Here’s good news for folks looking for another domestic source of cartridge brass. Federal Premium, the folks who make Federal Gold Medal match ammo, is now offering new, virgin, unprimed cartridge brass for a variety of rifle and pistol cartridge types. The new Federal Premium brass will be sold by Sinclair International, Grafs.com and other popular retailers. Sinclair has Federal brass in stock now for the most popular rifle cartridges, including .223 Rem, .243 Win, .270 Win, .308 Win, .30-06 Springfield, .300 WSM and seven more cartridge types (13 rifle brass types total — see chart below).
Federal’s new brass for reloaders starts at $25.99 for fifty (50) cases of .308 Win Brass. The equivalent of $51.98 per hundred cases, that’s pretty affordable. However, note that some types of Federal brass are much more expensive. For example, Federal’s .300 WSM brass costs $43.99 for fifty (50) cases at Sinclair. Click Here for Federal Premium Brass at Sinclair.
Sinclair Int’l notes: “Federal ammunition has long been prized for its reliability, consistency, and quality. But the only way to get Federal brass for reloads was to save your spent shells or scrounge them off the range – until now. Pristine, unfired, properly head-stamped Federal brass for popular rifle cartridges is now available from the manufacturer, and we’re pleased to offer it.”
Product Tip from EdLongrange. We welcome submissions from readers.
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Serious reloaders know that PMA Tool makes some of the best specialty reloading tools you can buy. To help folks get the most out of their 21st century products, the company has created a new informational website. PMA’s Pat Reagin explains: “We have created a side-site, linked off of our main website, that is just for information. We will adding new product tips regularly. On this page we will post in-depth information about our tools, videos, customer-submitted information and photos, as well as a calendar of shooting events.” You can access PMA’s “At the Bench” info site at: atthebench.pmatool.com.
One highlight of the new PMA info site is a section dedicated to PMA’s new Micro-Adjust Case Trimmer. Pat tells us: “We’ve had quite of bit of interest in the new case trimmer, but a lot of guys want to see it in action. So we’ve created a couple of videos featuring the new trimmer. The first intro video, linked below, shows how to adjust and use the trimmer in various modes. We also produced a longer, 14-minute Instructional Video with more detail on trimmer adjustment and set-up.”
Watch Micro-Adjust Case Trimmer Video
The PMA Micro-Adjust Case trimmer indexes off the shoulder but it also provides precise control over neck length. You aren’t limited to a built-in, neck-length setting like some other shoulder-indexed trimmers. The PMA Micro-Adjust Trimming tool currently sells for $119.95 including one cartridge insert. The inserts, which can be purchased for $13.95 separately, can often work for a multiple cartridge types within the same family. For example, you can use the same insert for both .243 Win and .260 Rem. There is another insert that works with both 7mm-08 and .308 Win.
PMA Micro-Adjust Case Trimmer Features:
Indexes off shoulder for easy, consistent trim length.
Cases captured in no-scratch, Delrin™ inserts.
Fully rotating head with bearing for smooth operation and clean, square cuts.
Sharp carbide cutter for quick, smooth cuts with minimal burr.
Spring loaded head allows complete control of rate of feed.
How to use the PMA Micro-Adjust Case Trimmer
The trimmer indexes case off the case shoulder through the use of interchangeable Delrin™ inserts which capture the shoulder and neck of the case. This insert is contained in a spring-loaded tool head that rides on a linear bearing. The Micro-Adjust Trimmer can be used in three ways.
First, you can secure the case in a PMA caseholder chucked in a power drill, drill press, or lathe. You hold the trimming tool with your hand and feed in the spinning case. (This method is handy because if you leave the case in the holder, after you have trimmed to length, you can switch tools and chamfer the case-mouth using the same power source).
In the second method, the trimmer’s adjustment knob is removed (after locking the setting) and the cutting shaft is chucked in a drill, drill press. or lathe. Using this method, the case itself is held by hand and fed into the cutter. Lastly, the trimmer can be used manually, holding the case in one hand and the trimmer in the other. That’s the slowest method, but it works if you do not have power tools handy.
