And I thought converting 06 to 8mm was easy

hartcreek said:
Road Clam....you must really be doing something wrong or have a weak arm and or bad press because I found making 8mm Mauser out of 30-06 to be extremely easy once you figure out the steps. I use a green press that has plenty of leverage and I deprime first. Then I install my 8mm Mauser full sizer die all the way down to my shell holder and give another half turn but I do not use the decapping pin/ sizeing rod. I have found that fired 30-06 cases already have a wide enough neck. I dribble a small dollup of grease on the first case in two spots that I have learned usually hang up and partially size the 30-06 brass. It takes me from two to four partial strokes before I have the case resized. After you have sized a case or two you can tell that you are using enough grease if a grease string is barely being squeezed out of the die vents.

I use a Forester Case trimmer powered by an electric drill to cut the cases to length and then I champher the case mouth and champher the primer pocket on milsurps.
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Go easy on the novice '06 to 8mm resizer . I'm not doing anything "wrong" nor do I have a "weak arm" and I have a perfectly adequate RCBS Rock Chucker press. If you read my posts I simply commented it's a very time consuming, redundant process. If you feel the process is "extremely easy" i'll be glad to send you all my '06 cases and you can size them up for me ! ;)
 
It is. I was initially drawn into the '06/8mm conversion based upon the fact that once fired '06 brass is so cheap and plentiful (about $10 per 50 for FC) it initially seemed a cheap alternative to new 8mm brass which is about $45 per 50)
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Road-clam, I have found 30/06 cases for .01 cent each, 1,400 cases for $14.00, Then there has been reloading components out of Ohio and Jeff out of Kentucky. I have purchased new pull down cases for .07 cents each up to match for .10 cents each. For most of what I shoot there is hardly any way a case can cost me more than .10 cents each.

F. Guffey
 
Road Clam We are both using the same press so it has to be your technique. How many times of running the case into the die does it take you to form a case? I have learned to do the sizeing in incriments by just working the press handle up and down and gradually forming the case. I tried doing it in one press stroke and the brass got stuck and tore the rim off so I had to remove the dies from my press and tak them over to my vise and use a punch to drive the rimless case out of the die.
 
Well folks this is turning out to be a LOT more work than I anticipated.
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hartcreek, from the beginning he did not need an answer like "all you got to do is etc..". I use forming dies, I use a good lube, I trim with a hack saw for trimming. I also check cases to determine if the cases can be formed. Some are work hardened etc..

I tried doing it in one press stroke and the brass got stuck and tore the rim off so I had to remove the dies from my press and tak them over to my vise and use a punch to drive the rimless case out of the die.
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I would say you have problems with your methods and or techniques.

F. Guffey
 
hartcreek said:
How many times of running the case into the die does it take you to form a case?
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I ended up resizing 4 times.

1st step was a 2 part resize. I backed my die way up and did an initial size which only partially began to set back the neck. Then I ran the die down to almost spec depth and did another resize.

Next I did a rough trim with a tubing cutter of about +.080" (to accommodate the final shoulder bump)

I did a 3rd resize getting the shoulder to spec and remove the ingrown flare left from the tubing cutter disc

a final trim to Lyman's spec

a 4th and final resize ,

lastly turning the neck od. This while some of you will argue I did too many sizings was the easiest on my dies and minimal effort on my press.

PS : Imperial sizing wax is your best friend !!
 
lastly turning the neck od. This while some of you will argue I did too many sizings was the easiest on my dies and minimal effort on my press.
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There are times I form cases to tighten the neck. I have never found it necessary to turn or ream the necks of cases for the 8mm57, 7mm57 or the 7.62 NATO chamber. When forming with a sizing die I only hear about the success, no one ever talks about the failures.

Anyhow, if you decide to start forming cases from 30/06 cases I suggest you start with a 308 Winchester forming die just because it is short.

F. Guffey
 
Road Clam

Your problem is in how you are doing it and possibly ergonomics and deffinately a bit of weekness on your part.

First off your press needs to be set up at the right height so that your body has the best mechanical advantage that you can get.

Second screw the die all the way in so that it will full size.

Lube the case and put it in the shell holder and start working the ram. When it gets a bit difficult stop and back the case out then take another stab at it and more progressively work the case into the die in what ever incriment that you can physically handle.

I drive vehicles with no power steering including up to a 3/4 ton pickup and one of my tractors is tiller steered even plus I have worked with my hands all my life so it could well be this difference as to why I have no problem sizeing the cases whereas you do.
 
hartcreek, I decided to replace a flat tire on my P/U. the paper work form the tire shop claimed they torqued the lugs to 140 ft., lbs. the lug wrench furnished by GM is just long enough to pop hub caps and lower the spare tire.

For me, not a problem, I have a band saw with different lengths of pipe. I cut a piece of pipe down to 3 ft. then stuck the pipe onto the lug wrench. I did all of that to avoid showing off for the neighbors.

road-clam said he sized the cases in stages. He could have used a pipe on the handle of the press, seems to me he is working 'smart'.

F. Guffey
 
Time is money. Saving $.40 per case but spending 15 minutes on it is paying you about $1.60/hr. Be serious! Only form brass you can't buy.
 
Time is money. Saving $.40 per case but spending 15 minutes on it is paying you about $1.60/hr. Be serious! Only form brass you can't buy.
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And so it goes, there are those that do it and there are those that talk about it.

F. Guffey
 
-06 to .45ACP

AMP: Have done the same. Used -06/.308/.243, and 7X57 cases w/split necks/mouths cut to fit my Series 80 SS A-M barrel's chamber. As a lark (stupid thought as it were at the time), some cases were not reamed for .45 cal. bullets; Instead, some .44/.430 hard cast 245gr.TCFP bullets made by [a long-out-of-business company from Montana], were wrapped with Teflon tape and some with regular Scotch Tape and loaded into the cases and taper-crimped.

You'd be surprised what 6.5gr. Unique under those bullets would do to 2 1/2" concrete poured on the ground from what was left after pouring the railings for a bridge on one of the backroads here in SW Ga.

These bullets are so hard, there's hardly any deformation (or rifling grooves )
on the ones recovered 4-5" into he ground after passing through the concrete, due to the smaller caliber bullet. A Sheriff deputy friend tried [ONE] only in his Lightweight Commander, and, [after which], commented that he wasn't going to damage his gun with another.

Never chronographed the .45 load, but the same bullet loaded to 1605 FPS(true) in my 7-1/2" SBH did put a sizeable dent in the front, and resulting bump on the back side of a railroad track web at 10 feet. [Before anyone starts with the "Stupid You" stuff], it was 25 yrs. long passed and precautions were taken to ensure no rebound repercussions from the bullet would be incurred. (Rubber strips 4' wide were wrapped around the barrel and tightly wedged into one end of a 2" heavy-wall black gas pipe) and the other end held tightly against the rail web, which at the time happened to be driven into the ground along with others, to be used for support columns to which RR cross-ties would be attached and the side of the road then backfilled for an embankment for people to drive up and unload trash into a big dumpster, the top of which was right at ground level).

Stupid? Perhaps... But fun as hell at the time. I will say....Curiosity was satisfied, and the stunt never repeated. The rail is still there...Bump and all.

As some might say. "Enlightenment sometimes is learned through irresponsible acts." I would prefer to use the term " Trial and Error". As I've said before; I have learned what not to do....AGAIN.

WILL.
 
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