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> Reloading with Sako Brass
Reloading with Sako Brass
@ 08:40 pm (GMT) |
VinceHi Everyone,I've been reloading with Hornady cases in my 7mm08 for a while now with great success, never had an issue with them. With the current shortages of components I have bought a couple of boxes of Sako 140 gr game head cartridges and wondered if anyone has had any experience with reloading the brass. I have powder and projectiles again but my Hornady cases are getting a little long in the tooth. Cheers Vince |
Replies
@ 08:13 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: Reloading with Sako BrassHi Vince, a very good subject to bring up at this time.I have reloaded Sako brass in the past and it was Ok. Do however compare both the capacity and also try to put a caliber over the neck of handloads to compare thickness. You will probably find that the capacity is a bit lower and the neck a couple of thou thicker. The same goes for Norma and Lapua. This may necessitate a reduction in charges of about 2 grains to maintain the sweet spot load that you would have had with Hornady brass. The tighter necks can be good, especially in a loose spec chamber. But this can also jack up pressures and place more of a strain on the case head / primer pocket, especially if using a suppressor or in a custom rifle / reamer which has been designed for U.S brass. In some instances, European brass should be neck turned for hand loading in order to alleviate suppressor spikes and to secure accuracy. Ultimately, one must set aside the armchair / internet myths of X brand of brass being of a finer pedigree than Y. One must deal with the facts at hand. A case in point can be found in the .30-06 FMR (and .30-06 FMR AI); I spent a good deal of time going back and forth trying to figure out the best neck dimension for the now very old .30-06 versus modern components. The SAAMI figure of .339" was actually quite wide and there was room to reduce the neck diameter of the cartridge in order to enhance accuracy. I went over a number of factory loads and also mil surp ammo and the numbers told me that I had no choice but to stay with .339" for the sake of safety. I was somewhat concerned that if I did not reduce this dimension, some long range target shooing boffin would scoff at the design but I decided I would just have to live with that. I wasn't going to be making any money from these reamers, the whole thing has always been about trying to reduce variables in order to help shooters achieve practical accuracy. After chewing it over for quite some time, I signed off on the original .339" min spec number. One of our forum members recently purchased a box of new production Lapua brass for his .30-06 FMR rifle. He loaded up, went to the range and found that the rifle maxxed out quite early in the game. We went over the numbers on the phone and following a check of the loaded case necks, we found that the cases were measuring .338" - a clearance of just .001" Had he used a muffler, pressures would have been even higher. Realistically, .004" is about the right amount amount of clearance one should aim for if chasing extreme accuracy without generating spikes / ES issues etc. .003 is OK but the pressures do build a bit. .005 to .007" is about normal for a general factory rifle set up and gives a bit of extra space for carbon caking, though poor maintenance will soon see that clearance disappear. Most guys shooting U.S brass in SAAMI spec chambers will have this wider (.006") clearance. If .006 sounds large, go set your caliper to .006" or .003" (.003" is the clearance per side) and try to look through it. In any case, there is certainly more to this game than "a tight chamber is more accurate" or "suppressors make a gun more accurate". Several factors have to be taken into account. As for the .30-06 Lapua brass, it had to be neck turned. .001 is the correct clearance for a rimless handgun which head spaces at the case mouth but is not well suited to the modern bolt action rifle which is often suppressed. I am still learning myself. I have taken many things for granted over the years, tested various rifles and declared that X cartridge is capable of X performance but without having all the facts in hand (individual rifle bias). If you read my .264 Win Mag article, then look at the latest post on this forum regarding a .264 Win Mag question, you will see what I mean. Dave Manson has helped me immensely, taking it upon himself to expand my understanding of cartridge design. I think if I could relay one piece of advice to the young and upcoming, it is that if you want to be truly successful in any field of research, try to get used to being wrong a lot and saying "I don't know". This is why I will generally ask a forum member to go away and check the brass / rifle / whatever for himself, especially with ongoing changes in the industry. |
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@ 09:31 pm (GMT) |
VinceRe: Reloading with Sako BrassThanks NathanI'll drop the charges and work back up again and see where that gets me. I'll measure the neck once I load some and let you know what the difference is Cheers Vince |
@ 10:22 pm (GMT) |
Michael SeagerRe: Reloading with Sako BrassI have used Sako brass in the past and find it good (Being in the UK see quite a lot of European brass and I generally find it pretty good quality).Also check the rim thickness with your shell holder. Some American shell holders are a little thin on the rim (CIP vs SAAMI difference maybe). If you find this, a Lee R10 seems to accommodate the case thickness a bit better - this is just something I have noticed. Could just be me but might save you some head scratching. Best wishes, Mike |
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@ 09:24 pm (GMT) |
VinceRe: Reloading with Sako BrassThanks for the heads up MikeLuckily most of my reloading gear including shell holders is Lee so I should be ok but is good to hear that you've had a positive experience with them Cheers Vince |
@ 08:19 pm (GMT) |
Jon ShortRe: Reloading with Sako BrassMeasure, measure, measure... aye Nathan ;-) |
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