Reloading for 2 rifles in same caliber

wallz said:
... might just pick up 100 each and then keep them separate as mentioned. Final decision will be how close the fired brass measure up to each other.
A chrono will be coming eventually, just out of the realm right now, as the reloading gear and components in the last 3 months since I started this rabbit hole is adding up too fast.....
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Separate brass is the only "correct" approach. You can't rely on brass to spring back in a perfectly uniform manner. But sharing brass is fine for many people and their needs.

Respectfully, I think a chronograph will be a much better investment than pretty much anything else that you think you need at this point.
 
bearhunter said:
Dogleg wrote - Then there's loads that just seem to work in most rifles of that caliber. Then there's the somewhat foreign to some that there's such a thing as good enough.

Once I got the accuracy bug, "good enough" was never "good enough" again.
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I used to feel like that, now not so much. For instance my most accurate rifles are around 18 pounds. Long, heavy, and stupidly easy to hit with from prone with a bipod and nearly useless for anything else. If accuracy was everything all my hunting rifles would weigh 18 pounds but strangely only one of them does. A compromise was made before I looked at the reloading press.

Then there's hunting bullets. Would you use a bullet you didn't like because it shot a little better from a bench, and a difference that couldn't even be proven in the field? Even for long range shooting with hunting rifles it's easy to find combinations of cartridge and bullets that drift twice as much in the wind as other suitable combinations. Group size measured in fractions of an inch don't mean all that much when wind drift is measured in feet. Even for hunters who ignore wind or know nothing about doping can benefit. Cut the drift in half and he can ignore it twice as far. (more or less)

So anyway, compromises are made all the time. There are lots of times when good enough is good enough, and "better" doesn't help at all. ;)
 
Assume you have die set up for your Kimber. With that I would add a Lee Ultimate 4 die set, these include factory crimp die, collet die, seating die and size die for ~ $90, a Redding competition shell holder set is at least that price.

I load for two 6 Dashers, with the Redding Comp shell holders and a Redding body die shoulders are bumped the required amount (which is the same as the same reamer was used for both) , your Kimber and Savage are no doubt different to a degree. Once you find the difference you will know which shell holder to use, if you go that route.

With out the shell holders use separate die sets, much easier and better result.

The idea of the competition shell holders is that the hand loader can 'cam over' the press while not setting the shoulder back an undesired amount.

So in the Dashers one gets Lapua brass and the other Alpha, the 7mm08 I have gets Lapua brass.
 
A hunting rifle that shots under an inch is golden. Can you shoot that well offhand ? I'm happy with group sizes like that from my 338-06, but from my 308 Farky class, it's a very different story.

A chrony is invaluable. Much more so with hunting rifles than match. It's easy pressure gauge. It allows you to increase your speed safely, which might be just as important as group size in a hunting rifle . With practice BANG loads, if you record your velocity, when you change lot #, it allows you to increase or decrease powder to achieve that slow but pretty clover leaf that you had.

With the possibility of ammo mix up, you will have to set your shoulder bump to the shortest chamber and the shortest mag when you seat your bullets.

I just FL and set to the shortest box when we all used 30-06s.
 
Hunting Rifles 7-08 cal, I use one set of dies for two rifles in this cal.
Resizing is almost full length, seating I adjust, only takes a minute.
Same load same bullet. Keep the brass separated for each rifle.
Beyond 300mtrs of course you have compensate for drop. 3" high @ 100 your good to 300 for deer.
 
b72471 said:
Hunting Rifles 7-08 cal, I use one set of dies for two rifles in this cal.
Resizing is almost full length, seating I adjust, only takes a minute.
Same load same bullet. Keep the brass separated for each rifle.
Beyonrd 300mtrs of course you have compensate for drop. 3" high @ 100 your good to 300 for deer.
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A very valid technique. It's when it's used by a shooter that knows that 3" difference in point of impact means nothing, never-the-less thinks that a 1/2" group means everything that you have to wonder.:evil:
 
If you have some adversion to neck sizing for each rifle, which is basically what a "2 thou bump" is anyway, then the simplest next step is Redding competition shell holders, FL die stays in the same spot, mark the box of ammo for each rifle with the shell holder used, and you are all set.
 
I load for 2 .270’s an x bolt and a M70 Supergrade they both shoot the same reloaded ammo sub MOA to 300 yards I full length size the brass, and it’s all necked down from 30-06 sorted range brass, this situation is very rare so I feel lucky.
 
bunny said:
I load for 2 .270’s an x bolt and a M70 Supergrade they both shoot the same reloaded ammo sub MOA to 300 yards I full length size the brass, and it’s all necked down from 30-06 sorted range brass, this situation is very rare so I feel lucky.
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That's akin to winning the lottery type of luck, which it's to bad don't apply to each other
 
bunny said:
I load for 2 .270’s an x bolt and a M70 Supergrade they both shoot the same reloaded ammo sub MOA to 300 yards I full length size the brass, and it’s all necked down from 30-06 sorted range brass, this situation is very rare so I feel lucky.
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How long does brass last before head separation?
 
One set of 223 dies, 13 rifles so chambered. None are Salvages. All fed the same load out of the same pail of ammo. Good enough.
 
Well I had some time to measure the fired brass from both rifles tonight. Go figure. 0.0010 difference on the shoulders. Go fancy that.

Will load up same load, same length that I have determined for my groups, and see where that lands me. Then decide from there, but it looks like I will be able to use the same dies, same brass, and not have extra worry about segregating.

I do love some of the feedback tho. Priceless! And that is why we are a community, or shall I say a different breed!

Yes they are hunting rifles, but I do want to teach my son's from the get go the scope dope, and yes I will be letting them know the other method of things, and in the end when they are on their own they can decide what they will ultimately use. Both are set up at 100 yards, and will have dope worked out beyond the 500 yards, just as some fun at the range, to ring steel out a bit further, and gain that needed practice. To see in the field what distance shooting is about, why we practice, why we try and gain experience on the wind holds. I have a few 22's that will get most of the practice on, as that is still the cheapest option for per round shooting for trigger control, breathing, etc.

After all, that is why we reload, so its easier to shoot more, cuz we all know it aint cheaper!
 
bunny said:
I load for 2 .270’s an x bolt and a M70 Supergrade they both shoot the same reloaded ammo sub MOA to 300 yards I full length size the brass, and it’s all necked down from 30-06 sorted range brass, this situation is very rare so I feel lucky.
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When I found such a pair, I don't feel it's right to separate them, a well upgraded 1964 pf M-70 and a 1980 BDL M-700.
 
I have few 303’s I shoot lead bullets in I was working up a load for two of them, keeping each separate. I was getting under 2 inches at 100 m. I have 16 303’s and decided to try the loads in them. Worst gave 3 inch groups so decided to use one load and I wouldn’t have to keep brass sorted. You never know what kind of accuracy you get until you do a test. Saved me a lot of work.
 
I have 3 -06's to load for , with differing bullets
For each I have dummy rounds, with a bullet set out to chamber length and another to chosen reload length for that bullet
so its easy to use a dummy in the one set of dies to set the die for that bullet
 
boxhitch said:
I have 3 -06's to load for , with differing bullets
For each I have dummy rounds, with a bullet set out to chamber length and another to chosen reload length for that bullet
so its easy to use a dummy in the one set of dies to set the die for that bullet
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I've used that method myself when loading for a few friend's rifles. Write on the case which gun it is for, and it makes it quick to reset everything for it. - dan
 
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