looking for a load to fireform brass

[Bob243]

Hello,

I am looking for a load to fireform some .223 brass... I have fired them out of my AR, but I want to reload some of them for my Remington VS, I have allready full lenth sized them, but I usually only neck size the brass I fire out of the VS, I also want to push out some of the small dings below the shoulder of the cases...


Here is what I am hopeing to use....

I have a few hunderd 55 and 52 grain tips, that I have had sitting around for a long time and have no other use for

I also have almost a full pound of Alliant 2400 which I use for my .222 which I shoot about 50 rounds out a year in at the turkey shoots, and at that rate i'll never use the who pound of it...

Does anyone have a mild (fireforming) load I could use the above powder and bullets with????

any info would be appreciated.... thanks,

Bob

[labgrade]

Do a search within the last month on a "poodle shooter load" for the .223 Seems somebody posted about using 2400 for a light load which may do the trick for you.

I have heard of using a plug of Dacron, etc. as a filler (no bullet) to fireform but have never tried it.

Only fireforming (other than the type you're attempting to do) I'ver ever done was to use a cheap(est) bullet I had laying around & reduced the (normal starting) load by 10% as listed in the manuals. This was a pretty extreme FFing taking a 444 Marlin case to .308 Win & then blowing the shoulder out & to a much sharper angle - worked like a charm.

[Bob243]

I found on acurate powder's website a load for 50g and 55g tips using 2400, I had some old 53g. tips, and based on the load they gave on the site -10% I put 20 shells together to see how it would work......

I found amazing, everything i did this load should have shot terible.... the tips were clean, but they had some dirt stuck in the hollow point because they were in the '72 flood, the powder filled the case up about 1/3 of the way ( i have always heard the the best thing is to have the bullet touching the powder in the case) , the primers were some old ones I had for about 20 years now, i didn't clean the primer pockets on the brass or anything I usually do... this load shot 4 5shot groups @ 100 yards under a 1/8" :eek: i could not believe it.....


Thanks for the info labgrade... btw what are you making out of the 444 marlin cases???

[labgrade]

I got more questions about that .444 Marlin-thing ... ;)

JD Jones/SSK Industries has based a bunch of his JDJ-series cartridges on the .444 Marlin. Mines a .309 JDJ which shoots 165 gr .308 bullets at 2400 fps in a 14" bbl Contender.

Contenders don't have the stronger frame of the newer Encore & to push the bullets out faster in the TC, a larger case head diameter is required - sumpin to do with bolt face thrust.

For the .309, you run the Marlin case through a .308 Win die till the brass chambers in your TC, fireform which blows out the shoulder (very sharp), etc. Essentially a 45,000 psi blow-molding process. Loading after that is done with .309 JDJ dies (Hornady's Custom series).