300 Blackout - Brass Forming

Brobee

Brobee

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Hi there!

For anyone who's interested, here's a short video of how I got started this weekend making a bunch of 300 AAC Blackout brass from .223 winchester cases. I managed to do about 600 in an afternoon, but after sitting at the lathe for 3 hours or so I sure was lusting for the proper dies to use with my dillon 1200 case trimmer!

[youtube]u1OKd1vn_dQ[/youtube]

This is also the first video I've shot with a new camera setup, and I was pretty pleased with how it turned out...:) Hopefully I'll be able to take more video as I convert one of my Robinson Armament XCR-Ls to 300 BLK and get her all wrung out over the summer to take deer hunting this fall.

Apparently there are issues with getting the full length 300blk guns to cycle subsonic stuff (folks report that this only works well with the shorter 8 and 10 inch barreled guns), but as I am all about the non-restricted goodness of the full length system I don't really care about the subsonic angle.

Regardless, I'm keen to get the barrel (or make one if I have to!) and will make a video or two of the conversion and wring-out!

Thanks for watching!

Cheers,

Brobee
 
Nice video Brobee.

I have been playing around with doing the same thing with my Dillon 650 and 1200 trimmer.

I have tried various methods, but am currently using this technique.

I have the toolhead setup as follows:

ToolHead.jpg


I have a Dillon Carbie .223 die in station #1. This decappes the case, and I have it setup to partial body size the case. I dont FL size, I leave that till later. Since its carbide it runs a little smoother this way. I still have to lube the cases.

In station #3 Is the 1200 trimmer. I have a modified 308 die which acts like a neck sizing die on the shoulder of the case. I have to briefly hold the base of the case with a pair of needle nose pliers to keep it from spinning untill the shoulder reaches the sizing die. While the shoulder is being sized it dosn't spin anymore. Its just when the neck of the .223 case hits the cutter, nothing will keep it from spinning unless I hold it temporarily.

PinchCase.jpg


I have the trimmer set up to trim to 1.355", and the shoulder is not completely formed. Full length sizing is done on station 5 where the shoulder is finish formed and the case grows a couple thoushands to about 1.360"

Cases-1.jpg


The finished case is on the right.

Here is a little vid. I cannot get it to rotate properly. :^(



I can do about 500 cases per hour, but I still have to polish and deburr the necks

After 2 hours in stainless steel they look like this.

FinishCases.jpg


GC
 
Man I love this site! I love seeing all the ways other folks go about a job and you guys have some great approaches!

GasCan - I have a Dillon 1200 trimmer and the .308 die body to go with the trimmer...I'm guessing that abut the only modification you had to make was trimming a bit off the bottom of the die? I have a buddy with access to a bigger lathe, so this would not be too daunting.

Thanks for sharing your methods folks!

Cheers,

Brobee
 
Brobee said:
Man I love this site! I love seeing all the ways other folks go about a job and you guys have some great approaches!
Click to expand...

X2. The problem I have is you guys cost me more and more with all these cool things.

I have seen 300 Whisper before but 300 Blackout was new to me. Is there much difference over one of the other?
 
Brobee, I love that you used voice over, instead of just talking as you went along. It really made for a clean professional sound. I really enjoyed your video. Nice lathe, makes me want to put mine back together!
 
The issue with subsonics cycling is not with the barrel length but with the gas system length. Use whatever barrel length you like but it typically requires a pistol length gas system to get the subsonics to cycle properly.

The answer to the question about 300 BLK vs 300 Whisper is that they are ostensibly the same round. The BLK variant is the SAAMI spec while the Whisper version is a wildcat. Otherwise they are virtually identical.

Gas Can, how much would you charge to form 500 cases for me if I supply the 223 cases? Currently I do it by hand on a lathe and that kinda sucks.
 
Brobee said:
GasCan - I have a Dillon 1200 trimmer and the .308 die body to go with the trimmer...I'm guessing that abut the only modification you had to make was trimming a bit off the bottom of the die? I have a buddy with access to a bigger lathe, so this would not be too daunting.

Cheers,

Brobee
Click to expand...

Actually I think it was a .30-06 trim die I got in the sale bin at TSE.

I had to shorten the body, and back bore it from the top because the neck on a 30-06 is so long. You might not have to do this with a 308 trim die.

You might want to see if this guy will ship to Canada.

http://w w w.bradswarehouse.com/index.php?p=1_11_Trim-dies

I also had to bore the tool head so there is room for the chips to get vacuumed away.

ToolheadBkbore.jpg


Lastly you need a stubby toolhead pin to make room for the vacuum adaptor. I tried to just run with out it but little chips of brass find there way into the hole.

Oh, and the lock nut for the trim die is on the bottom.

GC
 
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Brobee, I just watched your vid. All I can say is you have way more patience than I do to sit down and trim 600 cases in an afternoon. :O

If I could make a suggestion. Try a 35 degree insert like this. If you use an insert designed for aluminum, it cuts the brass much quicker and easier as it is very sharp.

31DrWVpeOmL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 
Suputin said:
If I could make a suggestion. Try a 35 degree insert like this. If you use an insert designed for aluminum, it cuts the brass much quicker and easier as it is very sharp.
Click to expand...

My current toolpost only holds the little tools that come on 1/4 bars...:( One of my future projects will be to make a toolpost that takes replacable inserts, but I have not gotten around to that quite yet.

I think I'd be better off trying to make a die for my Dillon Power Trimmer...I'll wait on that though to see if any happiness comes back in the XCR barrel world.

Cheers, and thanks for the suggestion!

Brobee
 
The smallest toolholder for replacable screw on inserts I've been able to find is 0.3125...my tool post accepts max 0.250.
 
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