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Creedmoor Sports is running a one-day sale, today only (August 8, 2012). Get 10% off the price of Lapua Brass, with order of two boxes or more. NOTE: This offer is limited to in-stock Lapua cartridge brass inventory only (supplies are limited). No coupon or discount code is needed — the discount will be applied at checkout!
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Bryan at Powder Valley Inc. (PVI) let us know that Powder Valley is offering a “Freedom Special” on July 4th. You get free shipping (exclusive of hazmat and insurance) for online orders (over $150) placed on July 4th. Bryan explains: “In celebration of Independence Day and the wonderful men and women who have fought for our great nation Powder Valley is offering free freight (does not include hazmat and insurance) on all orders over $150.00.”
IMPORTANT: To qualify, Orders must be placed ONLINE between 12:01 AM and 11:59 PM ET on July 4, 2012.. Don’t forget that, where required, hazmat fees and insurance costs will still charged with shipments.
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Lyman has introduced two new Turbo®Sonic Ultrasonic Cleaning units, a large 6.3-quart model TS-6000 and a smaller 23.6 oz. model TS-700. Along with the original mid-sized TS-2500 model introduced in 2011, Lyman now offers a full line-up of three (3) ultrasonic cleaning units: large, medium, and small. By most reports the TS-2500 worked well, so we expect the new TS-6000 and TS-700 will also handle ultrasonic cleaning duties well.
TS-6000
The large Model TS-6000 processes up to 1300 9mm cases or four handgun frames in less than 15 minutes (when the built-in heater is used). This workhorse is powered by two industrial-grade transducers and has an integral drain and hose for easy solution changes. The unit’s two-color LED display panel controls five different timed cleaning cycles.
TS-700
The small-footprint Model TS-700 fits in tight spaces. This unheated model handles up to 100 9mm cartridge cases. The compact TS-700 can also clean parts such as dies, muzzle brakes, and mould blocks. Note: Lyman recommends using its Steel & Stainless Steel Solution for dies and other steel components. The TS-700 features oscillation circuitry and five (5) timed cleaning cycles.
TS-2500
The mid-sized TS-2500 model, with heated tank, shown below, process up to 900 9mm cases per cleaning cycle. Introduced in 2011, this product has been widely adopted by hand-loaders. The TS-2500 will clean cases inside and out, including primer pockets, in less than 15 minutes.
Lyman TS-6000 and TS-2500 Units Can Heat Solution for Faster Cleaning
Ultrasonic cleaning machines employ ultrasonic cavitation to gently lift and dissolve carbon, dirt, lubricants, and other residues left on fired cases and small metal parts. Lyman’s TS-6000 and TS-2500 TurboSonic cleaning units feature tank heaters to warm the cleaning solution. Because ultrasonic cavitation works faster and better with a warm solution, Lyman claims its machines’ built-in heaters will speed up your cleaning job, by cutting processing time.
Lyman Cleaning Solutions (Three Types) — Lyman now offers its Brass Cleaning Solution and Steel & Stainless Steel Cleaning Solutions in 4 oz., 16 oz. and 32 oz. sized bottles. For even more versatility a new 16 oz. Jewelry Solution is available. For more information visit www.lymanproducts.com.
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As you may know, Norma is working hard to make its products more readily available in the USA. Norma has put a new distribution system in place, and quality Norma ammunition and cartridge brass is now carried by many major vendors. Leading the way is Midsouth Shooters’ Supply, which now stocks a full selection of Norma brass and a large inventory of Norma loaded ammunition. Most of the Norma cartridge brass types now come in 25-unit boxes. This allows you to try out the Norma brass without breaking the bank. For example, 25 pieces of Norma 6mm PPC brass (item 013-10260105) costs just $20.25. You can “buy it and try it” without a big up-front investment.
SAVE 5% on Norma Brass and Ammo Orders! Midsouth Shooters Supply has announced a special discount just for Accurateshooter.com readers. Just enter PROMO CODE 6mmNORMA during check-out to get 5% off select Norma merchandise. Listen to the Audio clip below to learn more about this special discount!
