It's always a good reloading session when the only thing you had to worry about was low primers and powder!!

Great way to start a Saturday morning. 

Been buying and trying a few different bullets, mostly Sierra, Hornady and Barnes. These are made mostly for just plinking.

Whats your favorite 300 AAC BLK powder/bullet and why?? 




Reprocessed Military 223/556 Brass. Nice little gems to start working with.



Deprimed, quick tumble, decrimped primer pockets and cut with a mini chop saw with a jig I purchased off a friend.
Trimmed and wet tumbled in stainless steel media.



Little Crow Gunworks WFT, trims from the shoulder out and not from the head stamp of the brass to the mouth. Shove and done, little pain in the ass to setup.
Also Military brass is also a pain to size since the brass is a little ticker. It takes a few strokes of being worked to get it to size correctly.
I noticed that if I stuck it into the full length sizing die just once it will not case gauge correctly. The head stamp will still protrude a few hundredths of an inch noticeable by a fingernail.
Must I say, lube, lube and more lube. Sized with Lee 300 BLK dies in a Lee progressive Loadmaster.



After being cleaned and dried in the hot sun for a nice day every single case is measured and case gauged.  I don't like pulling/wasting bullets.

The shoulders are also NOT created in the 'EXACT' same spot after being sized and since my trimmer cuts from the shoulder of the case out. The case OAL's are all different. This is also important if using a bullet with a canneleur. I even measured factory 300 BLK purchased ammunition and the case OAL's were all different but within SAAMI specs. Also keep in mind that this is also due to using mixed Mil brass. Per SAAMI spec's case OAL's are 1.368" MAX - .020 (1.348" min) Most of mine were anywhere from 1.350-1.365. Measure all your cases if using a canneleur. You will run into issues if you dont take all your brass that are roughly the same +/- .003.
All cases get inspected. 



4 Piles, 1.360" 1.355" 1.365" 1.350" separated to piles +/- .003". Most were 1.360"



150 gr Hornady FMJBT @ 2.060" (yes I know it's a hair over .001 off), Light crimp. If you notice after setting up your seating die and your case mouth spots are all over the place from the canncleur it's because of the case OAL before you started. I picked all of my closest case OAL's for canneleurs. These were roughly my batch of 1.360" +/- .003.




Every single round is case gauged and measured. (again and again) 






Not all make the cut. This was 1 for 300.. My best guess is this got stepped on, heads stamp looked a little nicked.



Mixxed Mil Brass



Ran out of the Hornadys, Made some Sierra 125 gr #2120 Spitzers at 2.000"




All rounds were loaded with Hodgdon Lil'gun and CCI small rifle primers.

Case prep on these are a huge PITA...

Will shoot these through a Chrono tomorrow. 

They look nice.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

Looks like you are doing a nice job on those.

On the rounds that don't fall completely into the gauge I file off the nick or file down the high area. My thing is if it takes more than a couple of seconds with the file the case goes in the trash. But for 99.9% of all the cases that need a quick filing of a nick or something takes only a sec or two and can be reloaded many times after. If any area above the rim needs filing it is tossed. This is for the rim only.

My favorite bullet is the Speer Hot Cor 130gr hollow point and flat point. This over 18.5gr of H110/W296. Since this is close to a maximum load I suggest if you decide to try it that you work up to it with your rifle.

Looks like you are doing a nice job on those.

On the rounds that don't fall completely into the gauge I file off the nick or file down the high area. My thing is if it takes more than a couple of seconds with the file the case goes in the trash. But for 99.9% of all the cases that need a quick filing of a nick or something takes only a sec or two and can be reloaded many times after. If any area above the rim needs filing it is tossed. This is for the rim only.

My favorite bullet is the Speer Hot Cor 130gr hollow point and flat point. This over 18.5gr of H110/W296. Since this is close to a maximum load I suggest if you decide to try it that you work up to it with your rifle.

I made a quick attempt at a fix, wasn't worth chambering. Not to mention pulling bullets with a Frankfurt arsenal hammer, a light crimp and a canneleur is a PITA! The inside of the headstamp looked slightly tweaked.

