Accurate handloads begin with the case. Weigh them first, culling those that are .5 grain on either side of the median weight. Case length should be uniform as well.

When you consider that time is money, factory-loaded ammo is less expensive than what you can load yourself. And the stuff you buy at the store was loaded by companies with modern machinery and decades of experience, so, yes, it's probably superior to what you could load at home.

However, because many shooters tend to be self-reliant--with a preference to roll their own--handloading remains a passion among those who will look at a given load and wonder what if. . .

Your only hope of handloading ammo that's superior to what you can get from the factory is to make your loads more uniform. Accuracy, after all, is just another name for repeatability. If all your components weigh the same, have the same dimensions and add exactly the same amount of powder--and you hold and trigger the rifle exactly the same way every time--your shots will land in exactly the same spot (assuming stable conditions and an accurate rifle). If that's the kind of accuracy you're seeking from your loads, here's a six-step program to help make it happen.

1. Start with cases from the same maker and preferably from the same lot. Buy 100 at a time so you can cull them really hard and still come up with enough cartridges to last you many hunting seasons. (Varmint shooters may want to buy bigger batches.)

Cull the batch by weighing each case. Assuming the brass you've purchased is of uniform density, differences in case weight reflect differences in powder capacity, and this can affect velocity and accuracy. Set aside hulls that are more than .5 grain over or under the mean. Using once-fired hulls from factory loads is okay, but deprime them and clean them in a tumbler before you start culling.

2. Check flash-hole diameter. Most centerfire rifle flash holes are punched .082 and can be checked with a No. 45 wire size drill bit as a gauge. (Some--like the PPCs, 6mm BR and .223 Rem. target cases--have .060 flash holes.) While you're at it, cull cases with visibly off-center flash holes.

Now make primer pockets uniform with a Sinclair tool designed for that purpose. You want uniform depth. The primer must "bottom" in the pocket to support the anvil firmly and at a uniform distance from the bolt. This allows the striker to hit with the same force each time. Proper depth for large-rifle primers is .128-inch to .132-inch. For small-rifle primers and small- and large-pistol primers, the depth should be .118-inch to .122-inch.

Don't fret about pocket diameter. Primer pockets swell as they're used in full-power loads, eventually becoming too big to hold primers securely. Removing brass from the pocket wall just shortens the life of the case.

3. Measure the cases, base to mouth. You shouldn't need to trim them if they're fresh or once-fired hulls. But if you see some variation, set your case trimmer to take .020-inch off the mouth of a case that's exactly the specified length for the cartridge. Run all the cases through the trimmer. Within practical limits, case length doesn't matter as long as all the cases are of the same length and all are short enough that the mouth does not contact the end of the chamber. If contact does occur, the bullet can collapse into the case--boosting pressures during bullet release and affecting accuracy. Cases stretch as they're used, and periodic trimming may be required.

4. Deburr the flash hole with a flash hole deburring tool inserted from the case mouth. A punched flash hole--the most prevalent type--is commonly ragged on the inside. The primer flame is affected by that rim of jagged metal, and so is ignition.

Neck turning makes the bullet grip uniform and helps center the bullet in the bore. The difference in performance will be noticeable.

You don't want to remove material from the web, just the excess brass protruding inside the case. A depth gauge, set on the case mouth, helps in this operation. It's important to set the depth properly to take just the burr and not cut into the web.

5. Deburr the case mouth inside and out with a deburring tool. A tapered lip eases bullet seating and chambering, and it helps ensure uniform neck tension from one cartridge to the next. Don't remove a lot of metal; a couple of twists may be enough.

6. Measure neck-wall thickness at four points around the perimeter of the neck. If differences amount to more than .0015 -inch between cases, separate the cases into groups; cases at the extreme of the measurement range should be culled.

Neck-wall variations may reflect case-wall variations, which can't be so easily gauged. A .0015-inch disparity in measurements of an individual case means you'll want to turn the outside of the neck to make the wall thickness uniform. Adjust the case-trimmer cutter until it barely contacts high spots on the neck as you spin the case. Rotate the case as you push it forward on the spud. Shaved spots appear bright. Then ease the blade incrementally closer to the spud so your next spinning of the case neck takes off a little more brass.

Consistent wall thickness ensures that the bullet is gripped with uniform tension around its circumference and then is released uniformly upon firing. This consistency also helps the case center itself in the chamber and collapse uniformly in the sizing die. Inside neck turning may be used to eliminate "donuts" and remove excess brass in necks thickened by case forming.

Cases should be lightly lubricated before you insert them in the sizing die. Lube the entire outside of the case body, and lube just inside the mouth to ease passage of the expander ball. Use too much lube and you'll dent the case, typically on the shoulder; use too little lube, and the case will stick.

The Rest of the Basics
Neck size only. Unless you have a tight chamber, do not screw the die body down onto the shell holder. Leave a space the thickness of a penny between the two when the ram is at the top of its stroke. Adjusted in this way, the die will squeeze down the neck but will not push the shoulder back or compress the case body. Brass will conform to your chamber after one firing, so unless you want to use the case in another rifle, there's no point in making it smaller than it is when you extract it. All you need is neck compression so the expander ball can go to work, ensuring just the right inside diameter for proper bullet seating.

If you neck size only, you eliminate excessive "working" of the case that occurs with full-length sizing. Just as a paper clip will break after you repeatedly bend it back and forth, a cartridge case will fail if you subject it to repeated expansion (firing) followed by repeated compression (sizing).

Belted cartridges are notorious for separating in front of the web. This is not a design flaw. It happens because the headspace measurement for belted cases is taken from the bolt face to the front of the belt, not to a point on the shoulder--as it is for rimless cases. Hence, the chamber's bolt-to-shoulder length is not as critical as it is for rimless rounds, which headspace on the shoulder.