With new bottle neck brass (.204) is it necessary to trim before 1st. loading if I F/L size it?

I was thinking of just F/L sizing, and loading w/ some cheaper bullets just to get the cases fire formed.

Then begin my workup loads by neck sizing, trimming, chamferring etc., and loading up my hunting bullets.

So bassically, I guess what I'm asking is if I'm not shooting for groups and just want to fire form the 1st. loading do I still have to trim the virgin cases?

Thanks,

YB

I've always found new brass to be rough on the ends so I trim it and chamfer ID & OD first.

I've never found it to be long so you might just ID chamfer it and load it.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
I've always found new brass to be rough on the ends so I trim it and chamfer ID & OD first.

I've never found it to be long so you might just ID chamfer it and load it.

+1 Vapo!

quote:

I've always found new brass to be rough on the ends so I trim it and chamfer ID & OD first.

I take new brass cut it .05" then chamfer. Then shoot it a lot before I need to trim again

What Vapo said. I always do it just to even the necks up and put a nice square edge on the case.

I don't. To me fire forming is the first step in case prep so the least I can do to get powder in the case and a bullet in the neck is what I do. Why trim when you're gonna have to redo it after you fire form. And yes, you will need to redo it.

quote:

Originally posted by stillbeeman:
I don't. To me fire forming is the first step in case prep so the least I can do to get powder in the case and a bullet in the neck is what I do. Why trim when you're gonna have to redo it after you fire form. And yes, you will need to redo it.

Yep when it is first fired it does not stretch evenly.
Then you resize it and it squeezes back unevenly.

I re-size virgin brass simply to iron out he case mouths but find almost exclusively that the cases remain short enough not to require a trim. I'll qualify this with - I'm using the Lee Case Gauge Trimmers for all my loads now anyway.

I do chamfer inside & outside initially to get rid of the rough bits.

Have fun with your .204!

I normally run my new brass in the die just enough to straighten the mouth and trim after firing. I recently tried some Norma and there was not a single dinged mouth in the whole box so I did not do anything to it and it shot great. I put 10 rounds into a 3/4 group so wondering why I am fire forming in the first place.

Thanks Guy's,

Sure do appreciate all the helpful info . I placed my order with Sinclair today for a new Wilson trimmer and some other goodies. Now I'll be looking for some cheap bullets to do my fire forming with .

Thanks again,

YB

Due to manufactoring techniques the ends of the brass will be rough. I usually just neck size them ,then chamfer the inside and outside of the cases. The neck expander will get your brass in the neck concentric again as it should be.