I think it would be fascinating to see brass that has been fired several times and annealed vs brass that has been fired several times and NOT annealed. And to see the effects on accuracy
Superb video thank you. Please use Lapua brass, and no less than 10 samples. 1. Brass cleaning, non clean vs steel pins, vs corn crob 2. FL size with build in expander vs stand alone expander. 3. Different mandril sizes. With focus on springback. 4. Trimmed vs non trimmed brass 5. 1 reload vs 5 reloads.
Not having confiscated equipment, I use the good old school machinist method of feel .I switched all bullet chamfering to the VLD Lymans tool over the plain Jane Lee and RCBS CHAMFERING tools. I do this for flat base or boat tail bullets now. I feel the difference in seating pressure. And the only caliber that's given me trouble is the past is 7.62x39 with run out on them. I have reloaded ammo now for 21 years and 17 different calibers. Thank you for your informative videos.
It looks like annealing and chamfering are the two processes that made the biggest difference in seating force. Considering the huge difference in price of an annealer vs a chamfer tool, I would like to see the difference between these two, later in the brass life. How about a test of two batches of LC brass at the 4th or 5th firing, where one batch was annealed and FL sized between each firing, and the other batch was only FL sized and chamfered between each firing?
You can anneal cheaply with a blowtorch socket and drill. Might not be as precise as machines but unless your competing at the highest level its good enough
Did you anneal before you sized? That does make a huge difference. I anneal, size without expander, sstl tumble, lube necks with Redding dry sizing graphite, mandrel, trim with Giraud trimmer, drop powder with Autotrickler, load bullets. SDs are usually between 3-10 depending on brass used. Lapua or Peterson will produce better SDs than Starline or LC or other commercial brass.
Frankly all the data is moot until the neck case thickness is uniform. That will probably have the biggest impact of any variable. Need to start there.
I have seen many studies on brass neck prep. It would seem the length of the neck would cause more or less drag depending on the length of the neck causing a difference in pressure build and or FPS/SD. Your thoughts? I have not seen any test on neck trim length i.e. 2.470col apposed to 2.480col or neck total surface area that's in contact with the bullet.
Graphs are a fine starting point, but let's see how those bullets shoot. After that, I would be interested to see you examine the effects of chamfering. Personally, I think there is a need for precision chamfering with a tool that holds a VLD chamfer in perfect alignment with the centerline of the case. If a damaged muzzle crown can adversely affect accuracy, it stands to reason that a case neck chamfered on an angle can tip a bullet as it jumps to the lands. I suspect that the adverse impact of poor chamfering would be more pronounced as the bullet jump increases.
I would like to see how each state effects accuracy and velocity. Does a smooth seating curve translate into any perceptible accuracy/consistently difference.
Thank you for this. It is interesting to watch all these experiments with good measuring instruments. At the end of the day reloaders who do not have access to sophisticated equipment may be able to develop a set of "best practise" to use that will lead to better accuracy and precision.
I would like to know if you can create an average trace for each group? That may make it easier to see the differences between the groups, and be able to display more that two groups at the same time. I have watched several of these AMP Press videos, and one thing has become apparent, there does not seem to be a dwell adjustment where the ram holds the full stroke for several seconds like I do with my K&M press. Dwell is important in seating uniformity just as it is important in sizing uniformity. If you watch closely as the ram retracts, the bullet seating stem jumps upward slightly as the ram retracts. That is not good, however, this may be more prevalent with the poor brass selected as my normal max seating pressures run 60#, not the 100#+ figures you are recording. Another possible problem is the ram alignment with the base. The Wilson die shifts sideways as the ram is retracted, and it appears the ram travel is not perpendicular to the base. No sideways displacement with my K&M press. I of course cannot record pressure data other than by feeling the stem holder movement, so have to make subjective instead of objective decisions on consistency.
Interesting, very interesting. However... what does it mean on target and chronograph? I cannot tell if one graph is better then the other. Is there any correlation?
All the graphs looked different but they all ended at the same pressure. Is this a situation where it doesn’t matter how you get there but where you end? Please go shoot these to see if they shoot different. I can see how a different final pressure would cause a change in velocity but these didn’t vary much on the end of the graph
It would be very interesting to see graphical representations of the force required to remove the bullets from the cases after different case preparation methods. It seems to me that this would have the most impact on down range velocity and accuracy.
You guys shouldve added another step and lubed the bullets before seating I think you will see even more consistent seating pressure. Great vid thanks!
I keep hearing comments from an interview you did with Brian Litz echoing in my mind. Do some test firing to validate if any of that data actually influences your groups and sd and es readings. Even though you are seeing differences on the press data, you may find some of that has no influence on the live fire results. And I think that is more meaningful than just data on a graph...
This was a fantastic video! I would love to see how a single process sizing die with expander ball compares to using an undersized neck bushing die followed by an expander die with tolerance set to a specific interference fit, like .002-.003".
Hi, my name is Craig and yes I am a reloading nerd! I found this very interesting and not boring at all! Lol I live data like this. To me I think the last step should be to turn the necks after the mandrel and see the difference. My guess is a lot of the inconsistencies are due to neck thickness variations.
