cleaning cases with primers

[doofus47]

I have inherited a bunch of old (1980s) 308. i was going to pull the bullets and dump the powder and clean the brass to resize the necks and reload as 260 Remington. Can I do this without removing the primers?
What are the pros and cons if I keep the flash holes clear? I'm not looking for 1000M accuracy. I just don't want a ka-boom for some reason I can't foresee.
Thoughts?

[Mike / Tx]

If it were me, I'd just pull the recapping pin and size them down as is. That is unless they are REALLY cruddy.

There is really no way to keep the minute particles of gunk from collecting in the primer pockets.

You could just chuck them up in a cordless drill and clean the outside up with some steel wool or scotch brite if your concerned about running them thru your sizing die.

Once loaded and shot then go to town on them.

[higgite]

How are you going to clean the brass? With dry media in a vibratory cleaner, I presume? If so, I'd tumble the rounds intact before I broke them down. It doesn't really matter what the inside looks like, does it? Tumbling intact eliminates the clogged primer/primer hole potential. ymmv

As for resizing, just pull the decapping pin out of the die.

[cw308]

If the body of the 308 Chambers in your 260 and your only working on the necks then yes , use some 0000 steel wool on the neck and shoulder area first and your good to go . Alot of work but you only have to do it once . Try it on one first and see how it goes .

Chris

[BWM]

Why not shoot them I have some 30_06 that is 30 year old that still goes bang I have some hand gun ammo that was loaded in 1979 that still goes bang so just shoot it up Good luck

[TX Nimrod]

It would be tough to fire the OP’s dirty .308 Winchester ammo in his .260 Remington.....


.

[KEYBEAR]

MOST everyone knows if you have a Rifle it is in 30-06 .
If you have two Rifles the other can be anything else .

[Unclenick]

The reason not to just shoot them is the condition of the powder should be checked. The canister grade powders sold for reloading can go bad faster than bulk grade powders because their burn rate is controlled by blending with older lots of the same powder type. While some of it can last a lifetime, Norma only guarantees 10 years, and you can look at recall postings to see that sometimes it doesn't even make it that far. I know people who've shot government ammo made in the 1920's and seen photos from another who blew up a Garand with ammo made after WWII. A great deal depends on how it was stored, too.

Pull a couple of dozen of these rounds and inspect and smell the powder to ensure it has the normal ether smell and not an acrid acid smell. Look for oily appearance or clumping. Dump some out on a white sheet of paper and pour it back in and make sure no red dust of any kind shows up on the paper. Check that there is no verdigris or other corrosion visible anywhere inside the brass cases or on the bullet jacket bases. If it passes all those tests, it is most probably safe to shoot.

[Crankylove]

Tumble them as-is. Then pull bullets and dump powder.

[rg1]

Just me but I'd size and decap the live primers, tumble clean, and reload with new primers. I wouldn't be confident in the older cases with primers someone else seated? Slowly decap live primers wearing safety glasses. I haven't heard or had one ignite.

[BBarn]

I recently had a similar decision to make. I chose to pull the bullets, dump the powder, fire the primed cases in a bolt gun, and then de-prime. I've de-primed a few live primers without incident, but try to avoid it now. Of course, if you don't have a 308 you can't do the same as I did.

Personally, given the availability of cases I would buy 260 brass instead of reforming the 308. I would probably sit on the 308s until 260 brass became unavailable for some reason, or I acquired a 308. In addition I prefer the headstamp to be correct if possible.

[Unclenick]

Another possibility is to use the primed cases (cleaned in dry media, only) and some Trail Boss to work up a plinking load with some cheap bullets and use the primers up that way.

[gwpercle]

Don't clean the cases in dry media or wet tumbling either .
If the exteriors are grungy clean with 0000 steel wool , resize and reloading the primed cases should be fine , remove the decapping pin .

If you feel you must clean them in dry media...carefully visually inspect each hole and make sure they are clear of little crumbs blocking the hole . Getting the holes clear with a primer installed will be tedious at best .
Good luck,
Gary

[Prof Young]

Real question. I have a lot to learn, so maybe I'm missing the obvious. Why would you not just take them to the range and shoot them? Then reload the brass as you please?

Life is good.
Prof Young

[higgite]

Originally Posted by Prof Young

Why not shoot them?
Real question. I have a lot to learn, so maybe I'm missing the obvious. Why would you not just take them to the range and shoot them? Then reload the brass as you please?

Life is good.
Prof Young

See posts #5 and 6.

[FrankenMauser]

I'm not going to recommend the practice, but...
I have (carefully) decapped hundreds of live primers and successfully re-used them.
- Pulled-down powder, as well, when I trusted what it was.
I have seen absolutely no evidence that the powder or primer was adversely affected by the process.

Two of my all-time favorite loads, in fact, were discovered while using recycled primers and powder.

Real question. I have a lot to learn, so maybe I'm missing the obvious. Why would you not just take them to the range and shoot them? Then reload the brass as you please?

Chamber mismatch aside...
Rule #1 with gifted ammo:
Never trust another person's reloads.