make .243 out of .308?

saands · November 7, 2001, 01:41 AM

This should be an easy one ... can you make .243 brass out of .308 brass just by running it through the .243 resizer? Are there any issues with doing this same thing with the allegedly thicker mil-surp 7.62x51 brass?

Judging by the math the brass is likely to get 27% thicker ... or 15 mil brass will turn into 19 mil thick brass.

If this topic gets to the stage of neck turning, could you please describe the setup required to do that?

Thanks,
Saands

DAVID NANCARROW · November 7, 2001, 01:52 AM

yes, you can make 243 out of 308 brass, but as you mentioned, you are going to have some pretty thick case necks and I would recomend you use an outside neck turner for this purpose. Some may call this a lot of work, but if you have more time than money, it can be a project, provided you have the tools. I'm not sure that I would take it directly down to 243-might want to take it down in stages, or you may well be crushing a lot of cases!. I went the other way, making 308's out of some 243 Federal brass, and even though I had a 270 expander ball, it was some work to accomplish.

Redneck2 · November 7, 2001, 09:09 AM

A couple of issues back. Suggestion when necking down was to first use the seater die before the sizing die. Seaters usually have a larger opening.

I have an outside neck turner from Sinclair. Have no idea how it compares to others..this is the only one I've tried.

Neck will thicken and case will grow lengthwise.

Jeeper · November 7, 2001, 01:02 PM

My question is why? 243 brass is so cheap anyway. DO you have some ungodly ammount of 308? I load a bunch of wildcat stuff and it sometimes becomes a pain in the ass changing the configurations of the brass. Going up is usually easier that going down in calibers.

saands · November 7, 2001, 09:22 PM

Why?

Well ... I have a Garand that produces copious quantities of .308 brass, so that was the motivating factor for asking. If it were a matter of just zinging them through the 243 sizing die, then the appropriate question would have been "Why not?" ... as complicated and time consuming as it sounds, however, I think I will be purchasing .243 brass and not dealing with it ... I definitely have better things to spend my time on than turning the necks of brass!

Thanks for the feedback!
Saands

Art Eatman · November 9, 2001, 12:36 PM

It might not work as a one-step deal; to avoid crushing cases, it might be necessary to go from .308 to 7mm08 and then down to .243...

FWIW, Art

Jeeper · November 9, 2001, 12:38 PM

You also might want to heat treat the necks afterwards. I have seen some really cool neck heat treating devices in sinclair(I Think)

MeekAndMild · July 21, 2002, 12:05 AM

Any more recent words of wisdom on this subject? I just spent some time in the garage converting perfectly good .308 brass to useless garbage. It looks so easy but it ain't.

November 7, 2001, 01:41 AM	#1
saands Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 1999 Posts: 1,573	make .243 out of .308? This should be an easy one ... can you make .243 brass out of .308 brass just by running it through the .243 resizer? Are there any issues with doing this same thing with the allegedly thicker mil-surp 7.62x51 brass? Judging by the math the brass is likely to get 27% thicker ... or 15 mil brass will turn into 19 mil thick brass. If this topic gets to the stage of neck turning, could you please describe the setup required to do that? Thanks, Saands

November 7, 2001, 09:09 AM	#3
Redneck2 Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2000 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 519	There was a pretty extensive article in Handloader A couple of issues back. Suggestion when necking down was to first use the seater die before the sizing die. Seaters usually have a larger opening. I have an outside neck turner from Sinclair. Have no idea how it compares to others..this is the only one I've tried. Neck will thicken and case will grow lengthwise.

July 21, 2002, 12:05 AM	#8
MeekAndMild Senior Member Join Date: August 2, 2001 Posts: 4,988	Any more recent words of wisdom on this subject? I just spent some time in the garage converting perfectly good .308 brass to useless garbage. It looks so easy but it ain't. __________________ In a few years when the dust finally clears and people start counting their change there is a pretty good chance that President Obama may become known as The Great Absquatulator. You heard it first here on TFL.

November 7, 2001, 01:52 AM	#2
DAVID NANCARROW Senior Member Join Date: November 5, 2000 Location: Wyoming Posts: 1,761	yes, you can make 243 out of 308 brass, but as you mentioned, you are going to have some pretty thick case necks and I would recomend you use an outside neck turner for this purpose. Some may call this a lot of work, but if you have more time than money, it can be a project, provided you have the tools. I'm not sure that I would take it directly down to 243-might want to take it down in stages, or you may well be crushing a lot of cases!. I went the other way, making 308's out of some 243 Federal brass, and even though I had a 270 expander ball, it was some work to accomplish.

November 7, 2001, 01:02 PM	#4
Jeeper Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2001 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 776	My question is why? 243 brass is so cheap anyway. DO you have some ungodly ammount of 308? I load a bunch of wildcat stuff and it sometimes becomes a pain in the ass changing the configurations of the brass. Going up is usually easier that going down in calibers.

November 7, 2001, 09:22 PM	#5
saands Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 1999 Posts: 1,573	Why? Well ... I have a Garand that produces copious quantities of .308 brass, so that was the motivating factor for asking. If it were a matter of just zinging them through the 243 sizing die, then the appropriate question would have been "Why not?" ... as complicated and time consuming as it sounds, however, I think I will be purchasing .243 brass and not dealing with it ... I definitely have better things to spend my time on than turning the necks of brass! Thanks for the feedback! Saands

November 9, 2001, 12:36 PM	#6
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	It might not work as a one-step deal; to avoid crushing cases, it might be necessary to go from .308 to 7mm08 and then down to .243... FWIW, Art

November 9, 2001, 12:38 PM	#7
Jeeper Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2001 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 776	You also might want to heat treat the necks afterwards. I have seen some really cool neck heat treating devices in sinclair(I Think)