Haven't tried theSpeer HC 130.. will look into them. I actually went with what I went with based on data and price, lol... I've actually gone backwards with 300. Actually had to look up the bullet published data before buying. Sierra had a lot of pub data so I went with them for the most part. Picked up a bunch of BTHP, SP, TSX and Match bullets (yeah I know plinkers) all on sale roughly $21-29/100 shipped!

I've seen some crazy data for lil'gun. A lot of worked up high loads
with no published data, kinda interesting. Not just some here and there a bunch from 300bt forums. Assured they were worked up in their barrel, but that's roughly 4-6 gr higher than any pub data.

Will post some chrono data later, gonna send these home in a few.

I made a quick attempt at a fix, wasn't worth chambering. Not to mention pulling bullets with a Frankfurt arsenal hammer, a light crimp and a canneleur is a PITA! The inside of the headstamp looked slightly tweaked.

Haven't tried theSpeer HC 130.. will look into them. I actually went with what I went with based on data and price, lol... I've actually gone backwards with 300. Actually had to look up the bullet published data before buying. Sierra had a lot of pub data so I went with them for the most part. Picked up a bunch of BTHP, SP, TSX and Match bullets (yeah I know plinkers) all on sale roughly $21-29/100 shipped!

I've seen some crazy data for lil'gun. A lot of worked up high loads
with no published data, kinda interesting. Not just some here and there a bunch from 300bt forums. Assured they were worked up in their barrel, but that's roughly 4-6 gr higher than any pub data.

Will post some chrono data later, gonna send these home in a few.

I have not tried Lil Gun yet. When I was developing loads for my 300 BLK there was no Lil Gun to be had on the island. Now that Lil Gun is available I really have no thoughts on trying something different since my fav load shoots the lights out.

I tried all the Sierra bullets in the 125gr-135gr range. Tried some Hornady 125gr and Barnes in the same range. Had the best luck with the Sierra 125gr MK until I found the Speers. BTW, the Speer bullet makes for a funky looking round that is so short you wouldn't think it would feed reliably. But it has been 100% reliable over hundreds of rounds.

My reloading process puts the brass through sizing then cleaning then polishing. After that I check the length and gauge each case. Then I trim and file if necessary. I don't load a case until it is perfect. That way after I load the case then when I put the cartridge through the gauge it passes 100% of the time. I know it might be a little extra work but I prefer not to tear apart cartridges unless necessary.

With that said recently I made 50 rounds of .38 SPL which is a new load I was sure would work well. It didn't. I had to take apart 49 of them. I usually never make more than 10 or 20 of a new load. DUMB.

I have not tried Lil Gun yet. When I was developing loads for my 300 BLK there was no Lil Gun to be had on the island. Now that Lil Gun is available I really have no thoughts on trying something different since my fav load shoots the lights out.

I tried all the Sierra bullets in the 125gr-135gr range. Tried some Hornady 125gr and Barnes in the same range. Had the best luck with the Sierra 125gr MK until I found the Speers. BTW, the Speer bullet makes for a funky looking round that is so short you wouldn't think it would feed reliably. But it has been 100% reliable over hundreds of rounds.

My reloading process puts the brass through sizing then cleaning then polishing. After that I check the length and gauge each case. Then I trim and file if necessary. I don't load a case until it is perfect. That way after I load the case then when I put the cartridge through the gauge it passes 100% of the time. I know it might be a little extra work but I prefer not to tear apart cartridges unless necessary.

With that said recently I made 50 rounds of .38 SPL which is a new load I was sure would work well. It didn't. I had to take apart 49 of them. I usually never make more than 10 or 20 of a new load. DUMB.

Dave, sounds about right, and what works for you may not work for others barrels. However, if it ain't broke then don't fix it! especially if its operating lights out.  I haven't tried many powders being new to rifle cartridges, but Lil'G seems to be working great.

The Sierra 110 gr #2110s HP's cycled fine, nothing much to say about these, but I struggled to hit the red, almost thought my optic lost it's zero!  I would guess after all the holes i made probably 1.5" groups at only 50. These were loaded to 15.2 grains of Lil'G.

The Sierra 125 gr #2120s worked out to be the best for me. It seemed to be pretty accurate out from 50. 3/4" Keep in mind this is merely from a bench using only a bi-pod and a Vortex 3-9x40. 

