forming and reloading 300blk from LC brass

[jaime1982]

So after much reading and videos I'm deciding to form my own 300 blackout brass for reloading. I have my HF saw, and my jig just came in today. Here is what's on the menu. 208g Amax for subs and 125g sst for a hunting round. I plan using H110 and lil gun per Hornady 9th edition. Any advice or suggestions from you guys that form your own?

[aggie_archer]

I have had real good luck with 125 gr nosler BT's. Never shot the hornadays but I bet they will shoot good. I'm shooting 125 gr nosler over 16 grains of h110 using cci #41 primers. Curious to see how reforming goes, please update looking at getting all the same tools to start reforming 300 Bo brass.

[sir shovelhands]

THERE'S A JIG?! I did my cases all the fun and dangerous way, by holding it with my hand .

The way I did it was:

full length size without de-capping pin
Cut
Full length size w/decapper
Trim/chamfer
Load

Also if you need any lil'gun, I've got a TON.

[hoythitman]

I cut off at shoulder clean cut with old chamfer tool. Ran through sizing die, trimmed, chamfered and loaded.

[Mike D]

What kind of rifle will you shoot these in? Bolt action or AR?

[Gummi Bear]

I have made up about 1,200 pieces in the last few months

When you use the chopsaw, set your jig to cut the brass about .020" long.

I can never seem to get the jig perfectly square, so I square it during trimming. I use a "Worlds Finest Trimmer". Chuck it in a drill. It is awesome.

I treat all my brass the same: remove military crimp, square primer pocket, deburr flash hole, full length size, stainless media tumble, deburr throat. My buddy and I are now working on an annealing station, so that will be an added step to brass prep.

[jaime1982]

Good info guys keem em coming. Mike, I have both AR and bolt but leaning to the bolt.

[Gummi Bear]

Here's the steps in how I made my brass in order:

Deprime on a universal deprimer
Cut brass to rough length
Deburr neck slightly
Deburr flash hole
Remove military crimp
Square primer pocket
Stainless media tumble
Full length size (I have the Hornady dies)
Trim and square cartridge mouth
Deburr neck
Stainless media tumble again

Depending on whether I want shinier brass, or it dulls from handling, is what determines the time it spends in the second tumble. If it is already pretty clean, I will run it for an hour or so just to get the lube off and smooth out the deburred neck a tad. If I want super shiny, I'll give it 3 hours or so.

I rinse the brass thoroughly after stainless tumble (in the container) just carefully pouring off any soapy water, until it is clear and clean. Fill the container most of the way up with water, and lift the brass out neck down, so all the pins fall out, and keep an eye on the flash holes (sometimes pins get stuck in them, they pop right out with a knife tip) and toss them in the food dehydrator for a ½ hour cycle and they are dry and ready to go.

It takes me about the same amount of time to pull my brass out of the water and clear pins as it did in the walnut media we used before.

[jaime1982]

^^^Great info, I'll post up some updates as I get started. I didn't have time yesterday.

[Gummi Bear]

Oh, and another thing:

Watch the case wall thickness of your brass.

The only brass I have found so far that is too thick to go into chamber with a projectile loaded is Sellier & Belloit. I suppose you could turn the necks to make them work, but I'm not at a point where I have the desire to.

I have made cases now out of Federal, Hornady, Remington, Winchester and Lake City. I have settled on Lake City, and that is what I have made most of my BLK brass from.

[flyby]

I just cut mine off with a dremel bit (yes, slow and a little hazardous with no jig), full length resize, then trim with World's Finest Trimmer.

[jaime1982]

Ok so i finally got around to forming some sorted LC 2013 brass. Rough cut is coming out at 1.380 and trim length is 1.355-1.358. Im trimming with the lee trimmer and a power drill. The spec calls for 1.368-.020. Is this the trim length yall are going to?

[jaime1982]

more progress

So today I made some more progress with my reloading. I have made about 350 pieces of brass and figured I have enough for now. Time to start loading, Im starting with the 208 grain Amax since thats what I shoot sub-suppressed (Hornady). I actually ended up trimming brass to 1.600 and loading starting with 7.8,7.4,7.0, and 6.8 grains of lil gun and WSR primers. I made 5 rds each giving me a starter bullet to make sure no tumbles and 4 to get a group. COL is 2.200 just like the factory 208 that I paid $1.00 per round and ended up about $0.44 per round with my reloads. I plan to shoot these this week when I have some time.

Bullet on left is factory and bullet on right is mine!
Ill post up results when I get to go to the range and try em out.

[z3gsr]

Good Stuff Subscribed

[Cajun Blake]

OP,

looking good brother

do you have a bullet comparator tool ?

extremely helpful when reloading to set up dies and determine ogive to base OAL.

this one is made by Sinclair and has 6 different calibers