Form 243 from 308 brass
- Thread starter hawkin user
- Start date
You can't do it in one pass. You will need other dies to diminish the neck diameter in stages and the last pass through a 243 full length resizing die.
Unless you need hundreds of pieces, buying factory or even once fired brass is cheaper and much easier.
I suspect, from your monicker that you're a black powder shooter and like to do as much on your own as possible. Been there done that, hardly worth the effort and IMHO, not doable without a press.
Unless you need hundreds of pieces, buying factory or even once fired brass is cheaper and much easier.
I suspect, from your monicker that you're a black powder shooter and like to do as much on your own as possible. Been there done that, hardly worth the effort and IMHO, not doable without a press.
I am going to agree with Bearhunter. 243 brass is easy to find so unless your just doing for a learning experience I wouldn’t do it. Too much work for a case than is available. I reform a lot of brass into different calibers and it can be a lot of work to get finished cases. I have over 50 die sets so can always find different dies that can slowly resize the case next down in steps and push shoulders back. If your going to do it you will need to anneal then start forming down with probably a 6.5 or 7 mil die otherwise your just going to crush the case. How much is your time worth compared to just buying the 243 cases ? Sell or trade your 308 for 243 cases.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Some years ago, I was given a shoe box mostly filled with previously fired IVI 73 7.62x51 (308 Win). I de-primed and swaged the primer pockets with an RCBS Primer Pocket Swager Tool. I ran 50 or 60 of those cases into a 243 Win RCBS Full Length sizing die - using a RCBS JR single leverage press - I had to put a snipe on that press handle, but did not break that press, although I believe that I did bend that handle. For many years, that was the only 243 Win brass we had - I never did thin those necks - the chamber in my wife's Remington 788 seemed to be fine with that, as they were - with 85 grain Speer bullets. If I was going to do that again, I probably would want one or more intermediary size dies to progressively reduce the necks - but I did not have that then. I do not think the case body changes - just the neck size.
I did not think I would do that again. However the last bag of 100 W-W 22-250 that I did - red/black label, not blue label - was so many folded necks, deformed necks, that I might consider to make my own, as needed, from good brass, rather than buying such crap again.
I did not think I would do that again. However the last bag of 100 W-W 22-250 that I did - red/black label, not blue label - was so many folded necks, deformed necks, that I might consider to make my own, as needed, from good brass, rather than buying such crap again.
Meh, I've done it in one pass with lots of lube and going slow, brass ends up very short OAL, that's the biggest issue IMHO.
It can be done, but buying 243 brass is much easier, check Higginson, sometimes they have 1f for like $10 or NOS for $20 (both per 50) very common case.
It can be done, but buying 243 brass is much easier, check Higginson, sometimes they have 1f for like $10 or NOS for $20 (both per 50) very common case.
I have a 2 gallon pail of commercial amd military 308 brass formed to 243 in the reloading room. Not sure how it was formed as it was part of a package that was given to me me from a estate. Switched from 243 to 6mm Rem a few years ago and this brass has just sat in the corner. Did load and shoot a few rounds of it when I had a 243 so I know it was formed properly. I tried to size some back to 308 and that was not worth the hassle.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Yes - as per Post #9 - is worth to check - SAAMI seems to call out about 0.001" thicker neck mouth walls for 308 Win than for 243 Win - but I do not know who's standards IVI was using when they made their 7.62x51 in 1973. Nor do I know what standards Remington was using in their 788 chambers in late 1970's - but I would expect that to have been SAAMI's at the time - and could have been some wear as well - I did not buy that rifle new. I do know that re-formed combination worked fine for many years with Speer 85 grain SPBT bullets. I guess nothing says it would work with different stuff - easy enough to try one or two to see if it fits or what it measures?
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Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Definitely. I’ve resized in one pass but then turned the necks to get rid of the extra brass.
I've done it in one pass with no problem at all. Had a pile of CF Norma .308 and thought what the hey. Beyond that, I can't think of a lot a reason to bother and heck, I don't even have a .243 anymore.
Potashminer;
Something I found that makes an insane difference on hard sizing and forming jobs is Imperial Bio-green lube. You can take the most miserable, tough brass, over sized case, sticky die, grinding noise, abortion of a sizing job that you wouldn't bet a dime on ever getting out of the die again and make it as effortless as gas going through a funnel.
Potashminer;
Something I found that makes an insane difference on hard sizing and forming jobs is Imperial Bio-green lube. You can take the most miserable, tough brass, over sized case, sticky die, grinding noise, abortion of a sizing job that you wouldn't bet a dime on ever getting out of the die again and make it as effortless as gas going through a funnel.
$5/0z before taxes and shipping????
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Hard to "keep up" - I just recently was given a tin of Imperial Sizing Die Wax to try - was told it was the best stuff to use - but I see on Redding-reloading.com website that might be a few decades old technology now, compared to the Imperial Bio-green lube. Not sure that I recall what I used back then - mostly for case re-sizing, I still use RCBS Case Lube-2 on a rolling pad - is likely hopelessly outdated method and product - but is what I do and what I have. I actually find the clean up of this water-soluble stuff to be easier than the former petroleum based stuff - was likely original RCBS Case Lube, but I no longer recall.
Is maybe my loss not to be too interested to try "new stuff" - is products from the past that I used and got satisfactory results - so I stocked up, back then. I suppose one day, it will be all used up, and then I will have to try something new. Until then, I will likely plod along doing stuff the way I always have, with the products that I have on hand. Marketers likely do not like grumpy old farts like me, that have a notion about what we want, why and what "good" looks like - do not need their stories for most of that.
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