12:26 you stated that the graph wasn’t as consistent as you hoped it would be. IMO it seems that the peak seating force might have the most effect. In this case, your ES was 3 pounds of seating force for that graph, and in my mind that was your most consistent when combining all the prep methods.
Such a deep rabbit hole to jump down! It's great to see measured results! How about mil-spec brass against Lapua or Peterson, Alpha, Norma, etc.? Another cool one would be your mandrel sizer you are using against something like a Redding die that uses a specific bushing. Out of the box brass against some that has been neck turned for concentricity. Of course, the proof is in the accuracy. Great job!
I did some tests: trim length, weigth, deburring, primer pocket uniformer, flash hole, full length sizing, annealing, nylon brush the necks and pressure seating. 29 brass and the velocity that result was very intresting. The pressure between 17 to 25 psi was the more uniform in velocity and grouping with SD of 4 . and the all of 29 shooting was 14 of SD.
I’d like to see what a light spray of Hornady Case Lube does. I put my reloading tray on some paper and lightly spray from a few feet away four times, turning the tray 90° each spray. I’m spraying on a downward angle around 45°. I know a small amount of that spray gets in the necks. This is towards the end of my brass prep. steps, so I’ve already done depriming , cleaning, annealing, body sizing, neck trimming, chamfering. My next steps are neck sizing, seating primers, loading the powder and finally seating the bullets. I also dip the ends of the bullets in a dry powder before seating. I’m trying to get smooth, consistent seating and some prevention from cold welding in case some of the loaded ammo is going to sit for a while. My ES’s and SD’s are down where I want them and my rounds are pretty concentric with ADG brass using a Redding 3 die set (body, neck and competition seating). I have not yet tested rounds that have sat for a month or so. If they retain their speed consistency and give me the same velocities the I’ll be satisfied that the bullets are not developing a molecular bond with the necks (I.e. they’re not starting to stick, or cold weld to the necks).
Definitely would like to see this test with some premium brass such as Lapua. This test seemed all over the place vs the previous AMP press video test where you annealed your Lapua brass and had extremely consistent results. Comparing the two videos, i think you guys proved that the quality of the brass matters more. Meaning, if you're not starting with quality brass, you're not going to get consistent results no matter what you do to it. It would also be interesting to see how annealing and neck turning affects seating pressure.
Of all the few videos with this press, I haven’t seen any analysis using a lube in the necks prior to seating bullets. When I recommend this , I hear, one can’t know if one neck has more lube than another, Ol well. I use moly in my necks and get great results, low es and sd’s along with exceptional precision. Watch Lou Murdica of annealing made perfect and watch his results ! It’s on annealing made perfects RUclips channel. Thanks!!!!!
Try coating your bullets with HBN. I'm getting ES of 4 or 5 with SD of 1 or 0 with my 6.5x47 and 140gr. Bergers and RDFs. Using Lapua brass, Reloder 16 and FGMM small primers.
@@murder0ne I’ve used HBN in the past with good results but it’s been a long time ago. Been thinking about trying it again soon. I’ll try it and get back to ya. Those are great results you are getting in my opinion!!!! I appreciate your feedback!!!’ Thanks!!
I consider myself as a hunter reloader using brass that is mostly reloaded minimum of one time and in most cases multiple times. I do not anneal, but clean, trim and chamfer all cases before reloading. I think most of your testing is slightly beyond what what some of us do and still hope for accuracy! Living in the northeast I don't get to shoot beyond 100yds to test my loads and only get to shoot further when I get to hunt anything west of here. If you can test the accuracy of the loads that you produced in your testing it might show if it makes a whole lot of difference.
Gavin, great installment on your channel... Super interesting!. How about the same test in the same order of your reloading process. Load ammo, and take away one process at a time, then see if any steps are unnecessary. Maybe the control group is sized brass, annealed, chamfered, necks scrubbed. And work backwards.
Hello guys, great job, I think we are all experimenting with the AMP Press, which basically generates data and now we must do tests and more tests until we begin to understand which is the best process. Annealing is essential and chamfering is becoming very necessary as well. Putting dry lubricant, of the graphite type could improve a lot, although there are people who do not use it because they say that it is deposited over time in the barrel, in my experience, I have a .308 with a Bartlein barrel with 2000 shots and I have not seen no harm in putting it. What I would like to see is an experiment with quality brass and the result on paper, this will lead us to the path of knowing which method to follow and also to better understand the graphics. I see in some of the graphics a certain distance at the beginning of the settlement, that is, where the bullet begins to press and I think it is the first point to touch, that pressure should be as constant as possible. We keep experimenting thanks for your job
Awesome test. I'd like to see: - dry lube vs no dry lube -flat base vs boat tails -K&M 4 degree champher tool vs std VLD champher tool -pistol ammo - minimal bell vs moderate bell
Would like to see comparison of annealling techniques. The AMP VS. an open flame annealer VS. hand annealing with a drill VS salt bath method VS no annealing. What a great tool to see what steps contribute and don’t contribute to consistency. So many times I wonder if my time is worth an extra step or if that step just helps me sleep at night.
