6.5 creedmoor brass prep etc.

[Cowcatcher]

I have some 140g SST still if you want a couple dozen. Too small of a group to interest you I'd expect but about all I have left. I like them and they have a good BC as well but as you were saying the 140 vs 129 or 123 isn't really worth the game difference/effort and shoot a bit less flat if you're going to hunt. I also have some 129g SP but I can see why you picked the 123 over them as the BC is not great. I tried them first because I had Hornady Deer Ammo (pretty inexpensive) and was reproducing those to learn from before something closer to Hornady Black (also on sale at times and source for my initial brass) for casual paper shooting fun out at the farm.
I thought about getting a box of 129 SST to work up but your info changed my mind and I'll likely get the 123 instead next time.
On cases, however, I'm interested in why not Hornady Cases? Preference to not care for them? Pretty much all I have in 6.5
I also use the Hornady Match die with an insert based on my barrel expansion to avoid a tiny bit of brass stress. (Internet knowledge, not experience, LOL) It will do more than I ever will as I'm too casual but I really like it over my Custom grade dies. Got it based on some of your comments I believe quite a while back.
Came on looking for powder info and noticed the lack of Hornady Case and it caught my eye. Sorry. H4350 bit too hard to get for a casual shooter. IMR4451 was easy to find and I don't believe (insert severe lack of knowledge) that it's that bad or far off what H4350 would do for someone like me. Need to get more but will read around some. Don't mind changing. Big part of the enjoyment for me is working up a bullet.
I enjoy reading what you write though as it give me ideas.

Like you I bought several boxes of Hornady Black, American Whitetail and Match to shoot first. I've got a couple boxes of Federal but I have only reloaded the Hornady cases so far.
https://www.okshooters.com/threads/ready-to-collect-mo-data-on-6-5-creedmoor.267855/

 

[swampratt]

On cases, however, I'm interested in why not Hornady Cases? Preference to not care for them?


I Have had once fired Hornady .308 cases and the primers fell right out of some of them and I reloaded the others and the primer pockets would not hold a primer after a couple reloads. You could put a primer in and tap the base or edge of the base on the table and make the primer come out.

Not an issue for every Hornady case but I have researched it and it is an issue in some so Not going out to buy those.

As you know I like best accuracy and I do buy Lapua cases and believe it or not Lapua let me down in .223 and .243. Case necks too thick and my guns are cheap shelf guns Mossberg 100ATR in .243 and Axis in .223.

My .308 likes them. I get great accuracy if I turn the necks down though.


I was going to get Lapua but I ended up with a lot of Federals and they shot good so far.
Federal cases are what my .223 and 5.56 LOVE.
MY 30-06 gets Remington cases for best accuracy.
Winchester for my .308 for upper accuracy node and Lapua for the lower accuracy node.

I Pulled 40 brand new in the box Federal 6.5 Creedmoore cases apart yesterday. 120gr match HP bullets in them.
I will not shoot those or any 140's at least until I test this 123 Hornady at 200 yards.

I want these 123's to work. I have some loads made up 3 shots of each one.
Hunting gun, if it puts 3 close I am good. I shoot one right after the other no cool down time,, I do cool down between different loads though.
I prepped Federal cases and Lapua .308 cases.

How I did the .308 Lapua case.
Lube brand new Lapua .308 case inside neck and outside of case with Hornady sizing die wax.
Insert into Hornady FLS die all the way and remove it.
You get a very long neck.

Trim neck with Lee case length gauge and cutter.
Now the neck is correct length chamfer and then remove lube.
I then turned the outside of the case neck to .014" thick.

Anneal the case neck then brush inside case neck.

Lube case again and run it through the sizing die one more time.
This sets the shoulder back a few more thousandths. In fact it puts the shoulder right at the same place as my resized 6.5 Creedmoor cases.

I then polish the neck and shoulder area with 0000 steel wool and brush the inside 1 more time with nylon brush.
Then Qtip swab the inside of the case neck to make all clean.

I have Lapua and Federal cases with 45.0 gr 45.5 and 45.8 gr of powder for some 200 yard testing.
The 45.8 is at the base of the neck on both Federal and Lapua cases. I am using a funnel dropping from above the funnel and slowly letting the case fill.
Then tap it on the base a few times to settle any kernels.
You can just barely hear the 123 gr bullet starting to crunch a couple kernels at 45.8 gr.
This is virgin Brass that has not been fired..I bet after firing the case will be a tick fatter.
I just want too see if it's still in a node.
I assume I had a node at the upper end of the load with H4350.

