Necking down

[renegadephoenix]

this is for those experianced reloaders out there.

i want to Neck down some .308 brass to .7mm-08. how easy is this accomplished? i found 110 rounds our once fired federal GM308 brass on the range a couple days ago and the owner/shooter didn't want the brass for reloading. i do have a .308 but don't reload for it. i do however reload for my dad and sons 7mm-08.

can i use my .7mm-08 resizing die or do i need a special sizing die?

and no i will not send it to you for disposal

thanks
Chris

[mauser]

this is for those experianced reloaders out there.

i want to Neck down some .308 brass to .7mm-08. how easy is this accomplished? i found 110 rounds our once fired federal GM308 brass on the range a couple days ago and the owner/shooter didn't want the brass for reloading. i do have a .308 but don't reload for it. i do however reload for my dad and sons 7mm-08.

can i use my .7mm-08 resizing die or do i need a special sizing die?

and no i will not send it to you for disposal

thanks
Chris

CAUTION!!!!
You will have ammunition that isn't properly identified!
OK, so YOU know the difference,..now.
Sometime in the future if you happen to pick up a round that has been altered but still has a headstamp that reads .308 but is really 7mm-08 and think it's what it ain't, you have a problem. If someone else is going to shoot or hunt with your .308 and picks up a box of ammo that looks like .308,...but ain't,... there's going to be a problem.
The bullet diameter is only different by .024". How quickly and easily would you or anyone else spot that difference? Aside from that, the case dimensions are the same.
If you have a way to positively and easily identify this ammo as what it really is, no questions and no confusion for you or anyone else, ever, then proceed.


No special die required, you'll be surprised at how easy it is. Make sure your cases are properly lubed, not over-lubed. Lube them just like you would lube them to size them if you weren't changing the caliber. Run them through your 7mm-08 sizing die, trim them to length, check the neck thickness, make sure they chamber easily in all guns you want to use them in, and load as you normally would if changing components, reduce your load and work up again.
You could do the same with .260 Rem. or .243 Win. brass.
Changing caliber does work the brass a little more, they may not give you as many reloads as you'd get from "real" 7mm-08 brass, but it was free brass. Annealing them before you start isn't a bad idea to help extend the life.

[renegadephoenix]

Thanks for the info Mauser, i have an M1A in .308 and only shoot surplus out of it. i have a mess of .308 and .243 brass but as for rifles to reload them for i don't own one (not counting the M1A). all reloaded 7mm-08 will be properly marked and i will even mark the head with a sharpy marker to denote them as .7mm-08 not .308

[mauser]

After you resize one it, please report back to us with your result.

I've mistakenly resized to a different caliber. The first time I did it I was surprised at how easily it sized. I had a handful of .260 Rem and there was a .243 mixed in with them. I noticed the headstamp when I was cleaning the primer pocket, it didn't feel any different when I sized it, I had no idea which one it might have been by the feel of it.

Now if you're doing something like pushing a shoulder back to make .222 out of .223, that's a different story........

[Pukindog]

I have done this for my 7mm08. One very important step is that you have to ream the inside of the necks to get the proper thickness. If the case necks are too thick on the inside excessive pressure may/will occur.

Jeff