Great video guys. I would like to see if not using the power station would make a difference so instead of having a horizontal scratch pattern in the neck you would have a vertical scratch pattern by cleaning the necks with a brush by hand.
These are good. Please continue to do these kinds of tests and combos but need to see groups on paper also when looking at the graphs because it may make a difference on the graph but not in the group.
Is there a follow up with groups and velocity? It would also be fun to see a group using one of each in the same firing to see if and where they scattered around.
That seating of the last bullet of the bronze brush only cases had a significant “crunch” during the seating. Would that have had something to do with the higher initial break then the others like maybe a powder kernel being stuck in the neck or something?
I admire your scientific approach to loading ammunition. You mentioned a concern on one test sample of scratching the bullet. Interesting as the rifling is going to scratch the bullet much more than anything else. It would be interesting to see different neck size diameters in relation their tension and the effect of different powders interplay as some powders combust better at certain pressure levels and how this relationship influences accuracy and or velocity. Lots of rabbit holes to go down.
Be interested to see how Neck Treatment ... specifically inside reaming or using the IDOD neck tool compares to the more traditional case prep methods you've shown here. 🤔
Could you give us the ending psi. It really looked like on the just annealed test that all ending psi was the same. Mathematically speaking the force in will be the force out. If the psi is all the same then the release on those bullets should give a very good es and sd. Please tell me you fired them and if so can we know?
I just started reloading and bought some Lapua brass and it was extremely tight for my 308 loads. I would definitely go back now and chamfer some other brand-new pieces of Lapua brass and try my reload again. But is this normal for Lapua brass? Conversely I was loading once fired 308 Winchester brass and actually had to next size it down to 330 using my S-Type die to get some neck tension for the same Hornady bullets. It was the complete opposite of my experience with a brand new Lapua brass. maybe you can do a video on that....? Thank you I really enjoy your videos, don't ever stop
I would love to see unprepped lapua brass that’s never been fired compared to prepped lapua brass that’s never been fired. How good is factory lapua brass really and can it be improved upon?
Id like to see what difference it would make if a light coating was put on the sides of the projectiles the ones used to resize brass wax / spay cans like hornady / lube them up to cut back on friction ?
How about checking seating pressure on cases that are annealed AFTER being resized? I ask because a video by the AMP people shows that every process in resizing adds to case hardness. It got me thinking that if I changed my order of reloading to - de-prime, tumble, trim, size, ANNEAL, prime, charge and seat the bullet that the only thing affecting case neck hardness after annealing would simply be bullet seating. It would be interesting to see AMP press test results on cases done in that order and then see if there is any difference at the range on paper. I plan to run some tests and hope that you will as well.
Let's see what the groups look like what makes the most difference in group size if I don't chamfer do my groups open up? What steps can I Skip if I have to report a lot of rounds quickly?
I would like to see you add an expander die to the mix. Since unturned brass can vary slightly in neck thickness this could account for varying readings. Also you could add skimming the necks and turning the necks to see how it affects seating pressure.
I watched the previous video as well and I didn't hear you guys really go into detail about the graph, like what's being measured? I'm guessing up the side is force measurement and along the bottom is the ram travel distance?
It would be nice to see a comparison of different premium brass. Lapua, Peterson, Norma, Nosler etc. It would also be good to see what impact that would have on your MV SD and ES. I would be nice to see if the variance that you see on your pressure seating graphs translate into MV SD and ES. It is hard to figure out where to spend money on reloading equipment to reduce MV SD and ES.
Gavin, I love your videos on prep but one of the items that would be interesting would be the effect on loaded round to chamber neck size and the clearance that produces the best results. I had noticed that on my 260 Improved chamber I originally opted for a 2 thou clearance but noticed afterwards that a round could not easily be inserted into the expanded neck so I have further necked turned the brass another 1/2 thou to give me a 3 thou clearance from the .296 chamber neck. Have you done any tests on this at all and possible effect on accuracy? Might be a good exercise to hand to Travis when he gets the time. What neck clearance do you run on your "accuracy" chambers? Regards Rob
Try bushing die without expanderball cases vs full lengh die with expander. Run cases thru 10 shots and se how they "age" in hardness. (Workharden). Should affect neck tension and case head life. People usually anneal not only to get more life out of cases. But when you have a "mixxed bag" with once fired and lots fired cases. Annealing, sizing and then trimming makes them more or less the same when it comes to shooting.
I'm glad you nerds enjoy doing this stuff so us rednecks can get the Cliff's Notes version because that's all we have the attention span for :).Well done men. Two thumbs up WITH double snaps!
I'd like to see a comparison of the overall effects of clean vs dirty brass. Investigate differences in case capacity, seating force, ES/SD and any other differences that show up. Do we really need to clean our brass? And if so to what extent?
More consistent if you chamfer every time. Also, if your trimming is less than .006" you can turn the chamfer tool head in reverse and that will provide a smoother and more uniform surface to the bullet. This is counter to normal tool usage where you never reverse a cutting edge, but it does work very well.