Loads here are safe in my rifle and you need to consult a load manual and work up.
Ready for the range.

 

[Jcann]

I bought this brass (except in .260) and am very impressed with it. It's been very consistent and I've been able to achieve greater velocity than with my Lapua brass.

https://www.eurooptic.com/search.as...ctive&Category0=Peterson%2bBrass&sort=Default

 

[Jcann]

I have some 140g SST still if you want a couple dozen. Too small of a group to interest you I'd expect but about all I have left. I like them and they have a good BC as well but as you were saying the 140 vs 129 or 123 isn't really worth the game difference/effort and shoot a bit less flat if you're going to hunt. I also have some 129g SP but I can see why you picked the 123 over them as the BC is not great. I tried them first because I had Hornady Deer Ammo (pretty inexpensive) and was reproducing those to learn from before something closer to Hornady Black (also on sale at times and source for my initial brass) for casual paper shooting fun out at the farm.
I thought about getting a box of 129 SST to work up but your info changed my mind and I'll likely get the 123 instead next time.
On cases, however, I'm interested in why not Hornady Cases? Preference to not care for them? Pretty much all I have in 6.5
I also use the Hornady Match die with an insert based on my barrel expansion to avoid a tiny bit of brass stress. (Internet knowledge, not experience, LOL) It will do more than I ever will as I'm too casual but I really like it over my Custom grade dies. Got it based on some of your comments I believe quite a while back.
Came on looking for powder info and noticed the lack of Hornady Case and it caught my eye. Sorry. H4350 bit too hard to get for a casual shooter. IMR4451 was easy to find and I don't believe (insert severe lack of knowledge) that it's that bad or far off what H4350 would do for someone like me. Need to get more but will read around some. Don't mind changing. Big part of the enjoyment for me is working up a bullet.
I enjoy reading what you write though as it give me ideas.

You can get H4350 here:
https://store.thirdgenerationshootingsupply.com/catalog/category/view/s/hodgdon-powder/id/9316/

 

[swampratt]

Yep Gene Sears supply That is where I drive to get my reloading supplies. Some things they do not have like my Lee stuff.

 

[swampratt]

The good with the bad here is what happened today at 200 yards.
JUNK!
But I feel I need to post it as it happens.
This was reworked Virgin brass and die formed .308 Lapua cases.
load 1 had 3 shots as did load 2-4 and load 7 had 4 rounds.
Not giving up.
200 yards.
That was federal and lapua cases and 45.0 and 45.5 gr of powder.

Now here is my .308 18" barrel Savage I was shooting after I shot the 6.5.
loads 8 and 9 were bunched up in the same spot 4 rounds of each.
42.0 and 42.5 gr of IMR4064 and load 10 was 43.0gr
168A-Max and 210M primers with mixed Lapua cases neck turned.
Some of those cases have been fired 15+ times and others only 2.
It is a better shooter than the 6.5 as of now. And this is 200 yards.

43.0 gr did not look good at 100 yards either but I had to try it at 200 today.
I will stick with 42 gr. Center to center I measured 1.053" for the 4 shots.

 

[swampratt]

Update on the cases.
The 45 and 45.5gr load of H4350 and 123 ELDM bullets made my primer pockets a bit loose. 1 time fired.
Even the Lapua cases.
Velocity is there but so is punished brass. I do not like that and the groups at 200 were not impressive.
Not loading to 44 gr anymore.
So odd pressure signs on anything else.
One Federal case will not even hold a Federal 210M primer in,, I can poke it back out by hand or tap the edge of the case on the table and primer backs out.

This is a need to know thing if you want cases to live a long happy life.
I get 40+ reloads from .308 cases.

 

[Glock 40]

Do you think that pressure could have been your problem with Hornady brass in 308 that you mentioned above?

 

[swampratt]

I bet it was as manufacturers have been know to load for velocity sometimes.
I would have never thought 1 shot would loosen a pocket on Lapua cases.
It happened though.
I will try to get a load down to 2850 fps or so and see how that works out.

 

[Cowcatcher]

@swampratt just to confirm for my notes, was your testing and loose pockets with 45 and 45.5gr as you stated in post #16 or 44 and 44.5gr as you stated in post #17.