting your ammunition ready for Safari. It's pretty well established that once brass has been fire-formed in your rifles chamber and then taken through the reloading process you will end up with brass that is identical length, has more uniform concentricity, and ultimately will produce more consistent accuracy. So, when you are preparing for your safari, do you stick to using brand new unfired brass, or do you fireform and then load your ammunition? Looking forward to hearing some fellow handloaders opinions- Thanks

Just me I like to use once fired brass on my safari ammo. I don’t trust factory ammo compared to my own meticulous hand loads

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

In view of the hunt including DG, I only use new brass. My rifles shoot accurately with new brass and I prefer to lower the potential risk of a case head separation at the worst possible moment. Should that be an elevated risk after a single firing and resizing? No, it shouldn't.

 

[Firebird]

Once fired brass for the fireform for and accuracy.
New brass I would want to chamber each loaded round just to make sure it chambered and un chambered without exception. I do it with all my loads anyway-just because I get excited

 

[ftrovato]

Knock on wood I've used new and once fired cases in a multitude of rifles with brass from many manufactures and not had an issue yet.

I do always shoot several of the freshly loaded hunting cartridges at the range over a chronograph and at appropriate target to insure consistency and accuracy in that lot of handholds.

Last and equally important, I always cycle every round through the rifle before I use them in the field insuring everything cycles and when crimped they hold the bullet in place in the magazine under recoil.

 

[rdog]

Brass that has been fired in that specific rifle and then correctly resized always will provide more reliable ignition along with better accuracy.

Correctly resized means using head space gauges to make sure the shoulder is set back 0.002” - 0.003”, and absolutely no more than 0.005”.

If it is a belted mag, some dies will not do a good job of sizing the area in front of the belt and a bulge develops. There are dies made specifically for resizing that area in front of the belt, if needed.

For a final quality control check, point the muzzle toward the ground and drop a round into the chamber. It should drop all the way in without having to use the bolt to push it in. This check also can reveal a need for cleaning in that area or burrs.

The problem with some new brass or an incorrectly adjusted sizing die is there is too much room between the shoulder and the chamber wall, which is what is meant by excessive headspace. When the firing pin hits the primer, the firing pin pushes the cartridge forward until it hits the chamber wall and only then does the firing pin begin to indent the primer. Excessive headspace causes a weak indention of the primer and potential ignition problems.

On rimmed cartridges, the rim controls headspace.

On belted mags, originally the belt was created to act like the rim on a rimmed cartridge and provide the stop just as the rim does on a rimmed cartridge. SAAMI and CIP specs for many/most belted cartridges still use the belts for headspace measurements. On .300 Win Mag as just one common example, new brass will have 0.010” of space forward of the shoulder, but it still fires fine because the belt keeps the cartridge from moving forward - that is the reason for the belt. The belt really was needed back when the .300 H&H was created because of its long gently sloping shoulder to assure reliable ignition.

Modern cartridge designs like the .300 Win Mag with sharper shoulders, but which still have belts, really benefit from using fired brass resized to headspace off of the shoulder rather than the belt.

A very good explanation of the subject.

 

[Javaman]

This is an excellent post.

Brass that has been fired in that specific rifle and then correctly resized always will provide more reliable ignition along with better accuracy.

Correctly resized means using head space gauges to make sure the shoulder is set back 0.002” - 0.003”, and absolutely no more than 0.005”.

If it is a belted mag, some dies will not do a good job of sizing the area in front of the belt and a bulge develops. There are dies made specifically for resizing that area in front of the belt, if needed.

For a final quality control check, point the muzzle toward the ground and drop a round into the chamber. It should drop all the way in without having to use the bolt to push it in. This check also can reveal a need for cleaning in that area or burrs.

The problem with some new brass or an incorrectly adjusted sizing die is there is too much room between the shoulder and the chamber wall, which is what is meant by excessive headspace. When the firing pin hits the primer, the firing pin pushes the cartridge forward until it hits the chamber wall and only then does the firing pin begin to indent the primer. Excessive headspace causes a weak indention of the primer and potential ignition problems.

On rimmed cartridges, the rim controls headspace.

