Re-bulleting

[ACK]

Greetings
It was common practice in M14 military matches to replace the FMJ projectiles with 168 Gr SMK
I am considering converting some of my South African surplus ammunition, I do not expect match grade results, just something better than the current 2-3 MOA in my accurized M1A
My plan is to disassemble several rounds, calibrate all the powder weights and replace the projectiles
Do I need to resize the brass once I remove the original projectile?
Thanks

ACK

 

[bohem]

Re: Re-bulleting

NO, but since you're going through the work to pull bullets and re-throw the loads with new bullets I'd take the extra time and run them through a neck sizing die to remove any crimp. A deburring operation might be a good idea too.

 

[95LTZ]

Re: Re-bulleting

Before you pull the bullets try seating them .020 deeper. It really helped my surplus Greek 30-06. When you reseat they have a pretty good "pop" when the seal is broken. I came up with the .020 figure because that is about what it takes to break the bullet/neck seal on all the cartridges.
Semper Fi

 

[EddieNFL]

Re: Re-bulleting

Mexican Match ammo.

 

[Victor N TN]

Re: Re-bulleting

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: EddieNFL</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Mexican Match ammo. </div></div>

That's what I remember it as.

 

[former naval person]

Re: Re-bulleting

I differ from some and agree with others...yes, you should resize the brass. The neck tension will differ after pulling the bullets. Were they crimped on the case mouth? Some were. Need to trim and chamfer. Were they waterproofed...as in asphaltic varnish on the bullets? Better clean the inside of the necks also. Otherwise you are on the right track. At the price of bullets nowdays, don't go cheap into the night. JMHO

 

[ACK]

Re: Re-bulleting

The ammunition does not appear to be crimped.

Thank you for the feedback. With the current shortages in powder and primers this may be an alternate source for practice ammunition.

Regards

ACK

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Re-bulleting

I would determine the average charge, and invest a few loads on a ladder test bracketing that charge by a small amount. Most MilSpec loads tend to be on the hotter side, and it may make sense to find a bit more accuracy with a bit less powder, if that's what the ladder test says. Better, yes; perfect, naah...

MilSpec brass is seldom match grade stuff, and any case prep that is not absolutely necessary to getting the parts back together is an option, but probably not contributory to any significant gains in accuracy. If you want to sort by case weight, it probably wouldn't hurt.

If there's any asphaltic sealer, it will pay to remove it (really gooks up the bore, etc.). Kerosene and/or Naptha(lighter fluid) and Q-Tips work, and care should be taken to ensure the kero/asphalt never gets into the flash hole (like keeping the cases mouth down until the process is done and the brass is dry again).

For any semi, it can be useful to ensure a good, positive neck tension is maintained.

This sort of process is counterproductive unless a fairly large quantity of ammo is being reconfigured. If you have the means to measure and sort the original projos, that may be sufficient in itself to gain respectable Mex-Match performance. It's not so much that military components are such terrible items in themselves, but that so little care is given to attaining consistency in their assembly.

Greg