I have a feeling that the initial spike will correlate with damage to the bullet base and jacket due to scraping of the jacket along a rough internal neck or neck with a larger angle. Differences in the initial spike will likely correlate with changes in bullet yaw leaving the barrel and BC due to base/jacket damage, and will likely show up in group size on paper. These effects on paper should increase with distance, and should be able to be tested with groups, or better yet, with equipment that measures changes in BC of fired bullets over distance (ie. New Oehler 89). Looking at your results, the damage to bases/jackets will likely be minimized with careful VLD chamfering and then brushing or setting inside diameter with a mandrel to smooth out any burs or ridges created by the chamfering. I feel that consistencies in the remainder of the curve past the initial peak will correlate with velocity SD/ES, and will be able to be observed on a chronograph and on paper at long range only. This will likely correlate with consistent neck wall thickness, brass consistency, brass “elasticity,” and lubricicity; and will be affected by brass quality, neck turning, annealing, inside neck cleaning, lubrication/graphite. It would be great if you could figure out a way to measure bullet pull weight and consistency, and correlate this with seating pressure, velocity, and accuracy. Great work and fascinating what this equipment will be able to tell . The most important thing will always be what changes and effects actually correlate with consistency and accuracy, and why. I wish I had the time and equipment to help. Hope my thoughts give you some ideas. Mike D
I think the real advantage of this press is sorting out the outliers while seating. And that possibly reducing the outlier (flier) shots. Watching several channels play with this press and testing the resultant groups doesnt really seem to show a correlation between extra steps in reloading and accuracy beyond what was already known to be needed. IE basic load tuning, annealing, chamfering, neck tension. Etc
Come on i have been reloading for 43 years i was tought by a friend of mine who was a friend of Roy Weatherby of South Gate yes the man himself all of this is just fantastic if its absolutely necessary i have loaded and shot well over 800 thousands rounds cast and copper jackets after watching you for almost 10 years i have come to the conclusion that you need to come back down to earth and back to reality maybe in a year i might check your channel out if you have i guess it's time to move on . Happy shooting and happy trails to you.. It's time to move on.
I would like to see if there is a detectable difference on the range. I suspect unless it is in a benchrest gun it won't make a bit of difference and the groups will all be the same. The powder, seating depth and of course all the same components make the biggest difference. If you shoot through a 308 gas gun (AR10) the battering of the cartridge in the magazine and the violent loading process will most likely negate any difference.
Also try comparing ultra premium brass and budget brass especially with neck turning part of the full prep to see how much improvement you can get with cheap brass compared to ultra premium.
Test with graphite powder as a lub on bullet shank. And also like to see the graph with the master spring seater, is that consistent graph.... Did u use an expander mandrel or std expander ball die?
I think it would be fascinating to see brass that has been fired several times and annealed vs brass that has been fired several times and NOT annealed. And to see the effects on accuracy
Check that out ruclips.net/video/YWUw6tyzE7U/видео.html
I’d like to see brass it’s his Hornady and Nosler. Lapua and some high in breast using is not available in calipers II shoot.
I would be interested in seeing this test done but with the addition of graphite to The inside of the necks
I also think the addition of three or four times fired brass would be beneficial
I would like to see you shoot the different types of mods across a chronny, to see if what you see makes a difference to the sd and es.
@Travis Fox fantastic, can't wait :)
Me too
Superb video thank you. Please use Lapua brass, and no less than 10 samples. 1. Brass cleaning, non clean vs steel pins, vs corn crob 2. FL size with build in expander vs stand alone expander. 3. Different mandril sizes. With focus on springback. 4. Trimmed vs non trimmed brass 5. 1 reload vs 5 reloads.
I’d like to see the test with dirty brass vs ss pin wet tumbled vs corn cob media.
Not having confiscated equipment, I use the good old school machinist method of feel .I switched all bullet chamfering to the VLD Lymans tool over the plain Jane Lee and RCBS CHAMFERING tools. I do this for flat base or boat tail bullets now. I feel the difference in seating pressure. And the only caliber that's given me trouble is the past is 7.62x39 with run out on them. I have reloaded ammo now for 21 years and 17 different calibers. Thank you for your informative videos.
It looks like annealing and chamfering are the two processes that made the biggest difference in seating force. Considering the huge difference in price of an annealer vs a chamfer tool, I would like to see the difference between these two, later in the brass life.
How about a test of two batches of LC brass at the 4th or 5th firing, where one batch was annealed and FL sized between each firing, and the other batch was only FL sized and chamfered between each firing?
You can anneal cheaply with a blowtorch socket and drill. Might not be as precise as machines but unless your competing at the highest level its good enough
ruclips.net/video/7bFLi4IFSN4/видео.html
Did you anneal before you sized? That does make a huge difference.
I anneal, size without expander, sstl tumble, lube necks with Redding dry sizing graphite, mandrel, trim with Giraud trimmer, drop powder with Autotrickler, load bullets. SDs are usually between 3-10 depending on brass used. Lapua or Peterson will produce better SDs than Starline or LC or other commercial brass.
One more trap group with the LC brass neck turned to a consistent thickness would reveal if the variation is material quality related.
Frankly all the data is moot until the neck case thickness is uniform. That will probably have the biggest impact of any variable. Need to start there.
