F T/R Competition Lapua Palma Brass wih 185gr Bergers

[Quickoz]

Gents,

Just wondering who among you uses the Lapua Palma brass for 308 and is anyone running 185gr Bergers in them?

Regards,

Shaun

 

[memilanuk]

Hello Shaun,

Last year @ SOA/FCNC during the USA F/TR team practice I was pulling for Brad Sauve and he had some outstanding tight vertical going @ 900 - something like just over half the X-ring high for most of the string. I'm pretty sure he was running B185s, Lapua Palma brass and N150.

I have a bunch of the Lapua Palma brass that I used with 155.5s last year that I plan on 'recycling' through my wife's F/TR rifle this year w/ B185s and either N150 or Varget.

HTH,

Monte

 

[XTR]

*oops* I just noticed that the title says "Lapua Palma brass". I thought the question in the original post was a little vague.

New answer:

I don't know anyone running the small primer Palma brass. From what I've read the only real advantage is longer life because you have more support for the pocket.

 

[Quickoz]

XTR,

Its because I havent seen/heard anyone using specificly lapua palma brass with the 185gr Bergers. Down here people who use them are using 155gr pills. Im in Australia btw. I know they give great vertical at the longs.

Shaun

 

[memilanuk]

I know they give great vertical at the longs.

As long as the temps don't get too cool. IIRC Lapua specifically warns against using the small primer .308 brass in cooler temps (30-40F or less) as ignition may be erratic.

 

[Quickoz]

I shouldn't have that issue but am aware of it. I have to be more wary of temps that go above 100-110 deg F.

 

[kansas]

I use the large primer Lapua with the 185 BT longrange match bullets (30418). Guess I don't understand the desire to use the small primers on .308. Love the Bergers for 1000+. Haven't been able to find them for the last month.

 

[Tactical]

The reason to use small primer is ability for brass to hold up to the pressures of heavy bullets. That's the theory anyways.

I used small primer Lapua brass and had great results with 155-185s with Federal Match Primers. I had shit crap results with wolf primers, which normally work great in all my 223-6.8 stuff.

Brad is running 185s with N150. I am using N150 as well. Thanks Brad for help.

 

[Quickoz]

Mike,

Cheers for your post. Sounds like I shouldnt have any issues then. I'll be using Varget with these loads with CCI-450 primers to start with and then go from there. Are you running std or magnum primers everyone down here who runs this brass runs the magnum SR primers due to the ignition issues and they seem to work great here in our conditions.

Thanks.

 

[cwinston]

I've been using them for the last month or so because it's all I could find in stock. I've been using Remington 7-1/2 BR primers in temps as low as 27 degrees with no problems, and the accuracy has been excellent with 175 SMKs. The only issue I have with them is that the flash holes are very small and a normal decap rod from a RCBS die will get stuck in them. The rod in a Redding bushing neck sizing die works just fine, so when I need to FL size them I have to pull the busing out of the Redding, Decap all the brass, then run them through the RCBS FL die without the decap pin installed.

 

[memilanuk]

IIRC, the PPC-sized flash holes are supposed to be ~0.058-0.059" in dia.... the extra-small PPC-sized decapping pins for Redding dies are something like 0.057", which ain't much difference to work with. I kept losing my decapping pin in a case and not realizing it for several cases, then having to go back thru and root thru the bin for the ones that got missed (and to find the one with the pin stuck in it).

Easy solution is from Russ Haydon's Shooter's Suppy - they sell a PPC flash hole reamer that will open them to 0.062", and no more stuck decapping pins.

I had fits with my loads last year (B155.5BT over Varget in a Lapua Palma case, CCI 450 primers)... went from shooting *great* at home in WA state in ~90F weather in August, to Raton NM where I couldn't hold the freakin' 10-ring for vertical @ 300yds first string in the morning. 500 was similarly hideous, and 600 sucked a little less. In the afternoons @ 900/1000 my scores would perk up considerably, despite the longer distance and more wind. Finally figured out that the ammo being in the unheated pickup over night (staying in the campground, where it routinely was down into the 40s, and occasionally high 30s) might be contributing. By the afternoon, when the ammo had been sitting in the truck soaking in the heat as the days warmed up to ~70F, things started shooting closer to 'normal'. I started running the defroster in the truck for an hour each morning, and then keeping the next strings ammo in my pants pockets to keep 'em warm... helped somewhat. I had some other issues going on with a scope, but thats my take on the small primer .308 brass in 'cool' weather. Varget + CCI450s + 40F weather = terrible vertical for me.

YMMV,

Monte

 

[DieselWSM]

I use the large primer Lapua with the 185 BT longrange match bullets (30418). Guess I don't understand the desire to use the small primers on .308. Love the Bergers for 1000+. Haven't been able to find them for the last month.

Check out Bruno's...last time I looked they were in stock. Shipping is a little delayed but that is a given everywhere

 

[paul T]

Interesting thread, How has the primer pockets held up when running stout charges with the 185g weight bullets, how many reloads do you guys expect to get with high node loads, My Lapua standard 308 brass loads for f-tr 800y using 47g varget 185g berger and ccibr with my 24in blaser lrs2 barrel only managing to get 3 loads before primer pocket getting loose.

 

[Down South]

Interesting thread, How has the primer pockets held up when running stout charges with the 185g weight bullets, how many reloads do you guys expect to get with high node loads, My Lapua standard 308 brass loads for f-tr 800y using 47g varget 185g berger and ccibr with my 24in blaser lrs2 barrel only managing to get 3 loads before primer pocket getting loose.

47 gr with Varget and 185s, wowsa?......In my rifles that would send the bolt through my skull........lol........The higher node in my gun is 44.2 gr.

 

[paul T]

Should have mentioned 47g varget load used with "Molly" berger 185g vlds, Tried the 185g Hybrids but they doint seem to perform well with barrels 1 in 11.4 twist, all out of VLDs and will have to work up a Load for the 185g Juggernauts this bullet should be easier to find oal that performs, 10 thou off lands good starting point with 46g Varget.

 

[XTR]

I've blown primers in W-W with 44.5gr of Varget when the ammo sat in the truck while I was pulling targets. I'd approach anything that hot with great trepidation.