I originally tried to list this posting during the format changeover of this board some time back. My posting made it onto the Reloading Forum of this site but not onto the Varmint Hunting Forum! I relist it here, now, and also the follow up posting that I just added today after another range session. The subject is accuracy improvement comparing my new unfired brass handloads with once fired handloads.
Earlier original posting from December 29th 2,004:
Late last August I ran across a nifty 220 Swift Varminter that I just "felt" would compliment my Varmint arsenal. My rationalization went something like this - one should not pass up a Varmint Rifle that catches your eye and you have a good feeling about!

I knew that by the time I got it online and shooting I would be into Antelope and Mt. Goat scouting seasons and then the Big Game seasons would start and I would not be able to shoot it much until this winter.

On August 27th though I took the new Remington 700 VSSF to the range for its first session. I broke in the barrel with ammo from some other Swift Rifles I had on hand (I had no dies then for this new Swift!). Then for fun I fired two 5 shot groups with it for record with the "bastard" ammunition (handloads crafted for another Rifle). In fact I had ammo for two other Swifts along on that day and my new rig kind of impressed me at that time by firing two fair groups with each type ammo of .602" and .743" (for 5 shots each at 100 yards). I was impressed a bit and bouyed with promise for this rig doing so fairly well with the ammo from other guns.

Well sure enough Big Game season finally got over on November 28th and I then had time to make some custom ammo for the new Swift Varminter. I used my Sinclair bullet depth seating tool and adjusted my dies to let the Speer 52 gr. bullets jump only a few thousandths of an inch to the rifling. I prepped the Swift brass with care and even chose the 10 pieces of new brass that weighed very nearly the exact same weight out of my lot of brass. I used the same load of 4064 that I have used in many Swifts for many decades and loaded them up.

These Speer bullets have proven accurate and lethal on Varmints for me in several other Varminters in caliber 220 Swift and 22-250.

Then the Montana winds kept me from taking the test loads and the Rifle to the range for 31 straight days! Yikes!

Finally the day before yesterday at NOON (usually the windiest time of the day around here!) on the 27th I noticed the wind was completely still! I grabbed the gear and raced to the range! I just knew this Rifle was gonna purr with these loads! Well I had forgotten to bring a few "fouler" bullets to season my clean barrel and maybe even warm it a bit as it was 30 degrees but sunny and amazingly still. I was not trusting the Montana air to remain calm however and I raced to put my targets and wind flag up! The flag never moved for the next 45 minutes! The low winter sun was exactly at my back as I sighted through the Sightron 6x24 scope to my BR style targets! My first slow fired 5 shot group gave me a slightly disappointing group that measured .691" (fouler trouble?)!

Maybe I am spoiled anymore! Gawd in years (decades!) past I would have "killed" for a first group from a new Rifle that small!

Then I put my game face on and gave myself a pep talk and a another talking to and I mustered up all the intensity of endeavor I could bear and fired another five shot group. This one was better and I should have been happy with its measurement of .562"!

I packed up my gear and headed home. I was entertained by a large herd of Antelope near the country road I was travelling on and then I saw a Fox in my field! The reason this was noteworthy was this is the first Fox I have seen in my valley in 10 months! They were wiped out by a mange plague here and where I would normally see 6 to 10 of them a day I had not seen one in those many months!

I got home and began thinking to myself (again) yeah maybe I should be pleased with this performance and should be more patient in my load testing.

My thoughts and ponderances brought me to this befuddlement! I now have 10 wonderful pieces of brass and they have now been "once fired". I fired them the first time in some of the best conditions I have ever fired from a bench in 40+ years. I think I will just load up these brass with the same exact load and wait again for near perfect range conditions to fire them in. Then I will have another experience (bit of evidence!) in my long pondered reloading riddle - how much better does once fired brass shoot than new brass in a particular Rifle? I mean even if this is not the most accurate load for my Swift it will give me a demonstration (albeit a small one) of the improvement accuracy wise from new brass to once fired brass. I have conversed with many Varminters and shooters over the years regarding this point and have received input from many regarding this situation. I knew one fellow Varmint shooter that WOULD NOT take reloads using new brass out on Varmint Safaris! He felt the accuracy of once fired brass was significantly improved over new brass loads! Other shooters would mix new brass loads with once fired loads and just Varmint on!