I wouldbe interested in the effect of dry lube inside the case neck on seating force consistency, thank you for the great information!
Yup, we want to see a Imperial Dry Neck Lube seating test! :D
Need confirmation that chamfer + graphite inside neck = optimal prep 🤓
How about lubing the case necks along w/chamfering,brushing,with and w/out annealling.
Those shirts should read “I reload therefore I aim”
I have seen many studies on brass neck prep. It would seem the length of the neck would cause more or less drag depending on the length of the neck causing a difference in pressure build and or FPS/SD. Your thoughts? I have not seen any test on neck trim length i.e. 2.470col apposed to 2.480col or neck total surface area that's in contact with the bullet.
Graphs are a fine starting point, but let's see how those bullets shoot. After that, I would be interested to see you examine the effects of chamfering. Personally, I think there is a need for precision chamfering with a tool that holds a VLD chamfer in perfect alignment with the centerline of the case. If a damaged muzzle crown can adversely affect accuracy, it stands to reason that a case neck chamfered on an angle can tip a bullet as it jumps to the lands. I suspect that the adverse impact of poor chamfering would be more pronounced as the bullet jump increases.
Be interesting to see how that brass prep affects it down range on paper.
Yep- that would be the crtitcal test.
Agree. The graphs are nice for videos but “on target” performance is all that really matters
Can you do a comparison video with a high dollar amp annealer compared with an old-school drill and socket with brass painted with Tempilaq?
...and then show the down range results.
I would like to see how each state effects accuracy and velocity. Does a smooth seating curve translate into any perceptible accuracy/consistently difference.
Yes, we plan to!
Thank you for this. It is interesting to watch all these experiments with good measuring instruments. At the end of the day reloaders who do not have access to sophisticated equipment may be able to develop a set of "best practise" to use that will lead to better accuracy and precision.
I would like to know if you can create an average trace for each group? That may make it easier to see the differences between the groups, and be able to display more that two groups at the same time. I have watched several of these AMP Press videos, and one thing has become apparent, there does not seem to be a dwell adjustment where the ram holds the full stroke for several seconds like I do with my K&M press. Dwell is important in seating uniformity just as it is important in sizing uniformity. If you watch closely as the ram retracts, the bullet seating stem jumps upward slightly as the ram retracts. That is not good, however, this may be more prevalent with the poor brass selected as my normal max seating pressures run 60#, not the 100#+ figures you are recording. Another possible problem is the ram alignment with the base. The Wilson die shifts sideways as the ram is retracted, and it appears the ram travel is not perpendicular to the base. No sideways displacement with my K&M press. I of course cannot record pressure data other than by feeling the stem holder movement, so have to make subjective instead of objective decisions on consistency.
Interesting, very interesting. However... what does it mean on target and chronograph? I cannot tell if one graph is better then the other. Is there any correlation?
I have found annealing to aid in sizing consistency and chamfering to aid in seating.
Are you annealing your brass after sizing,if so why ,as I was told to always anneal first then size thanks
Yes, this time we’re doing it out of order so that we can isolate the baseline prep processes from each other set of steps!
All the graphs looked different but they all ended at the same pressure. Is this a situation where it doesn’t matter how you get there but where you end? Please go shoot these to see if they shoot different.
I can see how a different final pressure would cause a change in velocity but these didn’t vary much on the end of the graph
Would love to see this done with lapua brass and different type of brass preb
It would be very interesting to see graphical representations of the force required to remove the bullets from the cases after different case preparation methods. It seems to me that this would have the most impact on down range velocity and accuracy.
You guys shouldve added another step and lubed the bullets before seating I think you will see even more consistent seating pressure. Great vid thanks!
I keep hearing comments from an interview you did with Brian Litz echoing in my mind. Do some test firing to validate if any of that data actually influences your groups and sd and es readings. Even though you are seeing differences on the press data, you may find some of that has no influence on the live fire results. And I think that is more meaningful than just data on a graph...
This was a fantastic video! I would love to see how a single process sizing die with expander ball compares to using an undersized neck bushing die followed by an expander die with tolerance set to a specific interference fit, like .002-.003".
@Travis Fox I'd have to agree as I just started doing that this year myself.
To echo a few other people what really matters is the effects downrange, otherwise, it's all just theoretical.
The proof on the range is really gonna make this vid gold!
Hi, my name is Craig and yes I am a reloading nerd! I found this very interesting and not boring at all! Lol I live data like this. To me I think the last step should be to turn the necks after the mandrel and see the difference. My guess is a lot of the inconsistencies are due to neck thickness variations.
12:26 you stated that the graph wasn’t as consistent as you hoped it would be. IMO it seems that the peak seating force might have the most effect.
In this case, your ES was 3 pounds of seating force for that graph, and in my mind that was your most consistent when combining all the prep methods.
Such a deep rabbit hole to jump down! It's great to see measured results! How about mil-spec brass against Lapua or Peterson, Alpha, Norma, etc.? Another cool one would be your mandrel sizer you are using against something like a Redding die that uses a specific bushing. Out of the box brass against some that has been neck turned for concentricity. Of course, the proof is in the accuracy. Great job!