HOW TO GET 5% OFF CLICK “PLAY” to hear Midsouth’s Michael Ryan explain how to use the 6mmNORMA Promo Code. Save 5% on your order!
Target shooters will be pleased to find Norma cartridge brass in these accurate calibers: .222 Rem, .223 Rem, 6mm PPC, 6mmBR, 6XC, .260 Rem, 6.5×284, .308 Win, .300 RSAUM, and .300 WSM. Varmint Hunters should consider these other offerings: .204 Ruger, .220 Swift, 22-250, and .243 Winchester. Big game hunters will find a huge selection of cartridge types — everything from .25-06 to .375 H&H. Of course Norma offers nearly all the popular deer-hunting cartridges, such as 6.5×55, .270 Win, .270 WSM, 7mm-08, 7mm Rem Mag, .280 Rem, .30-06, and .300 Win Mag.
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Shaving bullet jackets is a problem reloaders encounter from time to time. It can be caused by excessive neck tension, burrs on the case mouth, or over-aggressive chamfering that leaves a ragged edge on the case mouth. Larry Medler discovered some rounds where the bullet jackets were getting shaved. Diagnosing the problem, he found that this was caused by his outside neck chamfer. He was using a powered screwdriver to rotate the case, and over-cutting plus tool chatter was causing the case neck to roll inwards. This created a thin, sharp edge that actually cut into the bullet jacket as the bullet was being seated.
Larry has a Load Force 250 measuring instrument that records the dynamic bullet seating force and displays the results on a computer screen. Larry noted that spikes in seating force were associated with the cases where the bullets were shaved. Inspecting the cases, Larry realized what was happening. Chamfering the outside after doing the inside allowed his tools to cut too much. Combined with tool chatter, this actually created a sharp, ragged edge that rolled inward towards the bullet: “I discovered I had rolled the case mouth rim inward while deburring the outer edge. When deburring the case mouth on the outside edge, every now and then I could hear some tool chatter. The effects of this chatter really show in the picture.”
The above chart shows the dynamic bullet seating force for the bullet with the shaved jacket. Note the large initial force used to cut and scratch the bullet outer surfaces. The final seating force of 47 pounds is just before the Wilson Seating Die bottoms out and the force on the load cell jumps. The chart below shows normal bullet seating force.
As a fix, Larry decided to reverse the neck deburring operations. Now he deburrs the outside first. This reduces tool chatter and prevents the edge from rolling over, because the neck thickness has not been thinned by inside chamfering. While Larry uses a powered screwdriver to speed his case processing, the lesson applies to those who chamfer manually as well–do the outside first and never overcut.
Remember, you simply want to remove burrs and create a slight chamfer. You don’t want to thin the brass significantly at the case mouth. This is why it is important to be very careful when using a deep-angle cutter such as the K&M inside neck chamferer. Click HERE to read Larry’s full report on neck chamfering, with more details on use of the Load Force 250 measuring instrument. Using device such as this, or a K&M arbor press equipped with a seating force gauge, will help you diagnose problems with your neck tension and reloading procedures.
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With the price of premium brass topping $90/100 for many popular cartridges, it makes sense to consider annealing your brass to extend its useful life. Forum member Darrell Jones offers a full range of brass prep, brass forming, and brass restoration (annealing, ultra-sonic cleaning) at very affordable prices. Starting at just $15 per 100 cases, Darrell’s company, DJ’s Brass, will anneal your used brass using state-of-the-art Bench-Source annealing machines. He can also ultrasonically clean cases for $15 per 100 ($20 per 100 for magnum cases larger than 0.473″ rim).
Custom Neck-Turning Services
Another great service DJ’s Brass provides is precision neck-turning. He can neck-turn any size case to your specified neck-wall thickness. The price is $0.30 per case (normal size) or $0.40 (magnum size) with a $20.00 minimum order. And if you’ve got a bucket of brass to neck-turn, that’s fine with Darrell — he recently neck-turned 1500 pieces of brass for one customer!
