308 ----> 260

redshooter

redshooter

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Hey Gents

My Tikka rebarrel is sarting to come together. I've got all my ducks lined up and I should have my barrel in a few weeks. I'm going to be chambering it in .260 Rem as the Smith has a reamer and keeping it simple will keep the costs down. I have about 500 pcs of IVI brass and I plan on resizing it from .308 to .264. As I understand it the operation is pretty simple, just run it through a .260 die and then give the inside of the case neck a wee trim. I'm going to anneal it first using the drill, torch, tempilaq, and bucket of water method. Next run it through a standard 260 die and then ream out the inside of the neck.

I realize it's a pile of work. I've already prepped 250 to use in the 308's I had. My hands hate it but it's good strong stuff if I'm not mistaken. I'm just not going to shell out the coin for Lapua when this should be just as strong and I have it all cleaned up and ready to go.

Any advice from you guys that have done this would be welcome (other then buy Lapua, I have time not money). I am missing a few things to do this. I'm going to start with basic Redding dies but my lyman trimmer though effective needs to be replaced (in reality it's crap, but it works). It looks like Wilson makes a simple trimmer that I can also use to ream out the inside of the necks. I don't need anything fancy. When I can shoot better than the rifle I'll worry about neck thickness/tension, for the moment the goal is to resize .308 Win to .260 Rem in a safe and cost effective way.

What have you used? Again cost is an issue. Also for annealing is the 750 degree paint good or should I use something else. Anyone who suggests I sit in the dark and watch the color I'm not handsome but I lke my face just the same. $20 some odd dollars for the temp paint seems like cheap insurance to me.
 
If you owned a Formula 1 race car would you run it on regular unleaded gas? Remember IVI brass was designed to work in machine guns. Do yourself a favour, get off your wallet and buy a couple hundred new cases.
 
You're pissing up a rope and wasting your time with that junk brass. You'll get 15-20 reloads with the lapua brass if you anneal after every 5-6th firing. You should have a reamer spec'd for the brass you will be committing to, it makes a difference.
 
Ok to modify my question. If I was to buy brass, neck up from .243? I did a quick search and can't find any .260 Rem in the premium brands. I read somewhere that Nosler makes some. But I've also heard complaints that Nosler is too soft.

I do need a new trimmer so what do you have and why you/like hate it.

Just another comparison. I use to haul cars to the states. I'd bet my life that the fastest half those Porches, Mercedes, and BMW went was on the lid of the truck. Good tires, and a low center of gravity, I could make that beast fly! So yes if I could get away with running it on unleaded I would. Now if it would blow up the engine...
 
Lapua makes 260 rem brass. I have 200 pcs and it was a great investment. I understand the financial restrictions, I have a mortgage, two kids, wife works but I am self employed so I get it. But if you save a little longer and get the Lapua brass, it will last you a LONG time, I am on the 4th reloads now and will likely anneal after this round. Sounds like you will have a great rifle there so do yourself a favour and get some great brass to shoot in it.

Contact Peter Dobson at Hirsch Precision, he selss the Lapua brass and always seems to have good inventory. Good luck.
 
Crashman said:
Lapua makes 260 rem brass. I have 200 pcs and it was a great investment. I understand the financial restrictions, I have a mortgage, two kids, wife works but I am self employed so I get it. But if you save a little longer and get the Lapua brass, it will last you a LONG time, I am on the 4th reloads now and will likely anneal after this round. Sounds like you will have a great rifle there so do yourself a favour and get some great brass to shoot in it.

Contact Peter Dobson at Hirsch Precision, he selss the Lapua brass and always seems to have good inventory. Good luck.
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You will need to outside neck turn no matter so just depends on when you want to start.

I would outside neck turn the 308 brass you have now to 10 thou. Run into a 7mm neck die (bushings will work) till you get to the final 260Rem length. If the thickness is now over 13thou, outside neck turn again to 10thou. If around 11 or 12 thou, you can either turn or not.

Size to 6.5 mm but leave this a bit long so it is a snug fit in your chamber. Fireform using COW method. Size the neck.

Outside neck turn to final thickness desired. 11 thou seems to work great for me. I would turn when it gets to 12thou. I am not a fan of thick necks.

I use the Lee collet neck die for neck sizing as it moves any donuts to the outside where it is easily removed.

All my 6.5 F Open rigs have run on 308 Winchester brass. Works fantastically and I can control all my critical dimensions.

See no reason why IVI can't work as it is very well made and strong. Just remember to remove the crimp in primer pocket.

Jerry
 
marcoman said:
Buck up and buy 200pcs. Of Lapua .260 brass. Why neck up or down? A persons time is worth something as well no?
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If I could only convince my boss...

I'm cracking...guess I can play with my IVI next winter, that or pawn it to the M-14 crowd. I'll be playing with them this weekend...a plan is begining to take shape.

So I'm not commited (though I should be) but a few hundred may be part of my future.

So premium brass requires someting other than my cockeyed lyman trimer. The Wilson in my Sinclair cat. looks good for the coin. Jerry recomended the Forester for my drill press but I haven't got that set up at the moment and soft metals and power tools give me the creeps. There's lots to choose from but I prefer to do it by hand, less chance to trash my $1 a pop brass.

Also annealing has anyone done the drill tempilaqu torch thing? Looks simple and effective.
 
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I had (had) 1800 pcs of .308 Lapua brass. After shooting out 3 barrels, now on my 4th barrel, I am down to about 1750 pcs of brass. I FL resize every time with a Redding S Type bushing die and set it up to bump the shoulder back .002" I have never annealed a piece of brass in my life. Out of the cases that I have tossed out, 4 had split necks and the rest had primer pockets that were getting a little loose.

Get a reamer or have your gunsmith use a reamer for no neck turned brass.
 
Don't be afraid of that IVI bvrass, weight sort it before you remove the crimp. I resized a bunch of 308 to 243 in one shot with my rcbs dies. I didn't neck turn it either. I probably should have.
It shoots lights out, with my stock savage barrel. When my 243AI barrel gets finished. I'm gonna fire form this brass.
 
Being the cheap sob I am I have made brass for 22-250, 22 Cheetah, 243, 260, 260AI, from 308. This was back in the day when a 45 gal barrel of 308 cost $40. Some of this was obviously a lot of work, but factory brass was only avail. in loaded ammo then, here in SK. It's nice to sit in the basement forming brass in Jan. blizzard.

I still use the necked down 308 in my 260AI. Works just fine. However brass is the cheapest part of a loaded round, over time. There are those who would have you believe that if you don't use lapua brass you won't hit the paper twice in a row. I hit the paper once in a while and don't own any lapua brass. I do however have 10,000 plus of their 6.5 bullets.

I would think that proper prep. is as important as brand. You can sort by filling cases with ball powder and weighing each charge. That's how I do the 260AI using Federal brass. To each their own I guess. Mark
 
I too am a cheap SOB, and have had success buying .243 brass , Winchester brand and just running the .260 case expander through it during the FL sizing process. Nice and easy.

One of these days I will break down and buy some Lapua brass but right now I want the experience to say, "Been there, done that."

I'm enjoying shooting the .260 on the cheap at the Precision Rifle matches with the ORA. Great fun ! :wave:

Cheers,

Barney
 
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