Great feedback and ideas, we will put those in the hopper!
I did some tests: trim length, weigth, deburring, primer pocket uniformer, flash hole, full length sizing, annealing, nylon brush the necks and pressure seating. 29 brass and the velocity that result was very intresting. The pressure between 17 to 25 psi was the more uniform in velocity and grouping with SD of 4 . and the all of 29 shooting was 14 of SD.
I’d like to see what a light spray of Hornady Case Lube does. I put my reloading tray on some paper and lightly spray from a few feet away four times, turning the tray 90° each spray. I’m spraying on a downward angle around 45°. I know a small amount of that spray gets in the necks. This is towards the end of my brass prep. steps, so I’ve already done depriming , cleaning, annealing, body sizing, neck trimming, chamfering. My next steps are neck sizing, seating primers, loading the powder and finally seating the bullets. I also dip the ends of the bullets in a dry powder before seating. I’m trying to get smooth, consistent seating and some prevention from cold welding in case some of the loaded ammo is going to sit for a while. My ES’s and SD’s are down where I want them and my rounds are pretty concentric with ADG brass using a Redding 3 die set (body, neck and competition seating). I have not yet tested rounds that have sat for a month or so. If they retain their speed consistency and give me the same velocities the I’ll be satisfied that the bullets are not developing a molecular bond with the necks (I.e. they’re not starting to stick, or cold weld to the necks).
What would also be of interest , for those of us that don’t anneal, is it really worth it??
Definitely would like to see this test with some premium brass such as Lapua. This test seemed all over the place vs the previous AMP press video test where you annealed your Lapua brass and had extremely consistent results. Comparing the two videos, i think you guys proved that the quality of the brass matters more. Meaning, if you're not starting with quality brass, you're not going to get consistent results no matter what you do to it. It would also be interesting to see how annealing and neck turning affects seating pressure.
What you need is an AMP press the shows the force removing the bullet from the case!
Of all the few videos with this press, I haven’t seen any analysis using a lube in the necks prior to seating bullets. When I recommend this , I hear, one can’t know if one neck has more lube than another, Ol well. I use moly in my necks and get great results, low es and sd’s along with exceptional precision. Watch Lou Murdica of annealing made perfect and watch his results ! It’s on annealing made perfects RUclips channel. Thanks!!!!!
Try coating your bullets with HBN. I'm getting ES of 4 or 5 with SD of 1 or 0 with my 6.5x47 and 140gr. Bergers and RDFs. Using Lapua brass, Reloder 16 and FGMM small primers.
*per 10 round strings.
@@murder0ne I’ve used HBN in the past with good results but it’s been a long time ago. Been thinking about trying it again soon. I’ll try it and get back to ya. Those are great results you are getting in my opinion!!!! I appreciate your feedback!!!’ Thanks!!
The best video about reloading i have ever seen.❤❤❤ Pleeeeeaaase continue this process. Its like scientific method. Very nice ❤❤❤
I’m really enjoying this data, and to further other comments, it really matters down range. I’m becoming such a reloading nerd, this is awesome!
I would love to see this test taken out to the range and see the difference on ES, and SD, and group size!
@Travis Fox you should of marked the ones that took more or less to seat and see if that gave you the flyer on the range
awesome video, thanks for your time guys
Love these geek out sessions. I would like to see what groups these groups yield when you shoot them. That is after all the only result that matters.
SD and ES on velocity are equally important for long range!
@@Ultimatereloader you got me! The 3 things that matter! lol!
Chamfered 3000 still scratches copper.what tension u want? Across/ the board? Using 17 ' shoulder fits snug
I consider myself as a hunter reloader using brass that is mostly reloaded minimum of one time and in most cases multiple times. I do not anneal, but clean, trim and chamfer all cases before reloading. I think most of your testing is slightly beyond what what some of us do and still hope for accuracy! Living in the northeast I don't get to shoot beyond 100yds to test my loads and only get to shoot further when I get to hunt anything west of here. If you can test the accuracy of the loads that you produced in your testing it might show if it makes a whole lot of difference.
Gavin, great installment on your channel... Super interesting!. How about the same test in the same order of your reloading process. Load ammo, and take away one process at a time, then see if any steps are unnecessary. Maybe the control group is sized brass, annealed, chamfered, necks scrubbed. And work backwards.
Great video!!! I agree with some other folks. Several time fired brass with graphite in the necks.
Hello guys, great job, I think we are all experimenting with the AMP Press, which basically generates data and now we must do tests and more tests until we begin to understand which is the best process.
Annealing is essential and chamfering is becoming very necessary as well. Putting dry lubricant, of the graphite type could improve a lot, although there are people who do not use it because they say that it is deposited over time in the barrel, in my experience, I have a .308 with a Bartlein barrel with 2000 shots and I have not seen no harm in putting it.
What I would like to see is an experiment with quality brass and the result on paper, this will lead us to the path of knowing which method to follow and also to better understand the graphics.
I see in some of the graphics a certain distance at the beginning of the settlement, that is, where the bullet begins to press and I think it is the first point to touch, that pressure should be as constant as possible.