I loaded these to 16.5 gr with no signs of over pressure or cycling issues. I've read up on some 20gr loads with the same OAL and setup!  (probably a waste since these are just fun plinking bullets  )

The Sierra 150 gr #2130's also felt pretty accurate from 50 again 3/4" just using a bench. 3-9 and a bi-pod. Might try only buy 110-168 grain bullets for my 300's, still very fun to tinker with!

The Hornady 150's FMJBT's with canncleurs were alright, not sure if it was the wind, or the way I built them, but for me it wasn't as accurate. After I finish off this box i'll probably stick to .308's without canneleurs. However, da buggers are cheap! at $21/100 or $130/700 19c a bullet! (meh, the price may bring me back.. always wait for free ship off midway)

Picked up these bullets by price, data and not by mere preference. I also saved a few of each batch since I didn't get to shoot these through my chrono. It was too windy at Schofield and I would of had to set it up pretty high to hit the berm. I didn't feel like blowing up my new toy with a 30 cal, lol.

Every batch cycled fine with bolt back minus one or two of the FMJHP's sticking on my new L5 mag. (looked like it was due to the case mouth hitting the new unworn front of the mag)

I haven't come across a huge batch where I had to pull them, just yet..    Hopefully it never happens!  I kind of like to crank them out when I have everything setup the way I want it. 

Not sure if I ever want to do revolver loads like 38 sp. One lil F up and them revolvers will auto chamber a round and not just jam like a pistol with a slide.

 

The Hornady 150's FMJBT's with canncleurs were alright, not sure if it was the wind, or the way I built them, but for me it wasn't as accurate. After I finish off this box i'll probably stick to .308's without canneleurs. However, da buggers are cheap! at $21/100 or $130/700 19c a bullet! (meh, the price may bring me back.. always wait for free ship off midway)

I just paid $20 for shipping at Midway so gotta make it a big enough order to make it worth it. Sportsmans Guide has cheap shipping about $4 to Hawaii so picked up a bunch of those cannelure 308s you mentioned.

I just paid $20 for shipping at Midway so gotta make it a big enough order to make it worth it. Sportsmans Guide has cheap shipping about $4 to Hawaii so picked up a bunch of those cannelure 308s you mentioned.

I usually don't buy anything from midway unless it has free shipping, lol... it's normally $17 to ship, think HI is $10 extra  I actually caught the free shipping on midway a week-ish ago on $150+ and bought a bunch of Sierra bullets. Actually debating brownells with the free ship for $99+ on more Sierra .308

Since you picked up bullets with canneleurs, assuming the Hornadys, just keep in mind when doing anything with a canneleur that if your brass isn't all sized 'exactly' the same (case OAL), the case mouth will never be exactly in the same spot on your bullet since your seating die will typically be set to one position (no clue what kind of press you use), and not adjusted on every cartridge. I ran into a headache when I first went at modified 223/556 cartridge like the 300 since I trim them all from the shoulder out with my equipment that I went with. It would kind of piss me off! Not to mention my seating die is second from the last hole on my progressive.

Also don't go crazy with the crimp with canneleurs. From my own experience (not much with rifle) a light to medium crimp, more light than medium  was perfect for me. It seemed that it was pretty much just to take the .001 slight bell off the mouth. It almost looked as if the mouth was still sort of still open next to the canneleur and merely grazing if not touching the canneleur. The canneleurs on my bullets I received felt like they were much deeper than the bullet sides surface and crimping it to the canneleur wall looked like too much, but that was just for me. Others with more experience can chime in on this.

Good luck, I'm actually sticking to anything without a canneleur in the 110-170 gr range, lol... It took some trial and error to get it how I wanted it with the 150 gr FMJBT Hornadys . Let me know what you put in them and your OAL if you don't mind.

 

I usually don't buy anything from midway unless it has free shipping, lol... it's normally $17 to ship, think HI is $10 extra  I actually caught the free shipping on midway a week-ish ago on $150+ and bought a bunch of Sierra bullets. Actually debating brownells with the free ship for $99+ on more Sierra .308

Midway has $10 off $100 but only includes select items. What a tease...

