Newbie 308 questions

P

pspc271

New member
So I've been reloading pistol for several years now and want to venture into reloading rifle ammo. I will primarily be reloading 308 for my Savage. Some of the brass that I have was new ammo fired though the savage but I also have a good amount of once fired Federal GMM that I got from a buddy who fired it though his 700P. So here are a couple of questions.

1. Do I need to full length size the brass I get from my buddy or can I just case neck size it?

2. I already have a case trimmer and all the standard case prep hand tools, is there anything else that I might need other than a die set and shell plate for the caliber? (I'm considering buying a single stage down the road just for precision ammo)

3. Any tips or hits for a new rifle loader?
 
1. What I normally do when I get new to me brass, is I'll bump the shoulder back .001" and try and chamber it. If it fits, great, I do the rest of them. If it doesn't, I'll keep bumping the shoulder back .001" until they do fit. I use a Redding body die to do this. Once they fit, I use a Lee collet neck die and size the neck.

2. Rifle will take trimmer, chamfer/deburr tool, primer pocket uniformer (optional), die set and shell plate.

3. Are you going just for like a hunting and plinking load to begin with for now? Reason I ask, is because I have other steps for my match ammo.
 
GMM uses IMR 4064.

My match loads I also generally anneal after every firing, turn the necks (even in a factory rifle, it's made a difference for me), uniform primer pockets, deburr and uniform flash hole. As well as sort by case capacity (sorting by weight doesn't make a bit of difference. Sorting by case capacity does make a difference.)

Benchrest primers made a difference in my rifle.
 
I reload for precision shooting. I full size, trim, uniform primer pockets and size my brass to .001 headspace. I use to neck size,found full sizing more accurate. Case prep is very important. Each case must be exact. With Federal brass the case is thicker then most,so reduce your load by 1.00gr.as listed. Be careful when sizing with zero headspace or neck sizing, hard chambering can cause gauling on your bolts locking lugs. Hope I helped in some way.
 
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Is a body die the same as a full length die?
Click to expand...

No , A body die only sizes the body and leaves the neck untouched . If you use a body die you will still need to size the neck .

As for duplicating the Fed GMM round . Good luck , many have tried but very few have done it . This I believe was do to the reloader using once fired brass . If you want to "duplicate" the results the Fed GMM gives ie shoots great in just about every rifle . You'll need Virgin brass , Fed match primers and IMR 4064 . Even then it will be hard . Now that's "duplicating" the round not producing a load that shoots as well in your rifle . There is a difference and working up a load that shoots as well as GMM in your rifle is much more doable then "duplicating" Fed GMM .

There was a guy here not to long ago that broke down some GMM then put them back together to the same specs . After doing so he was unable to duplicate the results the factory new would shoot . That right there should tell you how hard it is to duplicate there load/results . Even when using there exact components it's hard to do .
 
1) Yes. Brass fired out of another rifle requires FL resizing. As long as the die is set up correctly, it's not a big deal. You can neck size only for a bolt action with cases that were fired out of the rifle you're loading for. Semi's, levers and pumps all require FL sizing every time.
2) You'll need a .30 calibre pilot too. If you bought the trimmer as a set, you might have it already.
3) The .308 loves 165 grain hunting bullets. A 165 will kill any game in North America, you care to hunt. And 168 or 175 grain match bullets. The former out to 600, the latter past there. IMR4064 is your friend for either hunting or target shooting.
Forget trying to duplicate factory ammo of any flavour and work up the load for your rifle. Federal, for example, thinks 500 yards is long range for a .308 175 Sierra Matchking. It isn't.
Annealing after every firing is totally unnecessary.
 
Any brass fired through another rifle must be F/L sized. Don't oversize your brass, 308 chamber is 1.630 so resizing to 1.629 will chamber with .001 headspace.You might look into the RCBS precision mic,makes setting headspace and OAL to ogive a breeze, very good tool. For accuracy the 308 Sierra 168gr.HBBT bullet over IMR 4064 41.5 gr. is a good starting point. Also look into the Redding precision shell holder set of 5 . Sierra 168 gr. HPBT bullet is a target bullet only. A case gauge is also another handy tool.
 
308 Win

Steps

1.Lube outside of case and full length resize

2. Trim to length per reloading manual rec.

3. Debur and chafer

4. Prime case ........CCI BR2 Match primer

5. I suggest Varget powder and WW Brass

6. 44.1 with 180 Sierra Pro Hunter COAL as per Sierra Reloading manual

7. After first firing you can neck size only check you case length and trim as necessary.
 
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