beginner: .308 and 7.62 nato

Polar Man

Polar Man

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Hey guys, I am currently in a place where 20 shells of 7.62 nato is 20.00$, and winchester is 30+$. Reloading is most likely in my future, however is there anything I need to know about reloading the nato brass or .308 win brass? I have 2 rifles in .308, can I reload for both if I resize the whole brass?
Lastly, any good online tutorials until I get my hands on a decent manual?
Thanks guys,

LR
 
7.62 NATO brass is milsurp. Milsurp brass is slightly thicker than commercial brass, hence it has slightly less case capacity. You have to reduce the load by 10% to compensate. You'll likely also have to remove the primer crimp too. Either with a primer pocket swager or chamfering tool. It's a one time nuisance.
"...can I reload for both if I resize the whole brass?..." Yep. When using the same brass in two rifles you just full length resize every time and you're set.
I had a quick rummage around to see if there are any decent reloading tutorials on-line. There are a few very basic text pages, but nothing that great. This one's not too bad. Add the W's. .reloadammo.com/
Get a copy of The ABC's of Reloading. Amazon carries it.
 
On a recent outing I tried some of the South African 7.62 in my Savage 110FPL ( .308) and Norinco M305 (7.62).

It was fine in the M305, which is what I would expect, but I was quite surprised at how difficult it was to extract after firing in the Savage. The bolt handle needed a VERY firm pull to get the SA 7.62 out, and I stopped after trying two rounds.

I suggest you try it in the rifle(s) involved before deciding.

Snapshot
 
Snapshot said:
On a recent outing I tried some of the South African 7.62 in my Savage 110FPL ( .308) and Norinco M305 (7.62).

It was fine in the M305, which is what I would expect, but I was quite surprised at how difficult it was to extract after firing in the Savage. The bolt handle needed a VERY firm pull to get the SA 7.62 out,

Snapshot
Click to expand...

110FP is a long action, your .308 is a short action 10FP.

My .223 FP loves 5.56Nato but my .308 Rem LTR & 10FP didn't like 7.62Nato except the Norinco surplus which was suprisingly consistent.

IVI surplus brass seem to go well on the .308 10FP, however my bolt wouldn't close completely on my .308 LTR.
 
Airborn_69 said:
110FP is a long action, your .308 is a short action 10FP.

My .223 FP loves 5.56Nato but my .308 Rem LTR & 10FP didn't like 7.62Nato except the Norinco surplus which was suprisingly consistent.

IVI surplus brass seem to go well on the .308 10FP, however my bolt wouldn't close completely on my .308 LTR.
Click to expand...

You might need a Redding body sizing die to resize the case. I have run into this using Lapua Brass that was fired from one of my .308 and it is too tight in my other .308's. The nice part about the Redding Body die is that you can run a loaded round in it without worry.
 
Polar Man said:
Thanks guys. Anyone reccomend the hand press kits? It's 20 bucks in SIR and I saw a short video of it on youtube. It's got everything you need in a pretty small package, and I doubt I will be reloading large amounts, is it worth
trying?
Click to expand...

The hand press is great - I've got 3 and use them all the time.
However, they are pretty tough for full length re-sizing. Even neck sizing gets to my shoulders. I use a bench press for sizing, the hand presses for everything else.
You can always try and move up to a bench press later.
Segregate your brass between the two guns (assuming both are bolt actions) and just neck size.
 
Airborn_69 said:
110FP is a long action, your .308 is a short action 10FP.
Click to expand...

In fact it is a 110 as seen below, sorry for the poor quality photo (and for the hijack).

110FPL.jpg


Whatever it is called it doesn't like the SA 7.62 - not really an issue, just something to pass along.

Snapshot
 
maynard said:
You might need a Redding body sizing die to resize the case. I have run into this using Lapua Brass that was fired from one of my .308 and it is too tight in my other .308's. The nice part about the Redding Body die is that you can run a loaded round in it without worry.
Click to expand...

Actually Maynard, all those rounds were factory not realoads..a friend of mine fires his own load with Milsurp brass & the FP loves it...
 
I have a Rem 700 short action and I put some SA308 through it and have had the same problem with not being able to turn the bolt fully to extract the empty case! very strange I think!
 
Polar Man said:
Thanks guys. Anyone reccomend the hand press kits? It's 20 bucks in SIR and I saw a short video of it on youtube. It's got everything you need in a pretty small package, and I doubt I will be reloading large amounts, is it worth
trying?
Click to expand...

I use the Hand-Press Kit (which is over $60 BTW) with a Hornady scale (circa $50), though I got by using the plastic scoops provided by Lee on my first reloads, which more or less give you starting loads. Further to the cartridge components, the only other things that I'd add as necessary items are a good reloading manual (I use Lee's plus the Hogdon website for loads), the inexpensive LEE tools to trim your cases (that is, their Cutter and Lock Stud plus .308 Pilot and Shell Holder), a Lee Chamfer Tool and Primer Pocket Cleaner. All of these items plus a few hundred bullets, two or three powders, brass and several hundred to 1000 primers will probably put you back over $200, but should give you far more playing room than spending $20-$30 a box of ammo.

If really on a budget, you could buy the Lee Loader kit for a bit over $20, add a reloading manual (about another $20) and all of the smaller Lee tools listed above for about $20 more. Then add about $30 per pound of powder (approx 150 loads), average around $20 dollars per hundred bullets, brass at $20 per 50 new cases or about half that for once fired, and primers at $20 for a thousand, and you can send rounds downrange. You will be limited to the powders that correspond to the measuring scoop provided with the Lee Loader, and will only be shooting starting loads with limited ability to experiment. The Lee Loader is also slower than the Hand-Press, though I still use mine for neck sizing brass in lieu of buying additional collet dies for doing the same in the Hand Press.

At the prices involved, I would suggest that you get the more expensive Hand-Press, or if you have a place to mount one, the similarly priced Challenger Press Kit. The Lee Anniversary Kit is another good option that would save you from picking up many of these smaller items bit by bit, though some people prefer other brands of scales to the one that comes in the Lee kit.

Though you'll have to do most of the math yourself, I suspect that with only one calibre, that you can get alot of shooting done on about $300-$350 dollars initial outlay on equipment and components, not to mention working up some excellent loads for your rifles.

Good Luck,

Frank
 
Higginson's Powders has the best prices on LEE reloading gear. IF you're on a budget, get the LEE Classic Cast press & a good scale & powder measure. The hand presses & scoops system are more trouble than they're worth and you'll get so frustrated by the process that you'll swear off handloading, or you're reloads will vary so much that accuracy will be crap and, again, you'll swear off reloading.

Reloading is one of those hobbies where you get what you pay for. Buying "cheap" often ends up being far more expensive than if you'd saved an extra month and bought quality gear.

If you have some wiggle room on the price, I'd take a hard look at the RCBC Rock Chucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit or the Redding kit. RCBS has the best warranty in the business, bar none and their tools are absolutely top notch.
 
I just have a question,
that Norma brass for .308/7.62x51 used by JFT2, is that military brass made by Norma or just good .308?
 
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