Benefits of Reloading

[LinearZero]

So I wanted to build a "DMR" style gun that was just designed to be able to shoot all day, unlike full power loads in my 8mm. On a budget, I found an 18" 223 Wylde Stainless 1:7 upper from Palmetto State Armory, and I bought it on sale at 350.00, hoping for a 1-2 MOA gun.

My first range trip was very disappointing, as I was hitting 4-5" groups at 100 with all kinds of factory ammo.
Then, with new 223 dies from Santa, I achieved this with 69 gr Sierra Match Kings HPBT and 22gr of H322. .572" 5 shot group at 100 yards. Not bad for 350 bucks. Just goes to show why we do what we do.

 

[swampratt]

Very nice.
Yep that is what to expect. I actually took factory loaded ammo and shot some 5 shot groups from a variety of them and then took another 5 from the boxes of each and took them apart and and measured everything and stuck them back together with NO neck crimp and I brushed the neck ID of all of them.
The groups shrank.
I then took 5 of the 55gr Zombie max and seated them longer where my gun liked the 55gr bullet seated to and this greatly improved the group.

Bunch of little changes made the difference.
One great thing i noticed with factory ammo was when removing bullets with inertia hammer is some just did not want to come apart and from the same box some would only take a couple wacks.

Inconsistent neck tension. This is why i experimented with them in the first place.
I just had to know what made most factory stuff so inaccurate.

Powder and bullet weights and measures were very good from the factory stuff. just came down to the neck and OAL.

 

[LinearZero]

Very nice.
Yep that is what to expect. I actually took factory loaded ammo and shot some 5 shot groups from a variety of them and then took another 5 from the boxes of each and took them apart and and measured everything and stuck them back together with NO neck crimp and I brushed the neck ID of all of them.
The groups shrank.
I then took 5 of the 55gr Zombie max and seated them longer where my gun liked the 55gr bullet seated to and this greatly improved the group.

Bunch of little changes made the difference.
One great thing i noticed with factory ammo was when removing bullets with inertia hammer is some just did not want to come apart and from the same box some would only take a couple wacks.

Inconsistent neck tension. This is why i experimented with them in the first place.
I just had to know what made most factory stuff so inaccurate.

Powder and bullet weights and measures were very good from the factory stuff. just came down to the neck and OAL.

That's a great little experiment, most troubling though is that tension. I definitely understand now the difference between paying .20-30/round vs. .75-$1. It's kind of funny the mentality I've adopted, though, in that nearly every box of ammo I buy I only recognize the brass value.
However, I will also say that Federal Fusion and Hornady Match worked pretty good too, but you could buy a box of cheap stuff and reload it, still coming in under the price of the factory match and still shoot better.

 

[swampratt]

Exactly .

This was what I posted on another forum in 2015.
Long read but interesting.
Many times at the ranges I visit there are people trying to adjust their scopes for the hunt.
I help out if they look like they want some help.
Lots of them shoot Remington box ammo that they picked up at Wally world.

Now I have had No luck with this ammo except in a 336 30-30.

Most groups I see from the 308's are in the all are fliers range MOA of slice of bread if you are lucky.
I have given these guys some of my handloaded 308 ammo to try and groups shrink to 1"-1.5" or really close to that.

So one guy headed for a hunt in 3 days was not happy and I gave him 4 rounds of my accurate hunting ammo we just tested in his gun to take hunting.
Yes I lost 4 Lapua cases.

But I got in trade 4 cases of factory loaded Remington 150gr ammo.
I finally took it apart today and measured things to see why this ammo was not accurate.

Long story short I feel it is just not a good charge weight.

Details.
Powder looks just like BL-C(2) but not as shiny (it is more dull grey).
Powder comes to the base of the shoulder(not compressed)
Charge weights were: 46.4gr., 46.3gr., 46.3gr., 46.25gr.

Bullet weights. 150.9gr., 151.4., 151.4., 151.3.
Neck OD after pulling bullets with inertia puller all the same .335"
Neck ID 3 at .308" 1 at .3075"
Measurement to shoulder datum within .002" of each other.
Case base sizes all exactly the same.

Case weight with primers. 170.7gr., 171.2gr., and 2 at 171.7gr.
Trim length 2.05-2.07

The bullet after being pulled had scratches on the bearing surface it is a flat base spitzer with cannelure.

I did not test how much pressure it took to pull the bullet from the case as this would make powder fall onto the floor and i need to drill a hole through the bullet to do so.

So looks like the stuff is pretty well on as far as tolerances go.
When i worked up loads for my .308 with Ball C2 powder and 150gr flat base bullets
I used Winchester brass and charge weight that worked was 45gr.

So maybe it is just not an optimum charge weight for the guns I have seen it shoot out of.

I was thinking the factory loads in that Rem yellow and green box were just not in good tolerances.. I was mistaken.

Now for part 2.

Well I refurbished this dissected Remington ammo.
I pulled the bullets reduced powder charge to 45gr from Remingtons 46.3 ish gr.

I cleaned up the crimped neck with a VLD chamfer tool and neck sized the Never fired cases with a lee collet neck sizer die to reduce neck ID to .307"
As when the rounds were taken apart the neck ID was .308" to .3075"

I then brushed the necks with a bore brush on a drill.
Loaded the Remington 150gr flat base right back into the cases with the Remington powder that looks like BL-C2.

I shot them yesterday at 100 yards from my .308 that I had been shooting that day at 300 yards with a variety of loads.

Notice the flier.. I do not think that was me I think that could have been the 1 case that had .3075" ID after the bullet was removed.
Or it could have been me or the wind or gun very windy yesterday, and no rest between rounds, just fired as quick as I could get back on target. You decide.

Here you go refurbished Rem .308 ammo.

Link to the posts on the other forum.
https://www.handloadersbench.com/fo...ass/36189-dissected-308-remington-ammo-part-2

part 1.
https://www.handloadersbench.com/fo...s/36138-disected-308-factory-remington-rounds

 

[beastep]

Thats interesting.