DJ’s Brass can process everything from .17 Fireball all the way up to the big magnum cases. And the job gets done quickly. Darrell has a 10-day turn-around guarantee. For most jobs, Darrell tells us, he gets the processed brass to the Post Office within three business days. DJ’s Brass charges only actual shipping fees, using USPS flat-rate boxes.
• Ultrasonic Cleaning + Annealing ($25.00/100 normal or $30/100 magnum)
• Ultrasonic Cleaning and Polishing ($15.00/100 normal or $20/100 magnum)
• Anneal Case Necks (after checking for splits) ($15.00/100 normal or $20/100 magnum)
• COAL Trim and Chamfer Case Mouths ($0.20 per case, $20.00 minimum order)
• Uniform and Square Primer Pockets ($0.15 per case, $20.00 minimum order)
• Expand Case Necks and Anneal brass (Call for Price)
• Create False Shoulder for Fire-Forming (Call for Price)
Muzzle Brake Tax Break Special: FREE cleaning of up to two (2) Stainless Muzzle Brakes with a minimum $50.00 order. Special good through April 17, 2012 (Tax Return Deadline for 2012).
DJ’s Brass Offers Specialized Custom Services
Darrell tells us: “At DJ’s Brass, we can handle all your brass refurbishing needs. From ultrasonic cleaning to custom annealing for specific wildcat cartridges. We can expand your necks from .22 caliber to .30 caliber and anneal shoulders for consistent bump-back. We can turn your case-necks and trim the brass to your specs. For some cartridge types, I can pre-form cases to assist in fire-forming a wildcat cartridge. We also remove the carbon build-up in muzzle brakes. Don’t lose your accuracy by having carbon build up and close off the clearance required for the most accurate bullet release through a muzzle brake.” Note: Extra charges apply for neck-turning and neck expansion operations, or specialized cartridge-forming operations. Please call 205-461-4680 for special services pricing.
Muzzle Brake – Tax Break Special for AccurateShooter.com Readers
Now through April 17, 2012 (Tax Due Date), Darrell is offering a Muzzle Brake – Tax Break Special for our readers. For all case prep/restoration orders of $50.00 or more, Darrell will ultrasonically clean one or two stainless muzzle brakes for no extra charge (offer does not apply to blued or coated muzzle brakes). For more info, visit DJsBrass.com or call Darrell Jones at 205-461-4680. IMPORTANT: Contact Darrell for shipping instructions BEFORE sending any brass for processing. ALL BRASS MUST BE DE-PRIMED before you send it.
Darrell has cleaned and annealed cases for shooters from across the country. Here are recent testimonials (this Editor reviewed all the original emails so I can confirm these are real):
“Your services were good with a quick turn-around time. Quality of the case annealing looked great[.]” — Tom, in Alaska
“The [300 Win Ackley] batch you did for me came back looking great.” — Chuck, in Arizona
“Since I started using Lapua brass, I’ve gotten gotten enough reloads out of them to notice that the necks were no longer sealing as well as I’d like. A friend suggested annealing them. I remembered seeing DJ’s ad on AccurateShooter.com and thought I’d give him a try. Not only did my [.308 brass] come back sorted exactly as I had sent them out, all had been so thoroughly cleaned that I realized I had been leaving lube on them after forming. DJ had taken the time to enclose a note cautioning me to brush the inside case necks and do a full-length resize for the first loading. And all 200 cases were back in my hands in DAYS, not weeks! Great service, great price, great follow up.” — Jim, in Alabama
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With Copper Exchange prices edging towards $4.00/lb, cartridge brass in any condition is worth saving. (Prices reached $4.50/lb last year!) Even worn-out, split, or Berdan-primed brass with negligible value to reloaders can be worth real money given current scrap metal prices. People commonly leave .22 LR casings on the ground because they can’t be easily reloaded. Nowadays, it may be worth saving brass of any kind. In California, scrap metal dealers are paying $1.75 a pound for used cartridge brass — including buckets of used .22 LR casings.