We keep experimenting
thanks for your job
Awesome test. I'd like to see:
- dry lube vs no dry lube
-flat base vs boat tails
-K&M 4 degree champher tool vs std VLD champher tool
-pistol ammo - minimal bell vs moderate bell
Doing our country proud. Good gear!
Would like to see comparison of annealling techniques. The AMP VS. an open flame annealer VS. hand annealing with a drill VS salt bath method VS no annealing.
What a great tool to see what steps contribute and don’t contribute to consistency. So many times I wonder if my time is worth an extra step or if that step just helps me sleep at night.
Great Info, I'm late to the game for a response, but I'd like to see how graphite in the neck would affect seating pressures and range testing
Great video guys. I would like to see if not using the power station would make a difference so instead of having a horizontal scratch pattern in the neck you would have a vertical scratch pattern by cleaning the necks with a brush by hand.
These are good. Please continue to do these kinds of tests and combos but need to see groups on paper also when looking at the graphs because it may make a difference on the graph but not in the group.
The measurement that counts is group size. Does any of these fancy tools result in smaller groups?
Isn't LC brass already annealed! Dry lube in the necks and trim length would also factor in as well I'm thinking 🤔 Great video!
Thanks for an interesting comparison. What if the necks are trued with a concentric tool? Same wall thickness
Is there a follow up with groups and velocity? It would also be fun to see a group using one of each in the same firing to see if and where they scattered around.
Need to try neck turning with this test.
That seating of the last bullet of the bronze brush only cases had a significant “crunch” during the seating. Would that have had something to do with the higher initial break then the others like maybe a powder kernel being stuck in the neck or something?
I admire your scientific approach to loading ammunition. You mentioned a concern on one test sample of scratching the bullet. Interesting as the rifling is going to scratch the bullet much more than anything else. It would be interesting to see different neck size diameters in relation their tension and the effect of different powders interplay as some powders combust better at certain pressure levels and how this relationship influences accuracy and or velocity. Lots of rabbit holes to go down.
Be interested to see how Neck Treatment ... specifically inside reaming or using the IDOD neck tool compares to the more traditional case prep methods you've shown here. 🤔
Could you give us the ending psi. It really looked like on the just annealed test that all ending psi was the same. Mathematically speaking the force in will be the force out. If the psi is all the same then the release on those bullets should give a very good es and sd. Please tell me you fired them and if so can we know?
I'd like to see the groups of 5 tests plotted as an average then compare the averages of all tests.
I would like to see the down range test and what the chronograph shows for the FPS and the ES between the different groups.
I just started reloading and bought some Lapua brass and it was extremely tight for my 308 loads. I would definitely go back now and chamfer some other brand-new pieces of Lapua brass and try my reload again. But is this normal for Lapua brass? Conversely I was loading once fired 308 Winchester brass and actually had to next size it down to 330 using my S-Type die to get some neck tension for the same Hornady bullets. It was the complete opposite of my experience with a brand new Lapua brass. maybe you can do a video on that....? Thank you I really enjoy your videos, don't ever stop
I would love to see unprepped lapua brass that’s never been fired compared to prepped lapua brass that’s never been fired.
How good is factory lapua brass really and can it be improved upon?
Can you test different friction coefficients? different lubrication, coated bullets, etc
How about dipping the necks and/or bullets into a graphite dry neck lube?
Or treating the necks and/or bullets with moly coating?
Can you show this test with cases having constant wall thicknes?
Turned cases.inside and outside.
Id like to see what difference it would make if a light coating was put on the sides of the projectiles the ones used to resize brass wax / spay cans like hornady / lube them up to cut back on friction ?
How about checking seating pressure on cases that are annealed AFTER being resized? I ask because a video by the AMP people shows that every process in resizing adds to case hardness. It got me thinking that if I changed my order of reloading to - de-prime, tumble, trim, size, ANNEAL, prime, charge and seat the bullet that the only thing affecting case neck hardness after annealing would simply be bullet seating. It would be interesting to see AMP press test results on cases done in that order and then see if there is any difference at the range on paper. I plan to run some tests and hope that you will as well.
Just curious how much is one of those press?
12:00 looks like the 3rd bullet didn't seat properly?
Let's see what the groups look like what makes the most difference in group size if I don't chamfer do my groups open up? What steps can I Skip if I have to report a lot of rounds quickly?
Have you seen the Bison Armory case measurement die that measures based on air pressure?
Curious about Barnes Bullets and crimping practices. For example 300 Win Mag and the 130g TTSX BT. I had better accuracy not crimped.
Question - did you chamfer the Case Neck before using a sizing mandrel, or the other way around?
Been looking forward to this :)
I would like to see you add an expander die to the mix. Since unturned brass can vary slightly in neck thickness this could account for varying readings. Also you could add skimming the necks and turning the necks to see how it affects seating pressure.
I watched the previous video as well and I didn't hear you guys really go into detail about the graph, like what's being measured? I'm guessing up the side is force measurement and along the bottom is the ram travel distance?
I think you should also add a group with the necks lubricated. Either dry graphite or petroleum based.