On belted mags, originally the belt was created to act like the rim on a rimmed cartridge and provide the stop just as the rim does on a rimmed cartridge. SAAMI and CIP specs for many/most belted cartridges still use the belts for headspace measurements. On .300 Win Mag as just one common example, new brass will have 0.010” of space forward of the shoulder, but it still fires fine because the belt keeps the cartridge from moving forward - that is the reason for the belt. The belt really was needed back when the .300 H&H was created because of its long gently sloping shoulder to assure reliable ignition.

Modern cartridge designs like the .300 Win Mag with sharper shoulders, but which still have belts, really benefit from using fired brass resized to headspace off of the shoulder rather than the bel

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I've done things many different ways at the reloading bench over the years, (some good, some bad things,LOL), but have always wondered what other opinions are on a basic issue when it comes to getting your ammunition ready for Safari. It's pretty well established that once brass has been fire-formed in your rifles chamber and then taken through the reloading process you will end up with brass that is identical length, has more uniform concentricity, and ultimately will produce more consistent accuracy. So, when you are preparing for your safari, do you stick to using brand new unfired brass, or do you fireform and then load your ammunition? Looking forward to hearing some fellow handloaders opinions- Thanks

Only new for dangerous game hunting. Fire-formed is however, acceptable for plains game.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I will say all decades of experience reloaders to some degree feel the same way.

Finicky about our firearms and reloading and set in our ways because how we do things has been working for us for decades. So why should change.

For me:

I use fired brass to hunt with. New brass is checked, trimmed, and (re)loaded taken to the range for target practice and ballistics work.

Whether once fired or multiple times fired, from my firearms, brass is used on my hunts.

I'm a PITA to myself because I'm over meticulous about my reloading: ie

Each of my firearms has its own single recipe

I don't use max loads. I load in the moderate to heavy mid weight range powder charges, the tested most accurate powder charge for that bullet weight for that particular firearm.

I don't use multipe bullet weights in one firearm.

I prefer to use only one brand of primer, powder, and bullet for consistency.

Because I have multiple firearms in the same caliber every box of reloads for that caliber is marked as to which firearm that reload is meant for.

As previously mentioned multiple times Always cycle your reloads through your rifle to insure they properly load into the magazine and cycle through the chamber. You don’t want to have that trophy of a lifetime in your sights just to hear silence, or a click, or the bolt is stiff or didn't fully or properly close.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I've used new and fired brass, my practice for a hunting trip is to use once fired, resized by me brass. I can't say that I've ever noticed any change in accuracy or performance when using new brass.

What ever ammunition I'm using, including factory loads for a hunting trip, I will cycle all ammunition carefully through the rifle I am planning to use it with.

In some calibers I have an ammo check gauge, it was interesting recently that I was shooting a 30-06 double rifle and I found it tight to close, I ran the Federal factory ammunition through my check gauge and found a number of cartridges that would not fit the gauge!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I've done things many different ways at the reloading bench over the years, (some good, some bad things,LOL), but have always wondered what other opinions are on a basic issue when it comes to getting your ammunition ready for Safari. It's pretty well established that once brass has been fire-formed in your rifles chamber and then taken through the reloading process you will end up with brass that is identical length, has more uniform concentricity, and ultimately will produce more consistent accuracy. So, when you are preparing for your safari, do you stick to using brand new unfired brass, or do you fireform and then load your ammunition? Looking forward to hearing some fellow handloaders opinions- Thanks

@uplander01
All the ammunition I took to Namibia was once fired brass.
My loads were worked up in some of these cases to get the load/accuracy/velocity I wanted.

Then I loaded up the remaining cases with said load and ran them thru each rifle to check for function. All passed muster.
So yes I advocate using once fired brass.
Bob

 

[GeorgeGibbs505]

In my 577, I used original Kynoch brass older than me and it had been fired 4 times each and then loaded and individually checked in both chambers for fit. My 6.5x53R brass was Bertram and loaded twice and checked before trip. I had 3 Bertram when loaded with new brass that wouldn’t fit and had to be sized. Check all ammo before leaving.

 

[Philip Glass]

Which ever way you go just know your rifle and ammo well especially for a DG safari. The horror stories of reloads on Safari are many and we have a new one just posted that was very dangerous.
Be careful please.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I always resize new brass prior to first use. I prefer to fire form new brass prior to load development. In any case I always load hunting rounds into the magazine and cycle them prior to leaving for a hunt. ALWAYS.