Of course, if you have good pistol and rifle brass that’s worth reloading, don’t take it to a scrap dealer. You should be able to get more money selling the brass to reloaders via Forum Classifieds or Gunbroker.com. However, if you’ve got buckets of old, split, tarnished brass, .22 LR casings, or Berdan-primed cases and you don’t want to take the time to clean, inspect, and sort your cases… maybe you should just sell ‘em for scrap. For someone with hundreds of pounds of miscellaneous brass, current scrap prices can be attractive. In the past, at ranges, we’ve seen scores of milsurp Berdan-primed cases left on the ground since they are not easily reloadable. Now, we predict those cases will be collected and sold for scrap.
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Nosler is offering deeply discounted pricing on Over-Run brass in these calibers: 6.5×55 Swede, .338 Lapua Magnum, 30-378 Weatherby, and 340 Weatherby. You can save up to 33% on the single-box price. Nosler puts 50 cases in a box of 6.5×55 brass. However, there are only 25 cases per box for the other, larger cartridges.
In addition to the bargain brass, Nosler is also offering big discounts on select Custom Competition bullets, and Nosler Custom Ammunition. For example, a 250-count box of Nosler’s 190gr .308-Cal Custom Comp bullets is marked down to $69.95 from $91.00, a 23% savings. Visit Nosler’s Over-Run Sales Page to see all the discounted products.
Nosler Sale tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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Robert Whitley of AR-X Enterprises, LLC builds match-grade uppers for AR-platform rifles. Many of Robert’s favorite chamberings are based on the 6.5 Grendel case necked-down to 6mm. Until 2011, Lapua was the only source for 6.5 Grendel brass. As you’d expect, Lapua’s Grendel brass is truly excellent, but it is also pricey, and sometimes hard to find. Now Hornady is producing USA-made 6.5 Grendel brass. Robert Whitley has worked with the Hornady 6.5 Grendel brass for over a year now and he is able to assess its performance compared to the original Lapua version. Writing in our Shooters’ Forum, Robert reveals: “It’s decent brass but hot loads will loosen the primer pockets fast. With moderate loads you will get good case life and service from the brass and it can deliver excellent accuracy as well. Not Lapua but not bad either.”
Robert reports: “I was able to get my hands on some of Hornady’s 6.5 Grendel brass. My big question was how it would measure up, particularly the loaded necks, and whether it would be compatible with our existing 6mmAR and Turbo 40 die sets. As it turns out, this brass looks like a perfect fit for our existing die sets (and obviously 6.5 Grendel die sets too). Accordingly, folks with existing die sets will be able to use the Hornady brass without any issues.” However, as the loaded neck on the Hornady brass is .001″ (one-thousandth) slimmer than Lapua brass, you may want to try a smaller bushing when sizing Hornady Grendel brass.
The Hornady 6.5 Grendel brass has a LARGE Flash Hole, about .078″ versus .0591″ for Lapua brass. Dimensionally, the biggest difference is the shoulder diameter, with the Hornady brass measuring 0.428″ vs. 0.424″ for the Lapua brass. The Hornady is actually a better fit for 6mmAR chambers which are about 0.432″ at the shoulder. Interestingly, case H20 capacity is virtually identical. Water capacity of new, unfired Hornady 6.5 Grendel brass is 35.1 grains, while new, unfired Lapua Grendel brass holds 35.0 grains of H20. Both brands of Grendel brass increase to about 36.0 grains H20 capacity after firing and full-length sizing.
