The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Reloading => Topic started by: CJS3 on October 18, 2010, 10:23:25 PM
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I recently aquired a Saiga 308, that I modified with US made parts. After I installed the Fire Control Group, I took it to the range to try everthing out. I got a lot of failures to lock up and I spent a week trying to figure out the problem. After buffing out the hammer, bolt carrier, and smoothing out the trigger pull, I went back to the range and after 10 rounds or so, got the same problem. After spending the better part of an hour trying to troubleshoot the problem, I got that sinking "AW SHIT" feeling and realized what the problem was. :-[
I went to the range shop and picked up two different brands of ammo, loaded up the magazines and proceeded to fire 40 trouble free rounds. The ammo I was using were reloads that I had loaded from gun show brass, that had been pre sized and primed. Obviously the brass hadn't been sized in a full length sizing die. They worked in my bolt actions, but wouldn't cycle in a semi. I usually run, even new, brass through a full length sizing die. Since these were already primed, I hadn't checked them, and since it was such a good deal, I got careless with my reloading proceedures. ::)
Lesson learned. Now I have 75 rounds, or so, to pull the bullets from and deprime.Then I can run the brass through a full length sizing die and reload properly.
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Or just shoot it up with your bolt guns. Don't have to get rid of the powder that way.
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You may be able to just bumb the shoulder back a little bit.
308 head spaces on the shoulder.
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RANGE BRASS
We all KNOW to be careful with random range brass, r-i-g-h-t?
Found two 9x18s while reloading last night. Of course, I had already primed them, loaded powder and was in the process of crimping when I realized the problem.
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Lesson learned. Now I have 75 rounds, or so, to pull the bullets from and deprime.Then I can run the brass through a full length sizing die and reload properly.
How do you decap them? I've never even considered doing it as I would with a fired primer using a loading die to decap?
And do you need to decap? Can't you just resize once the bulled and power are pulled? Remove the decapping pin from the die if it has one?
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How do you decap them? I've never even considered doing it as I would with a fired primer using a loading die to decap?
And do you need to decap? Can't you just resize once the bulled and power are pulled? Remove the decapping pin from the die if it has one?
Another problem solved by the FAR more enjoyable expedient of shooting them in other guns ;D
Considering that you also may distort the bullet during the process, there for loosing it to reuse any way, it is overwhelmingly obvious that your only sane course of action requires a range trip. ;D
(No charge unless your wife actually buys that line ;D )
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(No charge unless your wife actually buys that line ;D )
Her exact quote "You really don't expect me to believe that shit, do you?". It's her standard reply, so I just don't say anything until after it's done.
Alas, a trip to the range with the bolt guns is no longer possible. One went to my step son and the other got sold.
How do you decap them? I've never even considered doing it as I would with a fired primer using a loading die to decap?
And do you need to decap? Can't you just resize once the bulled and power are pulled? Remove the decapping pin from the die if it has one?
Crap! I hadn't even thought of that. Thanks!
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Slightly off topic, but could you give a range report on that Saiga with factory ammo on either the tactical rifle or cafe forums? Enquiring minds want to know. ;)
FQ13
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Her exact quote "You really don't expect me to believe that shit, do you?". It's her standard reply, so I just don't say anything until after it's done.
Alas, a trip to the range with the bolt guns is no longer possible. One went to my step son and the other got sold.
Crap! I hadn't even thought of that. Thanks!
A straight face might have helped, Now you have to admit that one of the voices in the computer told you to do it.
Darn Pal, I'd rather try to blame my neighbors dog . ;D
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A straight face might have helped, Now you have to admit that one of the voices in the computer told you to do it.
Darn Pal, I'd rather try to blame my neighbors dog . ;D
And look where that got Berkowitz. ;D
FQ13
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Yeah, pretty pathetic when you have to borrow a dog to blame.
Speaking of which, has your little disposal killed itself yet ? Or gotten your life threatened lately ;D
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I agree that a trip to the range with the bolt gun would be first choice. My problem is the range brass I bring home, once a nice shiny berdin primed 9mm snuck in to my range bag and broke my decapping pin. Now I just borrow the pin from a seldom used die until I buy another one, they are easy to remove and replace.
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I agree that a trip to the range with the bolt gun would be first choice. My problem is the range brass I bring home, once a nice shiny berdin primed 9mm snuck in to my range bag and broke my decapping pin. Now I just borrow the pin from a seldom used die until I buy another one, they are easy to remove and replace.
yeah...cheaper to have a handful of pins available than trying to shine a light down in there to count little holes.
My Dillon 650 has a tool head with "universal" decapping die and a powered case trimmer as the only filled stations. That way I can decap and trim the cases before they spend time in the case cleaner. Don't know if it really matters, but I've never liked the idea of putting dirty cases through my sizing dies even though they are carbide and more immune to debris on the cases. I get a trimmed and decapped case with every pull of the handle. Seems a pity to waste my time on a function that a trained monkey could do just as well, but have you priced trained monkeys lately?
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Seems a pity to waste my time on a function that a trained monkey could do just as well, but have you priced trained monkeys lately?
A $400,000 annual salary, along with a $50,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 non-taxable travel account and $19,000 for entertainment.
8)
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Anything I run through a semi auto rifle gets full length resized in a Small Base Resizing Die after I Ultrasonically clean the cases first. I also slightly preload the press to be absolutely sure the shoulders all get bumped back to pre fired dimensions. Now that I've gone to Stainless Steel tumbling media I've eliminated the need to clean the primer pockets, which is a big help. I still square the primer pockets on all of the once fired brass I reload to be extra sure all primers get seated to the bottom of the primer pockets. It's the only way to get 100% reliable reloaded ammunition for a semi auto, and not run the risk of any slam fires because of protruding primers. All it takes is one to trash a $1,800.00 M1-A, and maybe lose an eye in the process. Bill T.
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I bought some 30-30 brass at a gunshow once, I was loading some up and noticed that some of them were full to the top with the weighed charges I dropped in them. I dumped the powder and looked inside and saw what looked like a smaller case capacity from the others(Yes, it was that noticeable )I cut one apart and found that someone had inserted a .30 carbine case inside with a drilled out primer pocket. Now I have no idea why anyone would expand the case mouth that much to do this then resize it back to spec but I looked through the rest of the cases and found about 15 or 20 that were modified that way.Because of this I will never buy brass from a gunshow that isn't factory new in sealed bags.
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Gun show "Bag-O-Brass" is usually always a disaster waiting to happen. A lot of this stuff is range pickup brass that's been shot out and left. Guys will pick it up, take it home and clean and sort it, then it's off to the next gun show to make a quick buck. These guys normally don't take the time to properly sort this stuff, and look for things that give evidence the brass is shot out. The guy buying it is often lied to and told it's, "once fired range brass". You can run into good deals from time to time. Once I found a guy who had 2, 5 gallon buckets of .38 Special brass for $10.00 a bucket. I bought both. I asked why so cheap and he said most were military with crimped pockets. The stuff took me forever to prep, but when I was finished I had close to 5,000+ rounds. All of it was good.
About half was Nickel and the other half brass which I sorted because Nickel cases can scratch resizing dies, even Carbide, and it will leave small scratches down the length of the case. So I resized the Nickel cases with an older Lyman Carbide die I had learned that lesson on. I'm always skeptical when I see lots of brass for under 50% of what it normally sells for. There is usually a reason for it. You can't polish away wear and tear. Bill T.