woulder how well this brass can be used for my rem 308 bolt gun?
- Thread starter donniedee
- Start date
Re: anyone use 308 maching gun brass for a bolt gun
Some do, but it's really not the best choice.
Machine guns employ tolerances and clearances that subject the brass to stress and distortion that is not compatible with reliability or longevity in handloading usage.
This can even extend to matters of handloading safety, as experience shows such brass can be overly susceptible to casehead separations early in its reloading lifespan.
Only as a last resort, IMHO; for only one reloading, and not for load recipes that run at high pressures.
Greg
Some do, but it's really not the best choice.
Machine guns employ tolerances and clearances that subject the brass to stress and distortion that is not compatible with reliability or longevity in handloading usage.
This can even extend to matters of handloading safety, as experience shows such brass can be overly susceptible to casehead separations early in its reloading lifespan.
Only as a last resort, IMHO; for only one reloading, and not for load recipes that run at high pressures.
Greg
Re: anyone use 308 maching gun brass for a bolt gun
I have and it is not worth your time. It sizes like a mother and never really gets and free as i would like it in my bolt guns. I use a small base die, full length....EVerything and it still seems tight all the time. They have small case capacity and are inconsistent. Winchester for the price is great. Lapua for the price.....still great. Federal i have had a lot of loose primer pockets after 4 or so loadings. I dont use it any more. Lake city LR on the other hand, I have found to be similar in most aspects to lapua brass.
I have and it is not worth your time. It sizes like a mother and never really gets and free as i would like it in my bolt guns. I use a small base die, full length....EVerything and it still seems tight all the time. They have small case capacity and are inconsistent. Winchester for the price is great. Lapua for the price.....still great. Federal i have had a lot of loose primer pockets after 4 or so loadings. I dont use it any more. Lake city LR on the other hand, I have found to be similar in most aspects to lapua brass.
Re: anyone use 308 maching gun brass for a bolt gun
I do, I have some LC 66 that I fired out of an M60 circa 1978 that I'm still loading. Also have some RA of the same vintage. I full length size with a standard RCBS die ans anneal. YMMV
I do, I have some LC 66 that I fired out of an M60 circa 1978 that I'm still loading. Also have some RA of the same vintage. I full length size with a standard RCBS die ans anneal. YMMV
Re: anyone use 308 maching gun brass for a bolt gun
I use it to good affect I think though some of the premium brands are more consistent. If the price is right, go for it.
I use the Dillon trim-die to resize. That should be considered as a small base die for how much it sizes down. After the next couple of firings, I only neck size then do a full-length resize on the 3rd loading. I can usually get 6~8 reloads this way before I start seeing case-head separations.
I can usually sort most of the brass into 2-groups of 1.5gr lots. What ever is over/under this 3gr total I put aside and shoot short-line or segregate for load testing.
Segregating by head-stamp year hasn't yielded any discernible results but segregating by weight has.
I use it to good affect I think though some of the premium brands are more consistent. If the price is right, go for it.
I use the Dillon trim-die to resize. That should be considered as a small base die for how much it sizes down. After the next couple of firings, I only neck size then do a full-length resize on the 3rd loading. I can usually get 6~8 reloads this way before I start seeing case-head separations.
I can usually sort most of the brass into 2-groups of 1.5gr lots. What ever is over/under this 3gr total I put aside and shoot short-line or segregate for load testing.
Segregating by head-stamp year hasn't yielded any discernible results but segregating by weight has.
Re: anyone use 308 maching gun brass for a bolt gun
As a former 0331 in the old days I used be told to toss it in the dumpster at the reserve center and instead walked to my truck with it.
I've loaded it for hunting guns and my Fed Ord M14 at the time. It was horrible to resize at the time in my standard RCBS FL .308 dies. The brass would have too much spring back. Most likely our M60E3's had chamber or timing issues. I had to size them several times and sometimes there was not defeating the spring back. If at the time I knew enough to anneal them I could have done better.
As a former 0331 in the old days I used be told to toss it in the dumpster at the reserve center and instead walked to my truck with it.
I've loaded it for hunting guns and my Fed Ord M14 at the time. It was horrible to resize at the time in my standard RCBS FL .308 dies. The brass would have too much spring back. Most likely our M60E3's had chamber or timing issues. I had to size them several times and sometimes there was not defeating the spring back. If at the time I knew enough to anneal them I could have done better.
Re: anyone use 308 maching gun brass for a bolt gun
I just read this article somewhere hahaha. Here's what i remember... Do to the rate of fire and the rapid expansion needed to seal the firing chamber in an automatic weapon the brass is built with thinner walls to accomodate the fact that the rounds are fired without the battery fully ramming home. Sorry for the run on. Anyway... Article said that it was possible but not feesibile. The brass normally only loads once and thats only if you can get it to resize correctly. Due to the high pressures and very high temperatures in the automatic weapon once fired brass will be oversized and very brittle since the heat will cause the brass to lose its temper. thats what i remember. Hope it helps
I just read this article somewhere hahaha. Here's what i remember... Do to the rate of fire and the rapid expansion needed to seal the firing chamber in an automatic weapon the brass is built with thinner walls to accomodate the fact that the rounds are fired without the battery fully ramming home. Sorry for the run on. Anyway... Article said that it was possible but not feesibile. The brass normally only loads once and thats only if you can get it to resize correctly. Due to the high pressures and very high temperatures in the automatic weapon once fired brass will be oversized and very brittle since the heat will cause the brass to lose its temper. thats what i remember. Hope it helps
Re: anyone use 308 maching gun brass for a bolt gun
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: country189</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just read this article somewhere hahaha. Here's what i remember... Do to the rate of fire and the rapid expansion needed to seal the firing chamber in an automatic weapon the brass is built with thinner walls to accommodate the fact that the rounds are fired without the battery fully ramming home. Blah Blah Blah Blah </div></div>
Funny reading! Not quite the whole story but Funny.
I shoot it to pretty good affect. Several reloadings without problems usually. It gets too hot in a machinegun? There can be headspace problems and need to use a good small-base die on the 1st reload but no big problems after that as far as I know if you set up your resize dies properly.
No brass lasts forever though.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: country189</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just read this article somewhere hahaha. Here's what i remember... Do to the rate of fire and the rapid expansion needed to seal the firing chamber in an automatic weapon the brass is built with thinner walls to accommodate the fact that the rounds are fired without the battery fully ramming home. Blah Blah Blah Blah </div></div>
Funny reading! Not quite the whole story but Funny.
I shoot it to pretty good affect. Several reloadings without problems usually. It gets too hot in a machinegun? There can be headspace problems and need to use a good small-base die on the 1st reload but no big problems after that as far as I know if you set up your resize dies properly.
No brass lasts forever though.
