First .308 loads with questions.

FEDGE2.0 said:
That website only gives me two options. Barnes and Sierra, both starting weights are different and neither are the bullets that I am using.
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Start with the load data for the Sierras. As far as safety issues are concerned, weight and construction of the bullet are the important factors. As long as you are using jacketed bullets (lead core with copper jacket), different brands of bullets of the same weight will be similar enough in size that the differences won't cause any problems. If you are going to load an all-copper bullet (ie. Barnes, Nosler E-Tip), I would suggest using data for those particular bullets because all-copper bullets are generally longer than lead core bullets of the same weight. The extra length may cause over-pressure issues due to reduced usable case capacity.

Start with the minimum load listed for the Sierras and work up slowly from there.
 
Yes, use Hogdon data for cup n core bullets. Start low and watch for signs of over-pressure as you go up. You are necksizing. Is that brass shot from your rifle?
 
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Ariu said:
Yes, use Higdon data for cup n core bullets. Start low and watch for signs of overpressure as you go up. You are necksizinng. Is that brass shot from your rifle?
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It was brass that I shot out of my last rifle which was a savage Axis ii XP. These are going to be shot out of a Remington 700. Both 308 obviously. Is that an issue at all?
 
FEDGE2.0 said:
It was brass that I shot out of my last rifle which was a savage Axis ii XP. These are going to be shot out of a Remington 700. Both 308 obviously. Is that an issue at all?
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It may be an issue. If the brass is neck sized only and the Savage has a larger chamber than the Remington then the reloads may not chamber. Some variance in chamber size is to be expected, even between rifles of the same make and model. The question is how much and in which direction.

It would be wise to see if the brass will chamber easily in the Remington before you reload it. If they won't chamber then you'll need to full-length resize the brass before reloading.
 
It can be an issue using neck sized brass that was fired in a different rifle. Easy enough to find out - before doing anything more, try to chamber your prepared brass into the rifle that you plan to fire it in - one case at a time, every case - no primer, powder or bullet. Just because the two are both chambered in 308 does not mean that the fired brass will be inter-changable - if they were full length sized, yes, but neck sized only and not touching the shoulders, they are now "fire formed" for your Axis, and may or may not fit into your Remington. And vice-versa - with neck sizing only, you would be quite lucky to have brass fired in your Remington to fit into your Axis. Not counting wear or lug setback, there is often .004" from GO Gauge to NOGO Gauge, (1.630", 1.634") and when new, both rifles could have been correctly anywhere between those dimensions. Absolute maximum SAAMI length for a 308 Win chamber is .010" longer (1.640") than a GO gauge. SAAMI cartridge and chamber drawings readily available on the Internet - those headspace dimensions are from the case head to a specified point along the case's (or chamber's) shoulder face - not to the case mouth, not to shoulder, not to base of neck.
 
I would strongly suggest a reloading manual, not only for the loads but they also have sections on brass prep, primer selection etc. etc. I am a newbie reloader and found the Hornady manual to be very useful. I'm sure any other brand of manual would be equally useful. I also find some good info on youtube for getting a feel for the overall process of reloading.
 
Potashminer said:
It can be an issue using neck sized brass that was fired in a different rifle. Easy enough to find out - before doing anything more, try to chamber your prepared brass into the rifle that you plan to fire it in - one case at a time, every case - no primer, powder or bullet. Just because the two are both chambered in 308 does not mean that the fired brass will be inter-changable - if they were full length sized, yes, but neck sized only and not touching the shoulders, they are now "fire formed" for your Axis, and may or may not fit into your Remington. And vice-versa - with neck sizing only, you would be quite lucky to have brass fired in your Remington to fit into your Axis. Not counting wear or lug setback, there is often .004" from GO Gauge to NOGO Gauge, (1.630", 1.634") and when new, both rifles could have been correctly anywhere between those dimensions. Absolute maximum SAAMI length for a 308 Win chamber is .010" longer (1.640") than a GO gauge. SAAMI cartridge and chamber drawings readily available on the Internet - those headspace dimensions are from the case head to a specified point along the case's (or chamber's) shoulder face - not to the case mouth, not to shoulder, not to base of neck.
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I have chambered a few, not all of them at this point but so far they have all chambered. It does feel a little snug when closing the bolt down completely but I don't have to use a lot of force or anything. Now you guys have got me worried that I should be fully resizing.
 
Despite what you might read elsewhere, the chamber in your rifle is the best gauge to "set" your re-sizing system. Doesn't matter what number you get on a different tool or measuring device, it is your brass's fit into your chamber that counts. Hunter's often want very slick effortless feeding; target shooters often desire a bit of "tight" as the bolt is closing. Both are likely "correct" for what they are doing, and both will likely be within SAAMI tolerances. In any event, after some number of "neck sizing" only loads, you will eventually need a way to bump back the case shoulder - even only using the brass in the same rifle - either with a body die or with a full length sizing die.

If you set up a full length sizing die, it will also squish in the walls of the case, a small amount. As those walls squish in, that will push the shoulder forward. So if you take a standard factory cartridge, fired in your rifle, the fired case will rechamber. Now set you full length die too high - say 1/8" or 3/16" above the shell holder - lube the case and size it - you will see that the neck has been sized mostly, but not all the way down the neck. Clean that brass and try in your chamber - it will likely chamber easy. Repeat many times - sneaking up an 1/8 turn on the die or less. At some point, your case will no longer allow your bolt to close - you are at the point where the case walls have been squished in a bit and the case shoulder pushed forward. Re-lubing case each time, start even smaller adjustments - 1/16 turn or less. And keep re-trying in the rifle. At some point the bolt will close - up to you how tight you want that to feel - hunter versus target shooter, I guess. Lock in the die at that point - you now have your shell holder, dies and press set up to exactly match the headspace in your rifle's chamber. In case I overlooked - make sure to clean off the case before inserting into chamber, and to re-lube the case before resizing. Overlook that last step once, and like most of us, you will not likely forget what is involved in getting a stuck case out of a die without wrecking the die. As well, probably best to completely remove the expander ball and rod - no need to be stretching out the case neck repeatedly, while trying to find headspace.
 
I just looked in my hornady tenth ed manual and they don’t even show the IMR 4064 powder to be used with the 168gr BTHP match
They show 4320 and 4895 powder
The 150-155 gr bullets they show the 4064 but not for the 165-168 grain bullets, weird
 
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