FL sizing doesn't have to mean set the shoulder back .050" so you get a case head seperation. Bump .002" and you'll be fine. Invest in Hornady headspace kit
The best group I ever shot
- Thread starter play.soccer
- Start date
FL sizing doesn't have to mean set the shoulder back .050" so you get a case head seperation. Bump .002" and you'll be fine. Invest in Hornady headspace kit
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
I have some 308win gauges. I'll go knock the ejector out of the bolt and test the gun and report back here.
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
I followed brownells instructional video on YouTube with my Clymer 308win go/no go match specs 1.630"/1.634" and it closed on the go and did no close on the no go.
The your rifle is good, now full resize case, and add layer by layer Scotch tape on the base of the case until you feel restriction when you close the bolt. Then mesure the total tickness of tape, remove the last layer and what you have left should be how much your die must go up
Adjust your FL die so it does not quite touch the shell holder.
Keep sizing with this setting until you feel too much pressure to close the bolt. Then turn the die down until it touches and size all the brass once at this setting.
Keep sizing with this setting until you feel too much pressure to close the bolt. Then turn the die down until it touches and size all the brass once at this setting.
pete dobinson
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Courtenay BC.
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Yes, that's the one.
More than likely. If that brass was fired in another rifle with a long chamber and you FLR, that would be a big factor.
I'd buy new brass and start using a Lee Collet die to resize or at the very least set your sizing die back a turn and neck size.
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
I've ordered new brass, better to start fresh I think.
Thanks for everyone's help in this thread, very informative!!
Don't screw with new brass unless it is a quick run through a Lee neck sizing collet die just to be sure things are centered up and the neck is expanded properly and round. After you have two firings, resizing the neck only with the Lee neck die each time, they should be well fireformed both for diameter and length to the shoulder. At this point you can full length resize using a body die to shoulder bump, trim to length, and then you can either continue to use the Lee die to size the neck OR you can turn the necks and start to use a bushing die.
You will have to full length resize every two or three firings in either case and check for case length each time you full length resize so you know when to trim again. While I start with the Lee die for the first few firings, after neck turning I use a bushing die so I can control the amount of neck sizing I do. As cases age, they become increasingly work hardened which means that they spring back more after neck sizing and the neck tension on the bullet ends up decreasing. Since I don't anneal, I end up decreasing the size of the neck die once or twice over the 20 or so reloads they go through which compresses the neck a little extra and gives back the neck tension I desire. Eventually, around 18-24 reloads depending on the caliber, some of the primer pockets loosen up too much and I discard the entire lot.
You can also get a smaller mandrel for the Lee die which effectively performs the same extra neck crimping action but it is a fairly coarse 0.002" jump. Using neck bushings, I go down 0.001" each bushing change. Totally up to you. You could anneal instead as well around the 7 or 8 firings mark and continue using the Lee collet neck die as is. All sorts of ways to get as many reloads on the brass as is possible.
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
Well I bought lapua brass, an rcbs chargemaster lite, Lee collett die and the hornady headspace gauges. So expensive lol I hope canada post doesn't screw me with their strikes.
I don't know if I am "that clown", but I will say that that little group at 100 means absolutely nothing about how that rifle can perform at 800 yards.
In fact, a single 5 shot group at 100 does not mean that that load will perform at 100 yards. It could be a fluke. 2 fliers could have gone into the group instead of out of it. I am sure the OP has or will re-shoot that load to see if it works.
A 10 shot group means something.
A 20 shot group under an inch means you have a load and a good rifle.
But even that load may not work at 800 yards.
The absolute minimum distance I would shoot in trying to evaluate a load is 300 yards, and I prefer 500 or 600.
A good 500 yards load in 308 should work to 900.
The only way I have found to check 1000 yard performance is at 1000 yards.
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
If my stuff gets here in time I'm loading all 100 rounds and gonna test it to at least 500.
My load in the hornady brass was 48gr, now that I'm switching to lapua how many grains would you drop before working back to 48 to be safe?
My load in the hornady brass was 48gr, now that I'm switching to lapua how many grains would you drop before working back to 48 to be safe?
Weigh the brass. If the weights are similar, I would just test 0.3 less and 0.3 more.
Lapua might be lighter (more capacity) so maybe be test 0.3 and 0.6 more, too.
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
So then for example I used hornady brass who's headstamp said "Hornady Match 308 win" but I also have Hornady brass with the headstamp "Hornady 308 win" and "Hornady * Match 308win"
They all weigh similar and are of similar length as the original brass I used, would I be able to mix/match headstamps?
Should just call this thread play.soccer's noob reloading thread. Lol
