Whats the deal with not being able to use neck sized brass in different rifles? Is it a safety issue? Or will the round just not chamber? I see this statement in a lot of threads but no one ever mentions why. I was loading 22-250 for mine and my buddys Savage Axis. I sold mine and bought a T/C Venture, But I still have rounds loaded for the Axis I sold. I use the same load for all 3 rifles, so the only difference is the brass.
Neck Sized Brass in Different Rifles?
- Thread starter jcob
- Start date
Winchester-1897
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Newmarket,Ontario
Not all chambers are the same, I guess you got lucky. I have a Garand 30.06 and a M1917 30.06, doesn't work between the two rifles. I have three Lee Enfields and can use them in all of them as the chambers are generous, but try to keep them separate.
Not sure if I got lucky, I havn't tried the the rounds I have loaded for the Axis I sold in the other rifles yet. Thats my question, If they fit in the chamber of the other rifles are they safe to fire? I keep my brass seperate but since I sold the gun I want to fire off the rounds I have loaded.
Only if they also fit within the recommended load specs for that caliber. I have loads for some rifles that to not, and I would not recommend shooting them in any other rifle, even if they chambered properly.
And, yeah, you got lucky.
I had 2 .308 rifles, one was a Remington 40x with an Obermeyer chamber and the other rifle was a CG Millennium action also with an Obermeyer chamber. Round necksized from the Millennium would shoot in either rifle. Rounds necksized from the 40X would not chamber in the Millennium rifle.
We live in a plus and minus manufacturing world and no two chambers and reloading dies are exactly the same size.
1. The headspace settings could be different and a cartridge fired in a longer chamber will not fit in a shorter length chamber.
2. If the diameter of the chambers vary this can cause chambering problems.
Below are eight chamber reamers for the .223/5.56 cartridge, and these only deal mainly with variations in the chamber diameter and there is still the headspace dimensions to deal with.
Below .308/7.62 chambers.
Then you have new chamber reamers and worn chamber reamers variations, in our plus and minus manufacturing world.
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I happen to own 5 rifles in the same chambering.
I keep my brass separated. Each rifle will only be re-using the brass fired in it.
That way, If I decide to neck size only [seldom] the cases will fit the rifle without issue.
There is considerable variation in chamber dimensions, so one can get into trouble quite easily.
Load factors come into consideration as well with loaded ammo. Be SURE that the load is safe in the rifle if it was loaded for a different gun.
I have one rifle that digests a lot less powder for similar velocities than do the others in the same chambering.
If I was to shoot a round [even if it was "book-safe"] from one of the other rifles in this one, it might result in a bolt lockup or worse.
Regards, Dave.
I keep my brass separated. Each rifle will only be re-using the brass fired in it.
That way, If I decide to neck size only [seldom] the cases will fit the rifle without issue.
There is considerable variation in chamber dimensions, so one can get into trouble quite easily.
Load factors come into consideration as well with loaded ammo. Be SURE that the load is safe in the rifle if it was loaded for a different gun.
I have one rifle that digests a lot less powder for similar velocities than do the others in the same chambering.
If I was to shoot a round [even if it was "book-safe"] from one of the other rifles in this one, it might result in a bolt lockup or worse.
Regards, Dave.
Rimmed and belted cases use the rim or belt to headspace the round. Rimless cases use the shoulder of the bottle necked case to head space. So if you're shooting a rimless round that was originally shot in some other rifle and which was then only neck sized the shoulder might be too far forward to let you close the bolt or action in another rifle. And there's a slight risk that if the original rifle was chambered quite "short" that the headspace might be too sloppy for the new rifle if it's chambered a little "long". The "short" and "long" being purely to do with manufacturing tolerances and we're talking about a small amount within the range of sizes acceptable.
Even with a rimmed case if the chamber that was used first is a little "deep" and your next rifle is chambered a little "short" then the shoulder even of a rimmed casing will hold the round from fully chambering. It's headspacing off the shoulder instead of off the rim like it should be doing in this case due to the slight differences in the chambers.
It's these slight differences and the 50-50 chance of it being a problem in the next gun that causes the warnings about only using the fire formed and neck sized brass in the rifle it was used for originally.
So mostly it's a fit thing. If it fits and you can easily close the bolt or lever or whatever and you didn't load up anything wild and out of the usual range of loading data you're fine.
Even with a rimmed case if the chamber that was used first is a little "deep" and your next rifle is chambered a little "short" then the shoulder even of a rimmed casing will hold the round from fully chambering. It's headspacing off the shoulder instead of off the rim like it should be doing in this case due to the slight differences in the chambers.
It's these slight differences and the 50-50 chance of it being a problem in the next gun that causes the warnings about only using the fire formed and neck sized brass in the rifle it was used for originally.
So mostly it's a fit thing. If it fits and you can easily close the bolt or lever or whatever and you didn't load up anything wild and out of the usual range of loading data you're fine.
The guys are telling it to you straight. The chambers in most rifles just aren't identical. You may or may not be able to get away with it.
I have three different Brazilian Mausers 2x1908 and 1x1935. They have identical chambers with identical headspace. All are chambered in 7x57 and all are accurate. I use the same cases for all three of them and neck resize only. A couple of the K98s in 8x57 work the same way.
I don't have any commercial rifles that will accept neck sized only cartridges from even the same manufacturer more than once as long as the case comes from a rifle with a shorter chamber. After that firing it is now proprietary to the rifle with the slightly larger chamber.
As mentioned, your best bet is to mark your reloads for each particular rifle.
I have three different Brazilian Mausers 2x1908 and 1x1935. They have identical chambers with identical headspace. All are chambered in 7x57 and all are accurate. I use the same cases for all three of them and neck resize only. A couple of the K98s in 8x57 work the same way.
I don't have any commercial rifles that will accept neck sized only cartridges from even the same manufacturer more than once as long as the case comes from a rifle with a shorter chamber. After that firing it is now proprietary to the rifle with the slightly larger chamber.
As mentioned, your best bet is to mark your reloads for each particular rifle.
Like EagleEye, I have several rifles with the same chambering, 7x.303Br, 4x.30-06, 4x.308. I keep brass separate. When trying out a new rifle, I grabbed a box of reloads I had tailored to match the performance of the Winchester Silvertips. I forgot that they were neck-sized reloads from another rifle. I had some trouble closing the bolt, but it closed, continued with brain fart. I fired 3 rounds this way, before is realized why it was closing hard. I quit firing.
If I were in that same boat with up to 7 rifles chambered the same I think I'd do a partial full length size where I limit the travel to bump the shoulder down to fit the shortest chamber so the ammo fit all the guns. Or if there's enough difference between shortest to longest to load to just two shoulder standard lengths to cover the range of chamber lengths. That's a LOT of different load batches to manage.
Winchester-1897
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Newmarket,Ontario
The only one I know that actually likes neck sizing only was Saddam Hussein's cat.
good one !
