Reloading 308 brass

[slimm2]

I am inquiring as to what peoples takes are on reloading 308 cal. I have heard people say that they put a slight crimp on the brass after the projectile is seated, and I also heard that some people say that they do not put a crimp on the casing when reloading.

Also, if you could give a reason why one way is better than the other based on reloading experience or first hand knowledge.

I have read so many articles and that may be the problem, too much research.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Slimm2

 

[byf43]

Loading/reloading the .308/7.62x51mm is E•A•S•Y.

I use RCBS dies and have found that I don't need to put a crimp in the cases that I load.
I load the Sierra MatchKing 168 gr BTHP and the Sierra GameKing 165 gr BTHP, almost exclusively.

There seems to be enough neck tension on the boolit, that crimping isn't necessary or needed.

 

[SKIP]

I do not crimp for bolt guns but for semi automatics. For semi automatics just so the bullet is not pushed back in the case during loading into the chamber.

 

[BFMIN]

It depends on several things which is right for you.
If you don't have a cannelure in the bullet, don't crimp.
If you don't have any bullet setback in the magazine with uncrimped rounds you don't have to crimp.

If you use a semi-auto you may need to crimp as the chambering tends to be violent, compared to a bolt gun.

If you have a high capacity magazine the last bullet tends to get slammed by recoil more often before firing so a crimp is probably an advantage.

The accuracy debate on crimping stems mainly from 3 things. The regularity of pressure releasing the bullet from the case neck, the slight bulge in the supposedly dead parallell case neck caused during crimping & the need to allways trim before crimping so you get an exactly duplicated crimp.

What I do is to slightly reduce the diameter of my expander ball with a power drill & fine abrasives instead of crimping. This supposedly gives me the best of both worlds. I must admit I've never had a problem with this method, so maybe its worth checking out?

 

[R357]

I usually give them a light crimp mainly because I am running most of my rounds in semi-autos and also because I believe it provides a bit more uniformity to brass pressure on the bullet.

 

[lx1x]

Light to no crimp for me. Typically i do a table test. Pressing on bullet, if I can push the bullet with enough pressure and it moves, redo. If not.. good to go. I shoot mostly semi.

 

[slimm2]

A lot of good info. Thanks for the input.

 

[WheelHead]

Savage F/TR .308.
I have assorted brass but keep them in groups. CCI Benchrest Primers, Varget powder, 168gr SMK BTHP and no crimp. Kills in this rifle.

 

[101combatvet]

I am inquiring as to what peoples takes are on reloading 308 cal. I have heard people say that they put a slight crimp on the brass after the projectile is seated, and I also heard that some people say that they do not put a crimp on the casing when reloading.

Also, if you could give a reason why one way is better than the other based on reloading experience or first hand knowledge.

I have read so many articles and that may be the problem, too much research.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Slimm2

No crimp needed. Without the crimp you will always get better accuracy.... all things considered. Thousands of rounds down range without a problem.

 

[Russ D]

No crimp.

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

I dont crimp for ANY bolt guns. For a Semi Auto, you may want to. You can do a few checks to see if its a good idea.

The table test stated above is a good check.

You can also make a dummy round, no powder, no primer, but a bullet seated to proper COL. Read your COL on your dummy round, and load it into a magazine of the rifle you want to check. Chamber the round from the mag (dont single feed it) letting the gun slam shut on its own (dont ride or assist the bolt). Then manually eject the case.

Take your calipers, and remeasure the dummy round, to make sure the COL has not changed to shorter or longer. If the COL has changed, then a crimp may be needed.

 

[BenL]

I don't crimp for bolt or semi.

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

What I do is to slightly reduce the diameter of my expander ball with a power drill & fine abrasives instead of crimping. This supposedly gives me the best of both worlds. I must admit I've never had a problem with this method, so maybe its worth checking out?

People use neck dies to accomplish the exact opposite; to provide less neck tension.

 

[slimm2]

Thanks for all the input.