FBI Background checks. I am on HOLD!

[EMDDIESEL]

I just checked my Email, nothing there, try again, i can get Leupold and other scopes at almost cost. Let me know.

 

[Riflesmith]

Never, I repeat, never apply any type of crimp to a bullet without a crimping groove(cannelure). While this practice is not dangerous, it deforms the bullet and accuracy is guaranteed to suffer. I have shot and seen others shoot thousands of rounds of uncrimped handloaded match ammo at Camp Perry and elswhere with outstanding results. Talk to alot of shooters that are heavily into match shooting. You will talk to few that crimp.

 

[The patriot]

I'd stay away from the crimp too.

The least amount of variables (crimps, moly bullets etc. etc. ) the better. This way you only have YOU to blame for a bad shot.

BTW I'm only classified "sharpshooeter". If youre in the league of say... G David Tubb, by all means get experimental!!



I must say though, I've been using the RCBS X-Die. I'm a lazy SOB and if I can avoid trimming, I will!! This is a sizing operation, I dont think it has a bearing on accuracy. JMO.



Watch the CMP home page. Never know when some M 852 may become available. If you call them, they might tell you. People there are pretty nice, and cooperative in such matters. I think they'd tell you if they know.

J Conley, Cole bros has mags about the cheapest around. Very good cond too. I think theyre 10 for $320. 00?? Shipped.

I like Var-Get. Works real well in the 308.

If the All-Guard team has the same coach as they did 3 years ago, he wont even want you unless you can make ALL of the matches!! My little brother was on that team, and told me a lot of good shooters didnt make the cut because of this. Guy was a ball buster, and wanted the whole team at every event.



Eric



PS Commercially available IMR 4895 is a bit faster than the mil stuff. 42 Gr is pretty much max with it. Your results may vary.

 

[RAMalama]

The Lee FC die IS a neck tension crimp and NOT a roll. The 147gr ball rounds JC's using DOES have a canalure(sp?!) I believe he's just after a stronger tension crimp.



Your LC brass is claimed "once fired". Check it by running it through a full length resizing die and then try to trim it to length. They may claim RTL (ready to load) but size it anyway to see if EACH piece is indeed sized. True once fired LC brass shouldn't be long enough to trim even after resizing. As I'm sure you've read in the books, military brass uses thicker case walls than civilian. This does two things to the reloader. 1) it grows faster/sooner through multipule firings and resizings making trimming necessary after just two firings. 2) the thicker walls make for a smaller volume inside. This effects start pressures. Keep this in mind as you get to know the LC brass. Another thing that blew my mind. With the small volume inside the LC brass I was curious as to how many grains of IMR4895 was actually in it. If I remember right, SPEC WEAPONS and WARFARE lists it at 42. Well I dumped 44grs out. 44! THATs HOT! Look that up. 44 gr of 4895 behind a 168gr bullet in military brass!?! Yow!!! Again, why M852 shoots like it does is beyond me. LC is the master of consistancy...



Key point: 90% (and I mean it) of my time reloading rifle ammo is brass preparation. Priming, charging and corking a bullet on it is gravy. The ONLY way to get your brass consistant in length is to check each one. Yep, it's a pain but worth the payoff. All the more reason to admire M852. The thing is, when I'd cull the M852 brass by weight, that stuff is junk!!! So why the he11 does it shoot so damn good!!!!!



Problems are, the M14 beats up its ammo pretty good when magazine fed. Bear in mind, M852 uses the 168SMK and therefore, of course, no canalure. It's just neck tension a paint. Even though it's match, it's still MILSPEC. They are real adament about this stuff never finding it's way to a battle field.



And ok, here's a real biggie with semi-autos. This settled my hand loads down big time. I'll try to make sense out of it:



*Ahem*



Resizing for semi-autos is always recomended to be full length. Not a base die, just good 'ol full length. The hard core Bench Rest guys always fire the same brass through the same gun so semi-auto or not, they just neck size only. But semi-auto's need that full length sizing to cycle the handloads reliably. Well, after firing, the brass fire-forms to the chamber but the growth is negligable, the full length resizing is what really makes the brass flow. But after trimming, deburring and all, it allows you to share your loads to a different rifle. WELL, -I met them half way. I made a "case comparator" out of the Stonypoint tool and began measuring my fire-formed brass. This tool measures case length not from the base to mouth but from base to "MID-TAPER". This gave me the dimension of my chamber as measured fm bolt face to half way down the taper.



Now a properly adjusted full length resizing die moves the catridges taper back approx . 003. -back to unfired demensions. This is why you could share it with any . 308. But this means your brass fire-forms out then is resized back and when resized it's almost like forcing clay out a Playdo mold, You are litterally squeezing brass out it's front. Now you'll have to trim to length. .



HOWEVER!



With the brass comparator measurement I have of my rifle's chamber, I just adjusted my full length resizing die out to just inside the measurement. Now the die sizes until it just moves the cartridge taper back in. Maybe . 001 or . 0005. You'll get a feel for it when you are using the press. This pretty much turns my full length resizing die into a neck sizing die with one real cool spin-off; I can still share it and shoot it through semi-autos. When this stuff goes through my press, it's always the same length. When I trim I take off 1/10th the material I used to. The brass lives longer too.



Whew!



I hope I've made sense and it is of benefite to you! All I'm trying to do is get your brass consistant in length as it goes through your press!



R/ Ian.

 

[The patriot]

Could also use a primer pocket tool on it, if you want to spend the extra time.

This will make the pockets a little deeper, but will assure your primers will have good ignition due to the clean pockets. The extra deep primer will also help stop the chance of the dreaded slam fire.

If the primer sticks out even . 001 from the case, it could fire upon the bolt closing.

I've seen guns that this happened to. You DO NOT want this to happen to your rifle... . not to mention you.

I stay away from the Lee factory crimp, especially if I didnt trim the cases myself. The amount of crimp applied depends on the length of the case. Varying the bullet "pull" could wreak havoc on accuracy.

The least amount of variables, the better.

JMO



Eric