I would like to see the results from using dry neck lube before using the mandrel then bullet seating without first removing the dry lube
I’m interested in what it translates to down range.
question- I anneal before resizing is it best to anneal after resizing?
It would be nice to see a comparison of different premium brass. Lapua, Peterson, Norma, Nosler etc. It would also be good to see what impact that would have on your MV SD and ES. I would be nice to see if the variance that you see on your pressure seating graphs translate into MV SD and ES. It is hard to figure out where to spend money on reloading equipment to reduce MV SD and ES.
Gavin, I love your videos on prep but one of the items that would be interesting would be the effect on loaded round to chamber neck size and the clearance that produces the best results. I had noticed that on my 260 Improved chamber I originally opted for a 2 thou clearance but noticed afterwards that a round could not easily be inserted into the expanded neck so I have further necked turned the brass another 1/2 thou to give me a 3 thou clearance from the .296 chamber neck. Have you done any tests on this at all and possible effect on accuracy?
Might be a good exercise to hand to Travis when he gets the time. What neck clearance do you run on your "accuracy" chambers? Regards Rob
Try bushing die without expanderball cases vs full lengh die with expander. Run cases thru 10 shots and se how they "age" in hardness. (Workharden). Should affect neck tension and case head life.
People usually anneal not only to get more life out of cases. But when you have a "mixxed bag" with once fired and lots fired cases. Annealing, sizing and then trimming makes them more or less the same when it comes to shooting.
I'm glad you nerds enjoy doing this stuff so us rednecks can get the Cliff's Notes version because that's all we have the attention span for :).Well done men. Two thumbs up WITH double snaps!
I'd be interested to add in neck turning to this test along with everything else
I'd like to see a comparison of the overall effects of clean vs dirty brass. Investigate differences in case capacity, seating force, ES/SD and any other differences that show up. Do we really need to clean our brass? And if so to what extent?
Will it be necessary to chamfer every time before you load?
Nah- just one time!
I would chamfer after every trim. You will cut off the previous chamfer during the trimming.
More consistent if you chamfer every time. Also, if your trimming is less than .006" you can turn the chamfer tool head in reverse and that will provide a smoother and more uniform surface to the bullet. This is counter to normal tool usage where you never reverse a cutting edge, but it does work very well.
I am curious about the outliers. Will they also be outliers on paper? Is this a way to potentially sort your ammo into practice and match ammo?
I have a feeling that the initial spike will correlate with damage to the bullet base and jacket due to scraping of the jacket along a rough internal neck or neck with a larger angle. Differences in the initial spike will likely correlate with changes in bullet yaw leaving the barrel and BC due to base/jacket damage, and will likely show up in group size on paper. These effects on paper should increase with distance, and should be able to be tested with groups, or better yet, with equipment that measures changes in BC of fired bullets over distance (ie. New Oehler 89). Looking at your results, the damage to bases/jackets will likely be minimized with careful VLD chamfering and then brushing or setting inside diameter with a mandrel to smooth out any burs or ridges created by the chamfering.
I feel that consistencies in the remainder of the curve past the initial peak will correlate with velocity SD/ES, and will be able to be observed on a chronograph and on paper at long range only. This will likely correlate with consistent neck wall thickness, brass consistency, brass “elasticity,” and lubricicity; and will be affected by brass quality, neck turning, annealing, inside neck cleaning, lubrication/graphite. It would be great if you could figure out a way to measure bullet pull weight and consistency, and correlate this with seating pressure, velocity, and accuracy.
Great work and fascinating what this equipment will be able to tell . The most important thing will always be what changes and effects actually correlate with consistency and accuracy, and why. I wish I had the time and equipment to help. Hope my thoughts give you some ideas. Mike D
I think the real advantage of this press is sorting out the outliers while seating. And that possibly reducing the outlier (flier) shots. Watching several channels play with this press and testing the resultant groups doesnt really seem to show a correlation between extra steps in reloading and accuracy beyond what was already known to be needed. IE basic load tuning, annealing, chamfering, neck tension. Etc
Come on i have been reloading for 43 years i was tought by a friend of mine who was a friend of Roy Weatherby of South Gate yes the man himself all of this is just fantastic if its absolutely necessary i have loaded and shot well over 800 thousands rounds cast and copper jackets after watching you for almost 10 years i have come to the conclusion that you need to come back down to earth and back to reality maybe in a year i might check your channel out if you have i guess it's time to move on . Happy shooting and happy trails to you.. It's time to move on.
I would like to see if there is a detectable difference on the range. I suspect unless it is in a benchrest gun it won't make a bit of difference and the groups will all be the same. The powder, seating depth and of course all the same components make the biggest difference. If you shoot through a 308 gas gun (AR10) the battering of the cartridge in the magazine and the violent loading process will most likely negate any difference.
I would like to see the difference with neck turned brass and not turned.
Also try comparing ultra premium brass and budget brass especially with neck turning part of the full prep to see how much improvement you can get with cheap brass compared to ultra premium.
Test with graphite powder as a lub on bullet shank. And also like to see the graph with the master spring seater, is that consistent graph.... Did u use an expander mandrel or std expander ball die?