Reloading with high quality 308 brass

surg_res · March 20, 2008, 09:24 PM

Roughly, what is the number of times one can safely reload Lake City 308 brass? Thanks.

Sevens · March 20, 2008, 09:31 PM

That's a question that comes up in here relatively often, but it's almost impossible to answer.

The heavier and hotter your loads, the shorter your brass life will be.
The looser your chamber and greater your headspace, the shorter your brass life.
If you are shooting an autochucker, your case life could be a little shorter.
Neck only sizing, or full length--could affect your case life.

Some early failures may be case mouth splitting. Could see early signs of head separation. Could see some loose primer pockets after a while.

Really, hard to tell.

As far as safe, head separation is really what you need to look for and avoid before it happens. Look for a bright ring developing just forward of the head of the case. That bright ring appearing is your clue that the brass is stretching there and getting thin, and if it goes, you can have real trouble,

Case mouth splits and loose primer pockets aren't really a safety issue... just the brass letting you know that it's ready to be recycled.

Scorch · March 21, 2008, 12:49 PM

First, a nitpick: Lake City does not make 308 Winchester brass. They make 7.62X51mm NATO brass. It is thicker than commercial 308 Winchester brass, with smaller internal capacity.

Next, it is almost impossible to estimate how many loadings you will get with your particular load in your particular rifle. However, anecdotally, I have a friend who reloads almost exclusively LC brass for his 30-06, and he claims he has reloaded some of it over 10 times.

Slamfire · March 22, 2008, 11:45 AM

I took a set of one hundred LC 64 308 brass 22 or 24 reloads in a M1a. I lubricated the cases so I would not get case head stretching, leading to case head separation.

I would set the shoulder back about .003" on each reload, and trimmed whether it needed it or not.

I shot this stuff in matches, lost more brass in the weeds than any othe cause. As the number of reloads increased I lost cases due to body splits and case neck splits. Some of those cases I sectioned to see what was going on inside.

As the number of reloads on a case go up, the case workhardens, gets harder. That creates the conditions for case neck splits. The interior surface just at the bottom third shows a spongy texture. Obviously brass is being washed out at pressure under temperature.

I quit when the primer pockets got so large that primers were too easy to set.

My conclusion, you can reload brass a very long time. The life of the brass is determined by case neck splits, body splits, and primer pocket tension.

amamnn · March 22, 2008, 01:58 PM

Whether it is one caliber or another, brass life is pretty much the same, possibly excepting the really huge cases like 50 bmg or belted cases. If you care to learn the PROPER annealing technique or get an annealing machine ( http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html ) you can get many more uses from your brass depending upon all the above and the type of brass alloy used in the case. I don't rate LC as quality brass in the same class as lapua norma or nosler, but I do use some for plinking. The LC brass I have in 5.56 and .30-06 was given to me by a spousal abuse victim who is no longer allowed by his wife to reload or even shoot. I was told he had loaded it five times and annealed it the same as I do. He had shot it twice more for a total of 7 firings. I have shot some of it 18 more times, annealing after each fifth firing. So far, with all FL sizing it's still ok. You must keep accurate records of case use.

Some people get very long life from premium brass and there are some pretty wild claims from the makers. A shooter I know and see at meets and practice at the range quite often claims to be getting 40 loadings (FL sized) from some Lapua brass 6mmppc with no problems. That's a bit further than I would go with match brass, maybe I'm just afraid to lose a fraction of MOA; I need all the help I can get from my ammo. I have match brass that is what I consider on its last legs, though it still looks good. I FL size every time and recycle it after 25 firings. It is possible that it could be usable for plinking for several more loading/annealings, but I have all that free LC............

Tim R · March 24, 2008, 02:20 AM

It all depends on your load and the hotter it is the less case life you get. While I do respect Slam fire a great deal I would not suggest the average reloader to go over more than 4 reloads if fired in a 308 M-1 or M-1A.

