Virgin case vs fired case headspace

[ppelaez]

Using the Hornady headspace comparator, virgin (unfired and unsized) Hornady cases measure 1.060”. The same cases after firing in my chamber, measure 1.078”. That seems to me like an awful lot of headspace on the initial unfired case. Is that within acceptable limits or should I be concerned?

[dellet]

Sadly sounds pretty normal for factory brass, well below spec. You might tone down the first firing, that is a lot of brass movement on a single firing, if the stretch is at the web, it might cut down the life of the brass.

[Regaj]

Joyce Hornady would be turning in his grave.

And there's a bit of irony... in that Hornady is the firm that sells the comparator that I'd venture 90% of handloaders use to gauge their headspace.

For comparison, the lot of virgin, unfired Norma brass I've been using comes in at 1.083. And Barnes' factory ammo comes in at 1.082. Both very consistent.

Over in the Hornady camp, X-TREME brass, used by Freedom Munitions, checks in at 1.067, more or less. I say "more or less," because getting a consistent reading on that stuff is kind of like trying to grab a drop of mercury in a jar, or getting a politician to tell the truth.

[ppelaez]

Thanks guys. I guess I’ll be staying away from Hornady brass going forward (at least for 300 BLK). Relieved that it’s not my chamber that’s out of spec.

[BJK]

An out of spec chamber isn't the end of the world, but of course it would be best if the chamber was correct. As long as you reload you can adjust your sizing die to accommodate the condition. It does mean that you probably shouldn't use factory ammo if it's bad enough, and others may not be able to use your ammo.

What is Hornady thinking?

[ThreeHundredBlackout]

I have a lot of Hornady brass from around 2018 and it was also right at 1.060" head space.