The Firearms Forum banner

reloading 308 military brass

5K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  mikld 
#1 ·
what tools are needed to ready primer pockets for reloading? what are your thoughts on using military brass for reloading?
 
#4 ·
I have used many military brass over the years with good results. All of mine get resized with a small base sizer die. Military 308s have most likely been fired in a machine gun that has a very generous chamber, and the small base die reduces their "swollen" dimensions. For the primer pockets, I use a Dillon primer pocket swage to remove the "crimp".
 
#6 ·
Twicepop:

I had trouble using the Dillon tool and the trouble was spelled out in the instructions. Here is what the trouble was.

I bought 1000 LC 308 cases from various head stamp years and lots. When I set up the machine with one case it would not work on some others. The problem is the thickness of the head of the case. It varies from year to year, lot to lot such that there is no one setup of the tool that will work on all LC brass. The problem is delineated in the instructions. I finally resorted to cutting the crimp of the primer cup off rather than swaging the primer pockets. I was disappointed as the tool has no other real purpose for me other than salvaging military brass and it seems it won't do that.

Did you run into anything like that with you military brass and the Dillion tool? Is it only the 308 LC brass that has this "feature"?

LDBennett
 
#12 ·
I've had extremely positive results with my Dillon. Most all of the military 308s that I've processed were Lake City with heads stamps running from the early 60s through the late 90s. The minor differences in the web thickness hasn't been near as big of a issue as has the burr on the inside of the flash hole. My first step was to run the cases through a cleaning/tumbling to better be able to inspect them. Then run the cases through an RCBS small base sizer die, and put through a Wilson case gauge to verify that they will be OK to use. I then separated them by head stamp years, checked and de-burred the flash hole as needed, then run through the Dillon swage. A few of them didn't "feel" like the majority, these get tossed aside and handled/processed individually. These are also re-gauged and put with the others of their respective head stamps. Then on to trimming, chamfering and then bagged. I've processed 5000+ 308s, and about twice that many 223s through this Dillon swage and have only has to toss about 3 cases that I've screwed up on.
 
#8 ·
It is not that swaging doesn't work on primer pockets but that the Dillon swaging tool apparently does not accommodate the variable head thickness of some military cases. It is caused by the fact that the anvil that the punch pushes against is positioned deep down inside of the case head. If the head thickness varies case to case then one adjustment of the Dillon tool will not do all different lots of case. To add to the confusion I found that same head stamp dates were not from the same lot and there was no way to figure out how to sub-divide the 1000 case into lots/headstamo/head thickness.

LDBennett
 
#9 ·
I don't know how the Dillon swager is made or how it works, but the RCBS is insensitive to head thickness. The die has an anvil that protrudes out of the die bottom. The case is placed over the anvil and the ram is raised until the swagging punch contracts the primer pocket. That pinches the head between the anvil and the punch. Then you just force the punch into the pocket and it does not take very much pressure. Getting the punch out of the pocket is what takes some force and don't ever forget to put the stripper cup over the ram or you will have a heck of a time getting the punch out of the pocket.
 
#10 ·
Military brass is all that I run in my M1A. But I'm not using range brass, it starts out as new XM80 that I fire in the M1A then remove the primer crimp with the RCBS press mounted swag tool. I resize with a standard Hornady 308 die and don't have any feeding problems, but I'm also not trying to force blown out machine gun brass back into spec.

My resizing die has two marks on it, one for commercial brass loaded for my bolt gun and another with the die screwed in slightly more for the springy LC brass. I also run the LC brass into the die twice as that seems to help get a more consistent sizing. After the first stroke I back the brass out till just before the neck expander reaches the neck, spin the brass about 180 degrees, then run the brass back in again then all the way out. Headspace is measured with the Hornady/Stoney Point gauge then I move on to the next.
 
#11 ·
The copper mod just fits over the ram and inside the anvil and the punch installs like a shell holder. The cut piece of copper tubing was needed to fit over the primer bowel walls on the Lee Breech Cast Press or else the anvil would not work properly for the extraction of the ram from the shell after completion of the swage. I got this idea off you tube.
 

Attachments

#18 ·
the Lyman prep center looks like a very functional tool. could I get by with a swaging tool till I decide if I want to use military brass. Thanks for all the repleys.
As said earlier, the flash hole doesn't have to be deburred, it's a choice of the loader. I happen to do it to all of my rifle brass, it just gives me one more chance to inspect the brass.
Before I purchased the crimp remover, I used a countersink that I purchased at Lowes or Home Depot and chucked it in a drill. A chamfer and deburring tool will work as will the proper size drill bit. It's amazing what we can find to improvise with.
I'm a bit frugal in some of the things that I buy and just don't see the need for a swagging tool. You're not removing that much brass.
 
#19 ·
Having been a life long machinist/mechanic, my first thought when I encountered military primer crimps was to grab a 60 degree counter sink. I have a .223 that has fired many, many military cases "de-crimped" with a plain old, inexpensive counter sink. This method is simple, inexpensive, quick, and has worked for me for nearly 25 years (9mm, 45 ACP, 5.56, 30-06 brass).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top