Here are some of the particulars of the Hornady cases:
Hornady 6.5 Grendel Brass
Lapua 6.5 Grendel Brass
Flash hole diameter: ~ .078″
OAL of brass: Average 1.515″
Weight of cases: 111.7 to 113.0 grains
Web diameter, unfired: 0.4375″
Shoulder diameter, unfired: 0.428″
Loaded neck diameter: 0.2895″
6mmAR loaded neck: 0.270″
Flash hole diameter: 1.5mm (0.0591″)
OAL of brass: Average 1.515″
Weight of cases: 111.0 to 112.5 grains
Web diameter, unfired: 0.4385″
Shoulder diameter, unfired: 0.424″
Loaded neck diameter: 0.290″
6mmAR loaded neck: 0.271″
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K&M Precision Shooting Products has two very handy products you may not know about yet. The first, a brilliantly simple device that lets you see your case necks as you expand them, can be used by anyone who necks-up brass (with a compatible expander die body). The second new product is a specialized “fat grip” holder that will make neck-turning easier for those of you out there who use K&M neck-turners.
K&M Expand Mandrel Window Riser
This is a simple threaded extension placed between your expander die body (K&M Expand Iron) and the top of your press. It carries the expander mandrel higher, above the press, and has a cut-out view port so you can see the mandrel as it passes through the neck. Smart, eh? This provides visual feedback during the process of expanding your brass. The patent-pending view riser costs $20.00. Will it expand necks faster, or reduce run-out? We doubt it, but we still would like to have one, if only to eyeball the mandrel to control the neck-entry rate more consistently from case to case.
Installation: Thread the Expand Mandrel Window Riser into the top of your loading press, then thread the K&M Expand-Iron (Expander Die Body) fully into the top of the window riser and adjust each so you can stroke out the press completely without driving the case mouth into the press adapter. This allows you to view the expanding operation which is typically blind under the press. The riser also eliminates the need for the stop screw in the expander mandrel. LINK: Expand Window Riser Instructions (PDF).
Ergo Holder for K&M Neck-Turning Tool
K&M’s rounded, oversized Ergo Holder lets you hold the K&M neck-turning body more securely (and with less hand cramping). Priced at $35.00, it is an expensive accessory, but we suspect many guys with K&M neck-turners will spring for an Ergo holder just because it gives you a more secure and comfortable grip on the small, square-edged K&M neck-turner.
Customer Feedback Inspired K&M’s Ergo Holder
The folks at K&M told us that their new Ergo Holder was produced in response to customer requests: “[Customers reported that] the neck turner can be hard to hold due to its compact size, especially in high-volume use. The Ergo Holder is machined from aluminum, providing a fatigue-proof grasp of the neck turner. Its mass works like a heat sink to help dissipate heat from the pilot during the turning process. The neck-turner body easily assembles into the Ergo Holder and is held in place with one set screw. The Ergo holder is also designed with the dial indicator in mind and actually makes its use more convenient”.
LINK: Ergo Holder Installation/Use Instructions (PDF).
Credit Forum Member EdLongRange for spotting these new K&M products.
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Here’s good news for folks looking for another domestic source of cartridge brass. Federal Premium, the folks who make Federal Gold Medal match ammo, is now offering new, virgin, unprimed cartridge brass for a variety of rifle and pistol cartridge types. The new Federal Premium brass will be sold by Sinclair International, Grafs.com and other popular retailers. Sinclair has Federal brass in stock now for the most popular rifle cartridges, including .223 Rem, .243 Win, .270 Win, .308 Win, .30-06 Springfield, .300 WSM and seven more cartridge types (13 rifle brass types total — see chart below).
Bryan at Powder Valley Inc. (PVI) let us know that Powder Valley is offering a “Freedom Special” on July 4th. You get free shipping (exclusive of hazmat and insurance) for online orders (over $150) placed on July 4th. Bryan explains: “In celebration of Independence Day and the wonderful men and women who have fought for our great nation Powder Valley is offering free freight (does not include hazmat and insurance) on all orders over $150.00.”
IMPORTANT: To qualify, Orders must be placed ONLINE between 12:01 AM and 11:59 PM ET on July 4, 2012.. Don’t forget that, where required, hazmat fees and insurance costs will still charged with shipments.
HOW TO GET 5% OFF
With the price of premium brass topping $90/100 for many popular cartridges, it makes sense to consider annealing your brass to extend its useful life. Forum member 
