setting shoulders back

[swampratt]

I did some measuring on my 243 winchester fired and FLS cases.
fired cases measure 1.637" to the 0.400" datum. same as my .308...
But the sized cases measure 1.635" only setting the shoulder back .002"

This is with the die twisted in to touch the shell holder then another 1/2 turn more.
Luck of the draw i suppose..
Nice to be able to measure this length .
For a cheap mossberg 100atr that .243 is very accurate.

 

[MoBoost]

I use RCBS case gauge and Forrester bushing/shoulder bump die.
In my FTR rig I shoot pretty heavy loads and I bump the shoulder .001" when neck sizing - so that the bolt closes without effort. I anneal every other time. I am expecting the brass to last till the primer gives out, and since it's Palma (small primer) brass - I am not planning to buy any brass in any foreseeable future.

 

[Revived]

Just a thought... To me anyway - that's too much time spent on win brass... invest in a Redding FLS Match die and spend all the extra time at the range improving shooting skills...

 

[swampratt]

I have given thought to another die for my .308.
But my groups are ok for now ...when i get some Norma brass
I will probably invest in another die to go with it..
Wouldn't it suck if winchester brass and lee dies do better...
Hey it is just money..
I have heard some negatives from the few people that got lapua brass in 2013
Neck thickness all over the map and weight was all over also...

Keeps me from investing in different brass...
It is just a savage 10fp with 24" barrel and i have $160 in it including scope...HA I love bargains !!!

 

[Revived]

Nothing wrong with looking for bargains… Your platform is fine… As far as brass – all manufacturers have lot variables… you’ll pay more for a lower percentage of these differences and you simply set aside the high/low oddballs because – it’s all about consistency… I know you’ve seen me preach this before, but I sense your effort and want you to realize your shooting potential… More trigger time will get you there… This is a lame analogy but it happened to me a few years ago… I had a musician friend wanting me to check out his gun… He had a more expensive “off the shelf” gun and thought he should be a much better shot than he was… or there must certainly be something wrong with it… I put some rounds down range and he was embarrassed to say the least – but he did add something I’ll never forget… He said “the best guitar players always could make a $20 guitar sound like a million bucks”… There’s a 80/20 rule for shooters… 20% consistently make the winners circle the other 80% spend their valuable trigger time looking for a better gun and/or perfect ammo only to lose interest… Just sayin’

 

[swampratt]

I hear you ...I can't dope winds as good as some people.
But i can put good groups on paper and animals..never shot much past 400 yards.
I will in the near future though..
I did order some brass..100 rounds of Lapua
I love my 4 hunting plinking rifles and all shoot awesome..The only one i can't keep under an inch is the model 94 30-30
I will not get any other rifles any time soon.

 

[Shadowrider]

You guys should not worry about your brass or set ups with the brass getting longer when you size them. They are only following the laws of physics. When you squeeze the body back down to size the metal has to go somewhere. The only place it has to go is towards the shoulder end. And that's why you have to bump it back into place to get it to chamber. Like you are seeing, theoretically you can take the shoulder right to where your chamber puts it and it should chamber fine. Theoretically.... Now reality needs another .001 or so if it's not a bolt gun.

O/P your brass life sucked because your were bumping back .0085". That works great for chambering right up to the point that the case gives up the ghost. Sounds like you are on the right track. Now you will have to check all your rifles in this caliber and set it for the shortest one, or load rifle specific ammo for each.

 

[swampratt]

Sounds like you are on the right track. Now you will have to check all your rifles in this caliber and set it for the shortest one, or load rifle specific ammo for each.
Thanks. I figured i was headed the correct direction.

Lucky for me i only have one of each .243 win .308 win 30-06 and 30-30 all are bolt action except the model 94.
2 like winchester brass and 2 like remington.
My 30-30 with a 150gr bullet and 3031 powder liked the bullet at a different OAL than when i used BL(c)-2 powder.
I have over the years narrowed my powder and brass and bullet choice down to a certain recipe in each gun..

Will need to start over with the .308 when my new brass gets here.