308 Reloading Venture

[jake1191]

I'll toss my 2cents in here. From years of speaking with other shooters on much higher levels(Nationals) than me I have been told time and time again that neck sizing should have died long ago. The reasoning being for precision shooting you want one thing....Consistency. When you neck size only every time the brass is fired it changes and becomes more expanded and at different rates per peice vs when you full length resize with a small shoulder bump you get that consistency every time. Redding FL bushing dies and micrometer seating dies from my experience are where its at.

As for a case gauge I've been looking to toss my wilson .308 gauge I've been using for a while and getting one that is actually cut with a chamber reamer like a Sheridan. Yes the price is higher but knowing what I know now its worth it to me, especially for use with a gas gun.

On the scale front I have tried a few different options from the cheap $25ish Hornady 1500 to the $150 GemPro300 I use now. I have nothing but praise for the GemPro but the RCBS Chargemaster scale comes in a close second. I use the Chargemaster Combo unit for anything I want added accuracy in. Once setup properly you can get an exact drop every time.

Brass wise I reload all of it. Even the cheapest brass with a good reload is better than it came from the factory. I have found Lapua to be the most consistent and praised by those folks at higher levels of shooting than me.

Other than all that lovely stuff brass prep can make or break your loadings. Deburr those flash holes, clean those primer pockets, trimming, annealing(when needed) all goes a long way to get those groups that oh so tiny bit smaller

[lts1ow]

Just needs to shoot 1/2 MOA and I am happy.

If I have fired brass, and neck length is acceptable, can I just deprime, clean and reload em?

[jake1191]

You sure can. I probably go a little overboard on my prep but then I always know its good.

What I typically do with any rifle brass I haven't prepped myself is as follows. Deprime using universal decapping die, run through wet tumbler with SS pins, dry in food dehydrator, lube and full length resize, trim/chamfer/deburr, dry tumble for 30 minutes in corn cob. At that point its ready to be finished loading. Any brass I have prepped I make sure to keep separate from any I have not processed. Every 3rd firing I wet tumble again to get the primer pockets, retrim, and anneal. I have some .308 brass on its 6th firing with no signs of neck cracking

[lts1ow]

Ok thanks, at the moment my cleaning equipment and abilities are limited. Need to get a primer pocket chamfer tool

If I can get the loading to work out well, I will start investing in tumblers etc.

[bamboomaster]

You sure can. I probably go a little overboard on my prep but then I always know its good.

What I typically do with any rifle brass I haven't prepped myself is as follows. Deprime using universal decapping die, run through wet tumbler with SS pins, dry in food dehydrator, lube and full length resize, trim/chamfer/deburr, dry tumble for 30 minutes in corn cob. At that point its ready to be finished loading. Any brass I have prepped I make sure to keep separate from any I have not processed. Every 3rd firing I wet tumble again to get the primer pockets, retrim, and anneal. I have some .308 brass on its 6th firing with no signs of neck cracking

Yeah, maybe a little overboard, but coming from me that could be like the pot calling the kettle black...

But a food dehydrator? Seriously? While I know that genius is the mother of invention, consider using a separate set of trays for brass and an additional set for drying food. I know I could be called a bigot by some, but segregation of trays is almost certainly warranted.

[lts1ow]

So had a oh crap moment today.

I set OAL to 2.800 for the SMK 168s and just assumed its fine to do for the TMK 175s.

Granted I am sticking with a magazine, and OAL is limited, but how bad is basing OAL versus OGIVE?

[gghbi]

Yeah, maybe a little overboard, but coming from me that could be like the pot calling the kettle black...

But a food dehydrator? Seriously? While I know that genius is the mother of invention, consider using a separate set of trays for brass and an additional set for drying food. I know I could be called a bigot by some, but segregation of trays is almost certainly warranted.

What is there in the brass that would affect the food if you wash the trays between uses?

[lts1ow]

No idea how they will shoot, but, I am proud of how they look. 39/40/41 gr loads with 175gr TMKs set at 2.800 OAL

[bamboomaster]

No idea how they will shoot, but, I am proud of how they look. 39/40/41 gr loads with 175gr TMKs set at 2.800 OAL

Attaboy dad! Looks great - betcha can't buy those at Walmart. Circle back after their range trip and lettuce know how things worked.

I only see parts of an "HUN" under the cartridge case. Is this the "BIG KAHUNA?"

[lts1ow]

Check the previous page

But, says bowhunter