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7.62 and quality over quantity

Munson

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 19, 2011
138
0
51
Cypress, TX
I'm new to .308 and 7.62, but not new to reloading. I've always had the approach of quantity over quality as we were shooting LOTS of rounds per month of both pistol and carbines with a max distance of about 150yds. Well about a year ago I decided that I wanted to add an AR-10 to the mix and start reloading for that. Now I'm yet to get the AR-10 (long story but I had to convince the wife that I had REALLY laid off the Copenhagen this time, and I could get one as my present so I still have a few months to go), but I'm probably going to be getting the LMT MWS .308 with the 16" barrel. So I plan to be shooting out to 800 and a little beyond, with the majority of the work around 100-300 yds. So I dont need ammo that has been blessed by elve's.

I've been able to pick up about 1k rounds of once used 7.62 off my military base and plan to use that to get started. I can only assume it was used out of an M-60. I have about 4k CCI #34 primers. I do all of my reloading on a dillon 650 XL and a square deal. I actually gave away my RCBS about a year ago cause I never thought I would use it again. I have a Giraud case trimmer that I need to get set up for .308 and a dillon super swage.

So my question is this. With the above equipment and brass, can I get expect good quality ammo that will get me out to 800, maybe 1000 in an AR-10 platform. Or, do I need to go get the single stage press, some nice brass and different primers to achieve that goal. If I were to get the single stage press I was leaning towards the RCBS again. Thanks in advance
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

i wouldnt use swept brass for 800y shooting and beyond. You will more then likely be all over the place. I dont believe your press is a big issue.

Personally i would look into "better" brass for long range shooting , you could try and uniform what you got and it might be ok. The only real way to know is to try.
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

Brass is pretty expensive. Maybe buy a small amount of Lapua brass and get a baseline of what you want your accuracy to be. Then maybe work the brass you have collected (anneal, FL size, remove crimps, uniform flash holes, etc.) and see what kind of difference that produces.

I have the same equipment you have except for the Square Deal. I produce .223 on the Dillon and smaller quantities of hunting ammo on the RCBS single stage. Most of my .223 brass is range pick ups or donation from the local LE offices. My .22-250, .243 and .308 brass is new Winchester. My maximum range that I shoot accuracy for is 300yds.

Good luck!
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

I use M118-LR brass and get great accuracy.
That is not Machine Gun Brass though.
Look for brass with these head stamps with:
LC_05__LR.JPG

or
FA_64__M118.JPG

(LC MATCH instead of FA MATCH is fine)

Sort you brass by year and invest some time in brass prep.
- Primer Pocket Uniforming
- Flash Hole Deburing
- Trim

Redding Dies will carry you along was as well.
I like to use the Redding Type-S bushing die in conjunction with a carbide expander ball.
(Since you are using a gas gun, get a Redding full length bushing die.)
This combination has given me great results and keeps runout to a minimum.

Save the Machine Gun brass for "Blasting Ammo" and then use the LC-LR & MATCH brass for precision work.

Good Luck and have fun!
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

Thanks for the responses guys. It sounds like I need to maybe get some new brass for the long range stuff and save the M-60 rounds for working the trigger fast up close.
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

Gas guns and 308 are painful on the bank account
wink.gif


Winchester bulk brass is a good choice for being high enough quality to make great ammo without jumping into the price range of lapua or norma brass.

Had great results reloading M118lr brass keep an eye out on GB and you can find the once fired stuff fairly reasonable.

No worries with the Dillon just keep an eye on your charging bar I had a few where I missed the powder charge but honestly it was in the ball park of maybe 1 in 400 rounds.
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

I shoot mostly Federal, so I am always mixing in new Federal to my recycled Federal.

Its best if you stick with one type of brass, Anchor mentioned Winchester, alot of folks use this with very good results, and its not too expensive.

The more you put into your reloading, the better the product will be.

Reloading for accuracy can be a very elusive goal, then it gets expensive.

Tip 1 - dont pickup range brass and use mixed headstamps and expect good accuracy.
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

I say sort and prep the range brass and try it before writing it off. I've used some, actually until recently it was all I shot. Never went much past 400 hundred with it in a mauser based hunting rifle but it shot right around 4" at that distance.
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Munson</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I'm new to .308 and 7.62, but not new to reloading. I wanted to add an AR-10 to the mix and start reloading for that. Now I'm yet to get the AR-10 So I plan to be shooting out to 800 and a little beyond, with the majority of the work around 100-300 yds.</div></div>

Some random thoughts. I've got an AR-10. As in Armalite AR-10. Heavy 20" barrel, cryo treated, floated hand guard, 2-stage trigger, etc. I don't know where all the rage started over short barrels, but if I said I was going to be shooting out to 800+yds, I wouldn't be trying to do it with a 16" barrel.

I started loading for the AR-10 with once fired brass. Remember, you full resize brass for auto rifles. Your fired brass, or brass off the floor, it will all be resized. The key is to buy the best dies you can afford.

Don't use LC brass if you can avoid it. Reason is that while it's tougher, the case volume is less and you will lose some powder charge flexibility.

I've pretty much duplicated the Black Hills load using Winchester brass.
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

Don't be afraid of machine gun brass...

A local fella gave me a 5 gallon bucket filled with 7.62 NATO brass he swept off the deck of the USS Saratoga in the early 80s, fired from M14s during qualifying.

It was a mix of IVI 69, IVI 70, WRA 66, WCC 70, TW 68 and a few others. Other than a lube/FLS, swage and trim to 2.015", I did nothing. There are off centered flash holes, hanging chads, wildly varying weights... They'll shoot 1/2 moa just fine from my Savage.

The IVI stuff is HARD - make sure your press is well mounted!

Also, don't fret about your 650. Thats what I load my precision ammo on.
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

Once again thanks for the info gentleman. I plan on going with this 7.62 stuff right now cause I have unlimited access to it, and the price is right. For rounds where we are just playing around inside of 150 yds, I'll use that stuff. Over time I plan on building up a sizable amount of WIN and will probably never get nicer than that, until Im ready to step up to the bolt gun.
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: fnbrowning</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> The key is to buy the best dies you can afford.
</div></div>

THis is a whole can of worms and I realize, but I've always just used Dillons or RCBS... what is the best die out there? What separates those dies from the dillons and RCBS's?
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Munson</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: fnbrowning</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> The key is to buy the best dies you can afford.
</div></div>

THis is a whole can of worms and I realize, but I've always just used Dillons or RCBS... what is the best die out there? What separates those dies from the dillons and RCBS's? </div></div>
I agree with Dr. Phil on the Redding dies. Redding dies are American made with American steel. The bushings allow for a variety of brass type as well as neck tension.
 
Re: 7.62 and quality over quantity

I have lots of dies, including Redding. While Redding is great, I choose Forster, because they're also great, American, and a much better value. The bushing/bump die is fantastic.