Short brass

[stewart3]

Hey y'all. I've got some once fired 22-250 brass that's a little short 1.89ish range, should I seat bullets to the lands and try to stretch it or throw in the recycle bin?

[barrel-nut]

I think trim-to length is around 1.902?? Being slightly under will not generally hurt anything as long as you have adequate neck tension to firmly hold the bullet. I'd shoot it some more. It will stretch out with another firing or two. I wouldn't jam the bullets either. No need.

[scope eye]

Shoot them as is, they will grow weather yo like it or not, and no need to change your load or coal.

Dean

[Jetpig]

It won't take but a shot or 2 to grow!

[stewart3]

Thanks guys, workin a load with new powder anyway. I'll load some and go let'r rip!

[jonbearman]

The only thing you should be aware of is a carbon ring forming just ahead of the end of the neck in the chamber.I use a brush 1 size up and wrap it with a patch,apply iosso bore paste or jb and turn the brush rotational like 30 times and check to see if the carbon is gone.This is one of the most common problems with rifles that suddenly dont shoot after being a tack driver.

[Maztech89]

As Jon said watch for carbon. I'm fighting this problem right now in a 22-250 that I let go for too long, to the point it was scratching bullets as they go in the chamber. I was over trimming brass being lazy and taking it to book minimum each time which turned out to be way short for my chamber. My use of dirty powder doesn't help, but it's been a royal pain so far to get rid off.

[stewart3]

Thanks for the replies. This is a newer rifle with less than 150 commercial rounds down the tube, albeit I did run some Herter's which has been the short brass. I haven't loaded 22-250 before and I just got my dies. Pulled the ejector yesterday and got a col for this chamber. Loaded 30 rounds and ran over to the range. Some of the brass stretched a little some not so much. I have been put under the impression that to fire form well the bullet should be tight to the lands and the charge needs to be close to your chosen load to make the brass form in the right place. Jon I have no signs of carbon build up in my chamber yet and I'm running cfe for my hand loads.

[barrel-nut]

You're not fire forming. It's actually the full length resizing process that causes the brass to "grow" longer.

[Texas Solo]

I recently bought a tool from Sinclair that will measure your chamber length to the end of case mouth. My factory Savage .308 measured 2.045", which is .040" longer than SAAMI trim to length (2.005") Talk about a carbon ring! I stupidly trimmed all my brass to 2.005 when I began loading the 308. I have sense stopped trimming. After another firing, and FL sizing, it's at 2.010", so it only grew .005" and is still .035" short.
I have a new custom barrel coming that should measure 2.025" according to others who have the same barrel. No more trimming for me.
Get the tool from Sinclair, it's only $6.

[Maztech89]

Texas I have one of the gauges and that's how I determined that my chamber was 2.932 and was letting a lot of room for carbon. Book max is 1.912 but I'll let them run out much longer now, only trimming to even up any length discrepancies.

A note for anybody looking to purchase one of these; the included instructions say to trim a case neck .100" short to provide room for it to work, but the gauge is well over .10 thick. Going from memory I think it was like .165 or so. This is a common complaint when you read the reviews. For my 22-250 the .224 cause required virtually the entire neck to be removed. Just enough left to hold the gauge square and secure. It's nice for $6 and has it's permanent place in the tool box.

[stewart3]

Is the gauge an insert for a fired case?

[Texas Solo]

Is the gauge an insert for a fired case?

Check this:

http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/measuring-tools/case-gauges-headspace-tools/sinclair-chamber-length-gage-prod32925.aspx

there's a video there too. Take a FL sized case, trim it .100" shorter than minimum spec. Insert tool into case then into chamber. Close bolt. Extract and measure.