New brass vs once fired brass

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SDarkRage

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I'm inclined to call BS on this one. Wouldn't the lack of a flash hole be appparent when the decapping pin hit and the case couldn't be sized? I seriously doubt they removed the decapping pin just because it was new brass.

Once fired from the same gun will yield better accuracy because the case will fit the chamber more tightly. But it will not be more forgiving of a dirty chamber or foreign object debris. I prefer 100% reliability over an extra degree of accuracy. I'm not saying that new brass is that much better, but it can't hurt. Also, I've never seen missing flash holes or other defects with Starline like I've seen with other brands (cough, cough...Winchester).

If your sizing new brass, why do you need to use the decapping pin anyway without a primer to punch out? I always back my pin out of the way when sizing brass without primers, less chance of messing it up. But, most importantly, I inspect all the pieces of brass before I load so I would notice a missing flash hole. I bought a bag of Lapua .308 brass and one had a flash hole drilled off to the side of the primer pocket. If I'd run the pin down on that round I would have broke it. So, your best bet is do what the books tell you to do... inspect the brass!
 
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If your sizing new brass, why do you need to use the decapping pin anyway without a primer to punch out? I always back my pin out of the way when sizing brass without primers, less chance of messing it up. But, most importantly, I inspect all the pieces of brass before I load so I would notice a missing flash hole. I bought a bag of Lapua .308 brass and one had a flash hole drilled off to the side of the primer pocket. If I'd run the pin down on that round I would have broke it. So, your best bet is do what the books tell you to do... inspect the brass!

I do inspect my brass very carfully (more so than most competitors I know). On once fired brass my inspection covers about 7 points before loading and another 4 after loading. I still see no need to adjust my decapping pin just because I'm loading new brass. I'd much rather break an inexpensive pin than loose a stage in a match to a defective round. One is annoying, the other defeats the goal and is REALLY annoying! :)
 

alank2

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Hi,

It depends on how much your time is worth to you. Once fired or picked up brass is certainly cheaper, but when you consider how much time you need to inspect it to look for any signs of problems, I honestly wonder if it is worth it or not. You can get brand new shiny Starline brass direct from them including free shipping at www.starlinebrass.com. For me, it is often easier to just order 500 or 1K from them.

I've never had one from them with no flashhole, but with that said, if it was for defensive purposes, even new brass gets heavily inspected.

Good luck,

Alan
 

technetium-99m

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I'm not really sure about the story from benos either, may be just as you suspect, a tall tale.

I would probably buy factory new brass in something like 9x23 or 38TJ because there is little to no factory once fired. For 9/40/45 like I said above, if it holds a primer and isn't split I load it up. I do save my nickle cases for lost brass matches though. :)
 

trekrok

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Thanks. I canceled an order for new brass that was back-ordered with an eta of about 7 days thinking I'd just get some used brass based on the majority of opinions. But, online at least, not finding any. I thought I remembered seeing some at H&H a while back, so maybe I'll see what they have. Any other ideas?
 

aeropb

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I think alan is right. If my time was worth more, I'd buy new brass. Since I enjoy being out in the garage, range sweep/once fired is the way to go for me.

Trekrok try posting a listing in the WTB section. I'm betting you'll get some hits. Theres brass for sale in the classifieds very often as well.
 

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