5.0 CJ... and others.

[slowyellow]

So I got quite a bit of .308 brass from a buddy who inherited it from his father in law. I got about 150 cases with a LC Match head stamp with various years, and about 350 cases with a RA head stamp with various years on it. I just started cleaning some up and noticed that quite a few of them have small nicks or dents in them. Just curious if it's ok to use them? I am just starting to reload rifle stuff so I'm new to it. I've been reloading pistol for a while, so I've got that down. But rifle seems like a totally different animal.

Also, would I be better off reloading with a single stage? I have a XL650 right now, but the caliber conversion and everything would be more than a single stage press and I'm really going for accuracy with these loads. Thanks for any input.

Geoff

Pic of some of the cases:

[CJ]

That's because they were likely fired from a machinegun. What kind of stamp do they have on the head? There's nothing wrong with these. Small dings like this will most likely disappear when you run them through your resizing die. Not until you get big dents are they useless.

Just remember these are 7.62x51 Cases - not .308 cases. They have thicker walls and heads, so they have less volume. The general rule is to use a 10% reduction in charge if loading from a .308 commercial manual.

Also it's important to mention these probably have crimped primers which will need to be knocked out and then deburred. It appears they have already been knocked out, so just make sure the previous person chamfered the pocket.

[Sleeper]

As long as there are no dents in the neck and no visible cracks they should work right out if you use a full length sizing die.

Watch the headspacing. I had some of brass harden on me. Had to size it twice for it to headspace correctly. I shot them but still tossed them.

[slowyellow]

What kind of stamp do they have on the head?

The stamp on 150 of them is LC MATCH with various years, such as 72, 74, ... etc.

And what about the single stage question. Thanks for the response BTW.

[dee]

As long as the dents don't penetrate the case they will be fine and if not fixed during sizing they will be pushed out upon firing, same concept happens when firing a parent case in an AI chamber.

[slowyellow]

Also, how can I tell if the primer pockets have been chamfered?

[CJ]

Also, how can I tell if the primer pockets have been chamfered?

Well it sounds like these are designated marksman rounds, so they may be from an M14 EBR and not linked. The primer pockets should not have a sharp edge to them.

[slowyellow]

Well it sounds like these are designated marksman rounds, so they may be from an M14 EBR and not linked. The primer pockets should not have a sharp edge to them.

Ok, thanks.

Yeah, the edges are nice and smooth. Also, there is only two date stamps on the head stamps. 74 and 63... old brass huh?

[CJ]

Ok, thanks.

Yeah, the edges are nice and smooth. Also, there is only two date stamps on the head stamps. 74 and 63... old brass huh?

All of the brass is old. The US military was running on cold war stockpiles all the way up until halfway through the Iraq war. Especially 7.62x51 - I'm not even sure if they have started production on it again, maybe someone else could answer that.

[slowyellow]

They did, I have some that I shot today that is marked LC 03, 04, 08, etc. actually those are the only three that I saw, but it does look like they started producing it again. Did you see my question about the press?

[CJ]

They did, I have some that I shot today that is marked LC 03, 04, 08, etc. actually those are the only three that I saw, but it does look like they started producing it again. Did you see my question about the press?

If this is for a bolt gun with a good barrel, single stage it. For a semi auto hunter - I'd use your Dillon.

On another note, LC brass usually can benefit from annealing. Get yourself a simple temp crayon and get to it after you fire them.

[slowyellow]

Yeah, it's for a good bolt gun. So I guess I'm single stagin' it, lol. Gonna have to search temp crayon, lol.

[CJ]

Yeah, it's for a good bolt gun. So I guess I'm single stagin' it, lol. Gonna have to search temp crayon, lol.

Annealing temp is 602-606*F and the temp crayon you want is usually 599-600 degrees. Place the case in a drill chuck, spin it, and heat the neck for a moment. They use your crayon as you turn the case and with the slight heat it will mark - do it just below the neck. Then heat it up with your torch as it spins, wait until it starts to sizzle and change color - your reaction time will give it the extra 3-7 degrees to get the proper annealing temp. Then drop it in a water bath.

http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

[bottlerocket]

The general rule is to use a 10% reduction in charge if loading from a .308 commercial manual.

Is that simply due to the fact that it can't hold as much powder?

[CJ]

Is that simply due to the fact that it can't hold as much powder?

Less case volume = less powder. Same powder charge = higher pressure in lower volume NATO case.