IVI Brass
- Thread starter Baal
- Start date
- Location
- Vancouver Island BC
IVI is great brass,I tend to load it down a grain or so. Neck sizing the brass extends the life of it as it tends to be thicker also.
As far as I know the IVI brass is OK. It was the rest of the cartridge that left much to be desired.
If that brass was fired in Lee Enfield rifles, it could be not too good for reloading. At least some chambers allow the shoulder to be pushed at least
1/8 inch forward. Therefore, be sure you only push it back enough to go into your rifle chamber.
Some old 303 chambers are oversize, allowing stretch marks in the cases, as they expand.
Give the brass a good examination. Remember, the rifles were designed to fire only a factory loaded round and the chambers were made large enough that there would be no hangups in chambering the cartridge, whether the chamber was cold or extremely hot. What happened to the fired case did not matter.
If that brass was fired in Lee Enfield rifles, it could be not too good for reloading. At least some chambers allow the shoulder to be pushed at least
1/8 inch forward. Therefore, be sure you only push it back enough to go into your rifle chamber.
Some old 303 chambers are oversize, allowing stretch marks in the cases, as they expand.
Give the brass a good examination. Remember, the rifles were designed to fire only a factory loaded round and the chambers were made large enough that there would be no hangups in chambering the cartridge, whether the chamber was cold or extremely hot. What happened to the fired case did not matter.
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That brass will work just fine after a full length resizing. I would also anneal the necks before the resizing. I believe the primer pockets may be of the "crimped" variety and if so you will have to get the tool to remove the crimp. Sounds like a lot of work but it is worth it and the brass, if fired in only one rifle and neck sized, will last forever. Great to have a friend like that.
Actually, better than FL resizing is to partially resize the brass.
Size a case with the die backed out a full turn and a half from touching the shell holder, and see if it will chamber in your rifle.
Screw the FL sizing die in a bit at a time, say 1/8 of a turn, trying the case in the rifle each time, until the sized case will just barely allow the bolt to close. You will feel some resistance as the bolt handle goes the last all the way down, as opposed to closing on an empty chamber.
Set the lock ring on your die, and size as many cases as you want for that rifle. They will have perfect headspacing.
Use the same setting for subsequent loading and the brass will last much longer than FL sizing them every time.
Ted
Size a case with the die backed out a full turn and a half from touching the shell holder, and see if it will chamber in your rifle.
Screw the FL sizing die in a bit at a time, say 1/8 of a turn, trying the case in the rifle each time, until the sized case will just barely allow the bolt to close. You will feel some resistance as the bolt handle goes the last all the way down, as opposed to closing on an empty chamber.
Set the lock ring on your die, and size as many cases as you want for that rifle. They will have perfect headspacing.
Use the same setting for subsequent loading and the brass will last much longer than FL sizing them every time.
Ted
i've got a crapload of IVI 7.62x51 brass and i'm using a .308 lee die set.can i reload this stuff with a full length resizer?the reason i ask is i've already tried and pulled out my primer decapper and actually broke my pine workbench!it seems the brass is VERY thick at the bottom and requres excessive pressure to resize...
i hope this is not too much of a stupid newbie ?
there' no such thing as stupid ?'s,only stupid people...
i hope this is not too much of a stupid newbie ?
there' no such thing as stupid ?'s,only stupid people...
- Location
- WMU247 near Edmonton
nice
I got a bunch several years ago, all dirty once fored 303 IVI in a sandbag.
I resized it and reload and shoot it in various enfields. I've reloaded some of it 4 times now and resized every time because I never know which one of my enfields I'm going to shoot it from.
If you only have 1 or 2 enfields its beter to sort your brass and only neck size for that rifle.
its good brass.
oh wait its crap... send it all to me
I got a bunch several years ago, all dirty once fored 303 IVI in a sandbag.
I resized it and reload and shoot it in various enfields. I've reloaded some of it 4 times now and resized every time because I never know which one of my enfields I'm going to shoot it from.
If you only have 1 or 2 enfields its beter to sort your brass and only neck size for that rifle.
its good brass.
oh wait its crap... send it all to me
That brass works great for me. I full length resized to start.Then I decided to try it in my chamber for size.All but one rifle like it. I just neck sized all the other brass and away I went.Never had a issue (do to the generous military chamber) with case separation even after 7 reloads. The one rifle that didn't like the brass initially just neck sized, was my No5 mk1.Full length resized the first shot and then neck sized from there.I just have to remember to keep the brass separate so I don't have to full length and rework the brass too often.
i've got a crapload of IVI 7.62x51 brass and i'm using a .308 lee die set.can i reload this stuff with a full length resizer?the reason i ask is i've already tried and pulled out my primer decapper and actually broke my pine workbench!it seems the brass is VERY thick at the bottom and requres excessive pressure to resize...
i hope this is not too much of a stupid newbie ?
there' no such thing as stupid ?'s,only stupid people...
You're having trouble depriming because of the crimped primers. You can get a Lee manual depriming tool that is a punch and base, you just tap the primer out with a mallet. Then clean out the remains of the crimp with a neck chamfer tool. Then resize as normal.
Regarding full length resizing, make sure you use enough case lube (but not so much that you make dimples in the case).
Also, be aware that you will use about 10% less powder in these cases compared to commercial brass due to the extra thickness of brass used in the case.
IIRC, post 1992 made IVI 303 ammo made for DND appears to be basically commercial ammo. It looks like military ammo when you see it all boxed up (typical plain brown cardboard boxes with the usual military markings) but the cartridges have no primer crimps and have commercial PSP bullets. IVI produces these lots strictly for the Canadian Rangers. The reg force and reserves haven't had anything chambered in this caliber since the early 60's. The Army Cadets lost their .303 LB No.4's by the end of the 1990's and also have no reason to demand this ammo any longer. I guess it was just not worth any longer to have a special assembly line for 303 ammo any longer and IVI just produces the same 303 ammo for the commercial market and the Rangers.
It's good quality brass, at least as good as any American made commercial brass. I have reloaded this brass succesfully many times (neck sized in a Lee collets die).
Get the Hornady Headspace tool and just knock the shoulder back about 0.002" from that of a fired case. That's the accurate way of doing it.
And what is described above still is full length sizing. If you're moving the shoulder back, even a bit, its still full length sizing. Its just the proper way of doing it.
Now, if you're going to use military brass, I would strongly recommend that you invest in a bushing die. Redding makes a full length bushing die. You'll save a lot of headaches and broken expander buttons. Plus, you won't be working the necks as much. So they won't crack on you as quickly. Its hell on the brass and on standard dies resizing military stuff because standard dies are designed for brass with much thinner neck material.
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thanks 762 shooter.
i tried another ivi 762x51 case and succeeded in getting the case stuck in the die and breaking the decapper/neck sizer when i punched it out.i'm off to higginson's this weekend to get a replacement and also a manual decapper.
i'll pick their brains for solutions as i also have some "musgrave/austrian" brass that's hard to resize.of course the federal,r/p and win brass is easy to do.i used enough lube-at first i used lee in a tube and then i tried synthetic oil (i tumble to remove the residue after...
i tried another ivi 762x51 case and succeeded in getting the case stuck in the die and breaking the decapper/neck sizer when i punched it out.i'm off to higginson's this weekend to get a replacement and also a manual decapper.
i'll pick their brains for solutions as i also have some "musgrave/austrian" brass that's hard to resize.of course the federal,r/p and win brass is easy to do.i used enough lube-at first i used lee in a tube and then i tried synthetic oil (i tumble to remove the residue after...