March 20, 2008, 09:24 PM	#1
surg_res Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2005 Location: Texas, 5th GEN! Posts: 621	Reloading with high quality 308 brass Roughly, what is the number of times one can safely reload Lake City 308 brass? Thanks. __________________ ----

March 20, 2008, 09:31 PM	#2
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	That's a question that comes up in here relatively often, but it's almost impossible to answer. The heavier and hotter your loads, the shorter your brass life will be. The looser your chamber and greater your headspace, the shorter your brass life. If you are shooting an autochucker, your case life could be a little shorter. Neck only sizing, or full length--could affect your case life. Some early failures may be case mouth splitting. Could see early signs of head separation. Could see some loose primer pockets after a while. Really, hard to tell. As far as safe, head separation is really what you need to look for and avoid before it happens. Look for a bright ring developing just forward of the head of the case. That bright ring appearing is your clue that the brass is stretching there and getting thin, and if it goes, you can have real trouble, Case mouth splits and loose primer pockets aren't really a safety issue... just the brass letting you know that it's ready to be recycled. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

March 21, 2008, 12:49 PM	#3
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	First, a nitpick: Lake City does not make 308 Winchester brass. They make 7.62X51mm NATO brass. It is thicker than commercial 308 Winchester brass, with smaller internal capacity. Next, it is almost impossible to estimate how many loadings you will get with your particular load in your particular rifle. However, anecdotally, I have a friend who reloads almost exclusively LC brass for his 30-06, and he claims he has reloaded some of it over 10 times. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

March 22, 2008, 01:58 PM	#5
amamnn Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2006 Location: WA, the left armpit of the USA Posts: 1,323	Whether it is one caliber or another, brass life is pretty much the same, possibly excepting the really huge cases like 50 bmg or belted cases. If you care to learn the PROPER annealing technique or get an annealing machine ( http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html ) you can get many more uses from your brass depending upon all the above and the type of brass alloy used in the case. I don't rate LC as quality brass in the same class as lapua norma or nosler, but I do use some for plinking. The LC brass I have in 5.56 and .30-06 was given to me by a spousal abuse victim who is no longer allowed by his wife to reload or even shoot. I was told he had loaded it five times and annealed it the same as I do. He had shot it twice more for a total of 7 firings. I have shot some of it 18 more times, annealing after each fifth firing. So far, with all FL sizing it's still ok. You must keep accurate records of case use. Some people get very long life from premium brass and there are some pretty wild claims from the makers. A shooter I know and see at meets and practice at the range quite often claims to be getting 40 loadings (FL sized) from some Lapua brass 6mmppc with no problems. That's a bit further than I would go with match brass, maybe I'm just afraid to lose a fraction of MOA; I need all the help I can get from my ammo. I have match brass that is what I consider on its last legs, though it still looks good. I FL size every time and recycle it after 25 firings. It is possible that it could be usable for plinking for several more loading/annealings, but I have all that free LC............ __________________ "If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal

March 24, 2008, 02:20 AM	#6
Tim R Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2004 Location: God's side of Washington State Posts: 1,601	It all depends on your load and the hotter it is the less case life you get. While I do respect Slam fire a great deal I would not suggest the average reloader to go over more than 4 reloads if fired in a 308 M-1 or M-1A. __________________ God Bless our Troops especially our Snipers.

March 22, 2008, 11:45 AM	#4
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	I took a set of one hundred LC 64 308 brass 22 or 24 reloads in a M1a. I lubricated the cases so I would not get case head stretching, leading to case head separation. I would set the shoulder back about .003" on each reload, and trimmed whether it needed it or not. I shot this stuff in matches, lost more brass in the weeds than any othe cause. As the number of reloads increased I lost cases due to body splits and case neck splits. Some of those cases I sectioned to see what was going on inside. As the number of reloads on a case go up, the case workhardens, gets harder. That creates the conditions for case neck splits. The interior surface just at the bottom third shows a spongy texture. Obviously brass is being washed out at pressure under temperature. I quit when the primer pockets got so large that primers were too easy to set. My conclusion, you can reload brass a very long time. The life of the brass is determined by case neck splits, body splits, and primer pocket tension.