Since you picked up bullets with canneleurs, assuming the Hornadys, just keep in mind when doing anything with a canneleur that if your brass isn't all sized 'exactly' the same (case OAL), the case mouth will never be exactly in the same spot on your bullet since your seating die will typically be set to one position (no clue what kind of press you use), and not adjusted on every cartridge. I ran into a headache when I first went at modified 223/556 cartridge like the 300 since I trim them all from the shoulder out with my equipment that I went with. It would kind of piss me off! Not to mention my seating die is second from the last hole on my progressive.

This happened to me with Winchester 223 bullets that had varying lengths. It was driving me nuts until I sorted them with my caliper. I already loaded 80 which shot terribly but the remaining 20 shot well.

Also don't go crazy with the crimp with canneleurs. From my own experience (not much with rifle) a light to medium crimp, more light than medium  was perfect for me.

I crimp rather light. You can barely see the crimp line on the x39 ammo I just loaded. I don't like a heavy crimp because it deforms the brass too much.

Good luck, I'm actually sticking to anything without a canneleur in the 110-170 gr range, lol... It took some trial and error to get it how I wanted it with the 150 gr FMJBT Hornadys . Let me know what you put in them and your OAL if you don't mind.

I have the 223 ready to go to the range at 2.22" OAL. That's shorter than the Lyman 2.26" and longer than the Hornady 2.20". My 300 load was posted in my other thread, but I didn't measure the OAL. https://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=26240.msg234494#new

Love the reloading pics but you need to include a few target result pics. 

You should do this on Saturday. zippz is hosting.

https://www.meetup.com/HawaiiGGG/events/237335274/

You should do this on Saturday. zippz is hosting.

https://www.meetup.com/HawaiiGGG/events/237335274/

Unfortunately, won't be free this Saturday. 

What about Sunday? https://www.meetup.com/HawaiiGGG/events/237430916/

So I just received my order of 500 of the .308 147 gn FMJBT w/cannelure at 18 cents each. The average length is 1.118". This is what I measured out a sample of 58. I'm throwing out the outliers but I can live with the other results. I don't have the patience to measure all 500 but you get what you pay for.

<1.110   6%
1.110 – 1.114   19%
1.115 – 1.120   50%
1.121 – 1.125   22%
>1.125   2%

What about Sunday? https://www.meetup.com/HawaiiGGG/events/237430916/

So I just received my order of 500 of the .308 147 gn FMJBT w/cannelure at 18 cents each. The average length is 1.118". This is what I measured out a sample of 58. I'm throwing out the outliers but I can live with the other results. I don't have the patience to measure all 500 but you get what you pay for.

<1.110   6%
1.110 – 1.114   19%
1.115 – 1.120   50%
1.121 – 1.125   22%
>1.125   2%

I'm not much of a percision shooter.  Nearly all my loads are for cheap plinkers, dont spend a lot on being able to shoot out 20 round mags as I please, lol. I mostly shoot with rod and gun on Schofield. I hate taking a 42 minute drive to Kokohead. 

Did you pick up the Hornadys? Dont think they make a 147, in .308 I mentioned the Hornady 150 FMJBT. Diff brand you picked up?

They're labeled pulldowns but don't see any marks. The Sportsman's Guide ad says they're brand new, never loaded. 18 cents each plus free shipping. Can't beat that.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/500-count-of-308-fmj-147-grain-bullets?a=1925637

They're labeled pulldowns but don't see any marks. The Sportsman's Guide ad says they're brand new, never loaded. 18 cents each plus free shipping. Can't beat that.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/500-count-of-308-fmj-147-grain-bullets?a=1925637

Not a bad price for 500. Overall, after looking at most of them can you see any tooling marks or indication they were seated? From my understanding if they were sold as pulldowns then they were once installed, guessing mil surplus. If not, it would have been landed otherwise. Might just stick to the non canneleurs, but the price is so tempting.   

No marks. Grafs.com has a free shipping, $7.95 value deal through the 26th. The problem is that they follow up with a message that says "Full freight charges will be added to your order after it is placed
Because you've chosen to ship your order with an alternate shipping method, or are shipping outside the first 48 states, we will calculate the full freight charges and add them to your order after it has been placed."

https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/17379

I couldn't wait and loaded the .308 last night. The OAL was 2.13". Heading to KSC tomorrow afternoon.