Making mixed case rifle ammo

[gemihur]

Well Guys, an interesting thread, but how do I allow the 'mix' of my cases to include primer size? I reload for the 6.5 Grendel and can't afford Lapua brass so I form 'em from 7.62x39.
Only RP offers the small primer pocket and all others have large. My recipe calls for small magnum rifle primers so how to they compare with large standard rifle primers ignition-wise?
Just curious as to substitution and apprehensive to use large magnum rifle primers in such a diminutive case.

 

[swampratt]

gemihur you will need a chrony and you will need to do some load testing if you want to
mix large and small primers..Sometimes a large standard primer will shoot close to the same as the small magnum primer,

Only one real way to test the theory is to do it.
You may research small primer .308 lapua cases vs large primer cases.
Larger volume than your 6.5.
But the small primer .308 case seems to need magnum primers and some feel in really cold weather it does not work at all and you will get a hang fire.
But that is .308

That is why i say you need a chrony and need to test... I would chill some rounds also and shoot those with some that sat in the sun.

 

[gemihur]

Thanks for added environmental influence, swampratt, I will pass them thru the chrony next time at the range.
I'd probably do best just to keep them separate and use them as the conditions best suit the components after ascertaining their most suitable season of application.
Man, what a mouthful!
Maybe buying a batch of once-fired Lapua from the AR guys and use some decent cases would be easier, huh?

 

[swampratt]

Welcome to the forum gemihur!
I got to the point i was chasing my tail searching for winchester brass for my .308
After 2 batches of 100+ rounds i purchased that were not usable(in my book for my picky self) i broke down and got new lapua .308 brass.
Not any really good used brass for cheap like there used to be.



I wish i had done that from the start.
3rdgss has that 6.5 brass for for 92 bucks.
Yes seems high now..
So far my 1x and 4x fired lapua cases shoot the same place
I even got some for my 243 after using it in my .308

 

[magna19]

So I don't have a ton of the same head stamp 223/556 and want to create a general plinking/unwanted farm critter load using the 400+ 55gr sp bullets I have around.

The rifle shoots sub moa with my 60gr nosler handloads and almost moa with lc 55 gr stuff

My question is can I expect to get reasonable accuracy out of a run of mixed case ammo?

I feel if I could get 2" groups or less at 100y I would be happy. That's minutes of armadillo!


Sent via message in a bottle

After shooting my Savage in .204 ruger this morning I remembered this thread about mixed headstamp. After trying 26.3 gr. W748 CCI 400 Win. Case Berger 40 gr. Varmint Match bullet, I loaded some mixed headstamps (1 Federal 2 Hornady 2 Winchester) with same load and shot one of the tightest 5 shot @100 yd. group i ever shot. Was hoping to get something fairly accurate in a powder that I can throw from the RCBS powder measure without weighing each charge. I may have found something here.

 

[swampratt]

Ain't that the shits magna19.
Whey you think you are doing everything right by sorting cases by weight and other parameters then toss in a mixed headstamp group like that.

And it shoots better than all others..
I sorted a bunch of brass by weight same headstamp LC 05.. after trimming and sizing and after measuring .

All weights shot for groups were within 2 tenths of a grain.
I also had some for kicks that were either 4 or 7 grains different in weight...Those was the ones that shot the tightest group that day.
makes you think.

 

[turkeyrun]

I have almost every headstamp available in belted magnum that I have sized and loaded to 7mmRemMag. In my Ruger 77 I have no problem with 4" groups @300 yards.

We HAD a guy at our deer camp who would pick up any cartridge he saw. I had just come in and we were standing at my tailgate. I took the shells out of my pocket and laid them on the tailgate. I didn't see him pick them up.
I hear, "what in the hell are you shooting?"
I look and he is reading my head stamps.
1. .257 Weatherby
2. .300 Weatherby
3. .300 Winchester
4. .338 Winchester
5. .32 Remington



I tell him I have the new Ruger Belted VersaMag. It will shoot ANY belted magnum.

He says, "remind me NOT to borrow shells from you."