So, spring is in the air
I'm cleaning/organizing my reloading stuff
I am focusing on 30-30Win & 22Hornet this year
I also found a box of 85gr XTPs .312, and thought to myself "Hey Self, those would be good for shooting cat eating 'yotes and fox off the deck!"
but how do I make them fit the chamber of my 30-30?
I have some 1F brass I bought that won't chamber, and using the collet sizer doesn't help, so I break out the FL sizer and run them through. That works. They Chamber
So, I first expand with a Lyman 31 EXP, and try to just to seat the XTP. No Go. an offset bulge from them canting as they are seated
So, I try to size them to .311 in a Lee "Push Thru", use the Lyman 30 EXP (they fall into the case using the 31EXP, and seat them. No Go but close, as they are still a bit canted and have a small visible bulge offset.
So, as I'm sizing some brass full length, I wonder how I can get the bulge out of the neck as those short bullets seem to want to cant. I have Lyman 30 and 31 expanders, but they leave a flare that I can't figure out how it gets there, so I have to run them through the factory crimp die, but that alone didn't straighten the bulge, but really close.
then I spy the collet sizer.
What if I run the round through the collet sizer without the mandrel, so I can slowly work my way to a straight neck, and stop just when it will chamber.
Success!
So, I take a !F brass, full length size, run into a 30EXP, seat a .311 sized bullet, run it into the collet neck sizer and work my way to a straight neck, just so it'll chamber.
THEN, as I'm lazy, I think, "Why size those bullets at all??"
So, I try and take a 1F brass, full length size, run into a 31EXP, seat a .312XTP, then run it through the collet neck sizer til it chambers.
SUCCESS!
it would appear to work, leaving the nose of the bullet .312 and probably squeezing down the body to what ever is needed...
next, FL size, 31EXP, prime, powder, and seat a .312XTP, then run the case into the collet neck sizer adjusted so it just chamber, and see if it shoots good enough for 25yd foxes!
I am optimistic.
once i have some 2F that was fired in my gun, I may not need to jump through all these hoops. I may only need to use the collet sizer to bring the neck down to just enough to hold the bullet. I did have ONE fired case and the .312 drops right in, so my chamber is lose enough in that particular shooter gun.
My test barrel has a tighter chamber, and that's the one I've been using for my initial size test. it if fits it, it'll fit my other two shooter!!
has anyone else ever tried to use .312s other than cast in the looser chambered guns?
I'm cleaning/organizing my reloading stuff
I am focusing on 30-30Win & 22Hornet this year
I also found a box of 85gr XTPs .312, and thought to myself "Hey Self, those would be good for shooting cat eating 'yotes and fox off the deck!"
but how do I make them fit the chamber of my 30-30?
I have some 1F brass I bought that won't chamber, and using the collet sizer doesn't help, so I break out the FL sizer and run them through. That works. They Chamber
So, I first expand with a Lyman 31 EXP, and try to just to seat the XTP. No Go. an offset bulge from them canting as they are seated
So, I try to size them to .311 in a Lee "Push Thru", use the Lyman 30 EXP (they fall into the case using the 31EXP, and seat them. No Go but close, as they are still a bit canted and have a small visible bulge offset.
So, as I'm sizing some brass full length, I wonder how I can get the bulge out of the neck as those short bullets seem to want to cant. I have Lyman 30 and 31 expanders, but they leave a flare that I can't figure out how it gets there, so I have to run them through the factory crimp die, but that alone didn't straighten the bulge, but really close.
then I spy the collet sizer.
What if I run the round through the collet sizer without the mandrel, so I can slowly work my way to a straight neck, and stop just when it will chamber.
Success!
So, I take a !F brass, full length size, run into a 30EXP, seat a .311 sized bullet, run it into the collet neck sizer and work my way to a straight neck, just so it'll chamber.
THEN, as I'm lazy, I think, "Why size those bullets at all??"
So, I try and take a 1F brass, full length size, run into a 31EXP, seat a .312XTP, then run it through the collet neck sizer til it chambers.
SUCCESS!
it would appear to work, leaving the nose of the bullet .312 and probably squeezing down the body to what ever is needed...
next, FL size, 31EXP, prime, powder, and seat a .312XTP, then run the case into the collet neck sizer adjusted so it just chamber, and see if it shoots good enough for 25yd foxes!
I am optimistic.
once i have some 2F that was fired in my gun, I may not need to jump through all these hoops. I may only need to use the collet sizer to bring the neck down to just enough to hold the bullet. I did have ONE fired case and the .312 drops right in, so my chamber is lose enough in that particular shooter gun.
My test barrel has a tighter chamber, and that's the one I've been using for my initial size test. it if fits it, it'll fit my other two shooter!!
has anyone else ever tried to use .312s other than cast in the looser chambered guns?
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