.308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

[kill_goose]

Ive researched this topic ad nauseam on here and other sites.

I have a BUNCH of .308 brass. Is any "special" attention required to necks if necking down .308 brass to 7mm, than 6.5mm (for a .260 Rem)? By "special" I mean neck turning, etc???

If ive read correctly, according the "gospel" on the internet

, sometimes neck turning or fire forming once is required when necking .308 down or .243 up. Is this correct for both scenarios?

Does taking the "half step" to 7mm when necking down .308 eliminate any need for further work on case necks?

Just wondering if its worth my time to purchase a 7mm-08 die and neck down all my lapua .308 brass, or just sell it and take a gamble in being able to get lapua .260 brass when it hits the shelves. Im by no means a reloading novice, but am also no reloading guru either.

Thanks

 

[RobertB]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

Depends on how much thikness you will have after it's all necked down/ I use 7-08 to .260 and it's fine. Neck a few down and see how they measure.

 

[DRAM40A1]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

I tried that with Fed 308. After sizing, I did it in one swoop, 308 to 260, the loaded neck diameter was .297. It did fit the chamber but there was no clearance for the neck to expand. I could actually load it again without sizing the case. I don't turn necks so that idea was short lived!!! LOL

 

[FCS]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

What is neck diameter of your chamber?

 

[kill_goose]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: FCS</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What is neck diameter of your chamber? </div></div>

Thats a good question.

 

[jrob300]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

Neck wall thickness is certainly one consideration. Another would be H2O capacity. If your 308 brass is mil, it has thicker walls, thus less capacity, thus less velocity, if that matters to you.

John

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

For a project, a teammate did as you suggest with once fired .308 FGMM brass, finishing up with neck turning and fireforming. The agreed-upon load was on the OMG-Hotter! side, and the primer pockets were essentially useless after the first match firing.

If the ultimate load is not so stiff, it could work; but I still think the process is more work than it's worth. If you have no other use for the brass, go ahead; but its probably worth more as saleable fired .308 brass than as .260 fodder.

Greg

 

[raptor99]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

Sell the 308 brass and buy 7mm-08 Winchester brass. It will size down perfectly and make wonderful 260 brass. It shot as well as my neckturned 308 Lapua brass did. You just won't get as many reloads out of it.

You will need to neck turn 308 brass and then you will fight "Tight" neck tension on your bullets with anything less than a bushing die.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

Ditto on the Win 7-08 brass. I have also used Win .243 brass without problems.

 

[shoepop]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

I went the neck down 308 Lapua route because I had an odd lot to fiddle with. Ran them through a 7-08 die first because I had one. Then ran the neck with a .299 Redding neck bushing giving me .002 neck tension, ran through a 260 body die and they all drop right in a Wilson 260 case gauge w/o turning. Agree, all the above methods will work.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

Annealing the necks will make a lot of difference in case life. So will neck sizing with a Lee Collet neck die, it works necks the absolute minimum necessary. Add a body die and you'll have a near perfect combo for accuracy and case life.

 

[bkster]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

sell the brass and buy rem 260 brass
yeah its crappy but it shoots really good in my rifle
alot less work too

 

[skinnypitt]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

ditto on the 7-08 brass, I am using winchester 7-08 first fired brass at F-class 1000yd matchs and it runs very good. I get a little more consistency on the second firing with an added 20-30 fps but I have no complaints. i just run it through the 260 redding bushing die and trim and polish the brass and its ready to go.

 

[jrob300]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

My Redding Type S die should be here today. I'm about to size .260 from 7-08 for the 1st time. I've read that the Type S bushing does not size the neck all the way down. Do you guys have any trouble chambering the first time, or does the wide spot on the neck still fall short of where the shoulder actually is in the cut chamber?

John

 

[427Cobra]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jrob300</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My Redding Type S die should be here today. I'm about to size .260 from 7-08 for the 1st time. I've read that the Type S bushing does not size the neck all the way down. Do you guys have any trouble chambering the first time, or does the wide spot on the neck still fall short of where the shoulder actually is in the cut chamber?

John </div></div>

No problems what so ever, I use a 290 bushing and the factory expander when I size the 7-08 brass down, after that I use Reddings carbide floating expander to wring out dents from my overly strong Surgeon ejector spring.

 

[427Cobra]

Re: .308 to 7mm to .260 brass resizing

When 308 brass is necked down to 260, what about case length, 308 is shorter than 260 by .020 or more