Over the years I had a feeling that with once fired brass my subsequent sight testing groups of a chosen load would most usually "improve" by between .050" and .100" for five shot groups at 100 yards (in Varmint guns and Varmint calibers).

Anyone have any thoughts or data on this "improvement" or lack of improvement from new brass grouping to once fired brass groupings?

I will let you all know how the "once fired" brass loadings perform as compared to my initial results - ASAP.

Like my long time friend Steve often says "handloading causes questions"!

Todays Follow-up Posting (January 26th, 2,005):
I just returned from my promised "re-shooting" of these 10 now "once fired" pieces of brass. The new 220 Swift (Remington 700 VSSF with Sightron 6x24 variable scope) was more up to the task than I was. I have been waiting out the wind now for a long time!
Anyway I showed up at one of my available ranges with the freshly cleaned Rifle and my 10 rounds of "test ammo"!
I forgot to bring some fouler ammo! AGAIN! Oh hell! Oh well!
AND the wind that had subsided for a time at my home had returned by the time I got to this range (17 miles distant!)! That wind though was blowing EXACTLY from my back toward the target butts though and I was shooting from inside a shooting shack. And the bullets path went down an old and no longer used 6' deep irrigation canal. No crosswinds could fall upon my bullets here but the following wind (10 MPH!) did eventually get down to the bullets path after going over the shack.
Anyway I fired two five shot groups and as I had expected from past experiences the groups did show an improvement and admittedly this is a small sample.
If you may recall my original groups (5 shots apiece at 100 yards in perfect conditions) some time back measured .691" and .562" respectively.
Todays outing (in somewhat less favorable conditions) with the now once fired brass gave two groups measuring .602" (forgot the fouler ammo - DAMN!) and then a .399"! These groups then averaged .5005" compared to the new unfired brass average grouping of .6265"!
Both sets of groups will do nicely though for my intended purposes (Hunting of called Coyotes, high country Rock Chucks and maybe some Prairie Dogs). But the improved performance is worth noting I thought.
I do not think I will put myself and my barrel through the ordeal (wasted powder, time, bullets and wear and tear!) of loading all this particular Rifles dedicated brass and then fireforming them! For this small a gain in accuracy anyway! By next year the dedicated brass for this 220 Swift Rifle will all have been "fireformed".
Any other comments on accuracy increases in once fired brass over new unfired brass will be gladly accepted.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG,

There are many variables in rifle accuracy and I expect that you know this as well as anyone.

In general I FL size ammo for most of my factory barrels and if it works I stay with it.

Keep in mind that the good accuracy that you got on both methods did not vary that much. And the variance could easily have been from some other factor.

Most really good rifles will shoot a lot of loads well. I like to play with loads too but I get more results from bedding and crown work.

More than one guy around here has built an underground range from 3' drain pipe. Just have a ditch dug in your back yard and shoot year round in your basement. This will solve the wind problem.

Send the wife 17 miles to the mall. What could be better than that?

VG, YOU've got mail!!! And I agree with Savage on the point about bedding but "crown work" is over played!! GHD

Savage99: That would be the cats meow - an underground tube range!
I have shot now 4 different times at this "new" and private, canal range and it usually is just wonderful! It just so happens that the wind was blowing today in the exact direction the ditch runs! Oh well my local range has been completely and utterly unusable for most of a month now - due to incessant wind!
Its always something.

GHD: I very much appreciate the private message and will act upon it ASAP.
I also shot today my 17 Remington "limited edition" Model 700 VSS (Varminter with all stainless action and barrel with fiberglass stock and heavy 26" barrel) I was only verifying zero today on that Rifle as its been a while since I used it. It shot a 3 shot group - right where it should be - of .303"! I am gonna go whack some Coyotes with it ASAP! The wind has been so incessant and "noisey" that I have not been out calling. I find it is about futile to call in high winds out in this open country!
More later
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy