I found e best use for stray 308, 243, 25-06, and 30-06 brass. I have been converting the longer brass (25-06 and 30-06) to 8 mm Mauser and the short brass to either 44 mag Automag or 7.92X33 (8mm Kurtz). For the Kurtz conversion, neck reaming is definitely required, but reloading it at $0.17 abound is much cheaper and if you anneal the necks before you ream them, you can get 6 or more reloads out of them, making it worth the effort to convert them. I am now reworking 243 brass, as t is very cheap down here. No one reloads it!
If you use too much lube and get a dent it will just fireform out so use the dented cases for practice, also weak reloading benches drive me nuts, just stick another leg under the bench behind the press to strengthen it up, makes the entire process much easier
You can also run the 308 in a 7mm -08 sizing die then the 243-die doing neck sizing in steps. I size all kinds of spent cases into other cartridges so by going in steps I don't lose brass. The same for 300 win brass I use for 338- and 7-mm Rem mag done in steps like run the 300-win brass in 338 sizing die for 7 mm Rem mag don't use the neck expander or 300 win for 338 just run in the 338 in the sizing die and cut the case to 338 length . I have 308 made from 30-06 - 270 win - 25-06 - 6mm Rem - 7mm Mauser - 8mm Mauser . I own an AR 10 chambered in 375 -300 WSM so all of the WSM cartridges I size to 375-300 WSM
I have a 280 ackley. Brass is never a problem. 280rem you just shoot and get 280ai, 30-06 neck down to 7mm and fire form to 280ai, 270win neck up and fire form.
Well... that was easy. Was thinking that once I get my mom her .243 and I get a new .308, would be cool to just have to buy brass for my rifle and convert some for her to use as well. Glad to see it's a way simpler process than if I got her a 6.5 creedmoor. =P
So does this resizing from .308 or 7.62x51 to .243 Win only require a standard Full Length Resize die? I understand the overall length is slightly shorter than .243 Win SAAMI trim to length, is it safe to assume this is safe to fire shorter, as well as after firing in rifle, will it then be in SAAMI spec length of .243,Win case range? Also, is the 7.62x51 NATO the only brass that you will find crimped primer pockets on, and not commercial .308 Win brass? Thanks for the video
@@officialwaybackwhen Oh ok, that makes sense that it would make it longer than .308 Win. And you are saying this is longer longer than .243 trim to length? This would be no issue as I have a case length trimmer. Thanks
Good video...I don't like the 243 and I had 10 boxes of once shot given to me ...so I just necked it up for my 308...just run it through a 7-mm08 die then the 308....shoots good....
You do not need to add any more lube than for normal sizing except maybe just a touch on the neck.....doing so risks hydraulic denting of the cases, these can happen anywhere on the case and are not limited to the shoulder. NEVER put ANY lube on the shoulders under any circumstances, that area contacts the die in a different way that the rest of the case and not only doesn't need lube, even a slight amount on the shoulder can dent the case due to the way the case and die interact in that area...
Forming cases is interesting and I have done it for many, particularly obsolete, rifle cartridges. Your video is informative and a good demonstration of what you can do, however, I would not recommend this particular conversion. .243 cases are simply too plentiful and reasonably priced to bother with all the fuss. Not to mention, you would have to work up handloads in the converted surplus cases. The military cases will have reduced capacity from factory .243 cases (thicker brass) and you should not take data directly out of the book for .243 factory cases. A good starting point is to weigh the water capacity of the two types of cases and reduce powder charges by the same percentage as the reduced water capacity. Example: Your surplus cases hold 10% less water (by weight) than the factory .243 cases, then reduce your starting powder charges 10% from what the manual suggests. When reducing the neck more than .02", such as you are here, it is best to ream the necks or (better) outside turn the case necks on a trimmer. If you choose to ream the necks, you should form the cases with dies, fire-form the cases in the rifle with a blank load using a small charge of fast burning pistol powder (3 grs. of Red Dot will do the trick), fill the case with cornmeal on top of the powder and plug the neck with wax (stick a candle into the neck, twist and pull it out leaving a wax plug behind). Fire these in an appropriate place, they are LOUD and send cornmeal everywhere! Then ream the necks BEFORE sizing them in a die. Outside neck turning can be done after neck forming/sizing and skip the fire-forming. Reaming the neck after it has been sized over an expander button will result in inadequate bullet tension. You should use one of these processes. Otherwise, when you seat bullets the outside diameter of the case necks can exceed specifications and be difficult or impossible to chamber (depending on your rifle). When working the case necks that much, annealing the necks before beginning the process would be preferred. In short...the "juice ain't worth the squeeze" for this particular conversion.
I found e best use for stray 308, 243, 25-06, and 30-06 brass. I have been converting the longer brass (25-06 and 30-06) to 8 mm Mauser and the short brass to either 44 mag Automag or 7.92X33 (8mm Kurtz). For the Kurtz conversion, neck reaming is definitely required, but reloading it at $0.17 abound is much cheaper and if you anneal the necks before you ream them, you can get 6 or more reloads out of them, making it worth the effort to convert them. I am now reworking 243 brass, as t is very cheap down here. No one reloads it!
Good vid, I would have annealed them first but it seemed to work for you. Have you used them. Did they split due to work hardening?
If you use too much lube and get a dent it will just fireform out so use the dented cases for practice, also weak reloading benches drive me nuts, just stick another leg under the bench behind the press to strengthen it up, makes the entire process much easier
Cool video dude👊🏼 Thank you!
Great stuff! I’m helping an old timer out by reloading some 243 for him. Need five more to get to 50 rounds. Gonna try this out later today!
You can also run the 308 in a 7mm -08 sizing die then the 243-die doing neck sizing in steps.
I size all kinds of spent cases into other cartridges so by going in steps I don't lose brass.
The same for 300 win brass I use for 338- and 7-mm Rem mag done in steps like run the 300-win brass in 338 sizing die for 7 mm Rem mag don't use the neck expander or 300 win for 338 just run in the 338 in the sizing die and cut the case to 338 length .
I have 308 made from 30-06 - 270 win - 25-06 - 6mm Rem - 7mm Mauser - 8mm Mauser .
I own an AR 10 chambered in 375 -300 WSM so all of the WSM cartridges I size to 375-300 WSM
Me, Me, Me, Give me your Brass!!!
I love converting brass and enjoy trying new ideas. great video.
FYI anneal the brass it helps out a lot.
I have a 280 ackley. Brass is never a problem. 280rem you just shoot and get 280ai, 30-06 neck down to 7mm and fire form to 280ai, 270win neck up and fire form.
Well... that was easy. Was thinking that once I get my mom her .243 and I get a new .308, would be cool to just have to buy brass for my rifle and convert some for her to use as well. Glad to see it's a way simpler process than if I got her a 6.5 creedmoor. =P
Very cool. I'm in no way a reloading expert, always love to learn though. Thanks for the content.
Thank you. Very helpful
I bet annealing the brass would have made it a bit easier...
yes next time I will definitely try that
and you are saying that because ? -because you heard some one else say it! you have never annealed a case neck ! or reformed a case!
So does this resizing from .308 or 7.62x51 to .243 Win only require a standard Full Length Resize die?
I understand the overall length is slightly shorter than .243 Win SAAMI trim to length, is it safe to assume this is safe to fire shorter, as well as after firing in rifle, will it then be in SAAMI spec length of .243,Win case range? Also, is the 7.62x51 NATO the only brass that you will find crimped primer pockets on, and not commercial .308 Win brass?
Thanks for the video
Running it through the resizing, die, shrinks the neck down and pushes material up. Length is never an issue you may need to trim
@@officialwaybackwhen Oh ok, that makes sense that it would make it longer than .308 Win. And you are saying this is longer longer than .243 trim to length? This would be no issue as I have a case length trimmer.
Thanks
dont suppose you ever loaded them or fired the rounds?
Tons of them.
Good video...I don't like the 243 and I had 10 boxes of once shot given to me ...so I just necked it up for my 308...just run it through a 7-mm08 die then the 308....shoots good....
Hey that press looks familiar ;)
I just did a bunch of 308 to 243. Ran it through a 7mm-08 die first. Could have been easier. Not military brass though.
You do not need to add any more lube than for normal sizing except maybe just a touch on the neck.....doing so risks hydraulic denting of the cases, these can happen anywhere on the case and are not limited to the shoulder.
NEVER put ANY lube on the shoulders under any circumstances, that area contacts the die in a different way that the rest of the case and not only doesn't need lube, even a slight amount on the shoulder can dent the case due to the way the case and die interact in that area...
do it in open size . Hardening the neck with sizing it back and forth. every time goes over the expander ball it is being worked ...
resized 308 brass to 243w it is about 2.010". 243w min trim size is 2.035".
The converted brass is .025" shorter than SAMMI specs.
"
'
"The converted brass is .025" shorter than SAMMI specs".....which is not a problem whatsoever...
@@TheWingnut58 Yep, longer is what builds up pressure. After a couple of firings he will be back up to specs
Man! That seems like a ton of work vs buying a bag of brass. Is it really worth it ?
its not work if you enjoy it.
What die is used?
Is this a special converting die or is it just the normal sizing die?
@@officialwaybackwhen Thanks for the info!
The 7.62x51 case will be also covertible in 243??
I ask cause there are difference in psi between 308/7.62x51.
Peter blackburn it should convert. Try it the worst thing that could happen is the case walls would be too thick at the neck or you seat the bullet.
Don't mix your mil brass with your standard 243 brass. Mil brass is thicker and will be a higher pressure with standard loads. (About 10-15%)
Forming cases is interesting and I have done it for many, particularly obsolete, rifle cartridges. Your video is informative and a good demonstration of what you can do, however, I would not recommend this particular conversion. .243 cases are simply too plentiful and reasonably priced to bother with all the fuss. Not to mention, you would have to work up handloads in the converted surplus cases.
The military cases will have reduced capacity from factory .243 cases (thicker brass) and you should not take data directly out of the book for .243 factory cases. A good starting point is to weigh the water capacity of the two types of cases and reduce powder charges by the same percentage as the reduced water capacity. Example: Your surplus cases hold 10% less water (by weight) than the factory .243 cases, then reduce your starting powder charges 10% from what the manual suggests.
When reducing the neck more than .02", such as you are here, it is best to ream the necks or (better) outside turn the case necks on a trimmer. If you choose to ream the necks, you should form the cases with dies, fire-form the cases in the rifle with a blank load using a small charge of fast burning pistol powder (3 grs. of Red Dot will do the trick), fill the case with cornmeal on top of the powder and plug the neck with wax (stick a candle into the neck, twist and pull it out leaving a wax plug behind). Fire these in an appropriate place, they are LOUD and send cornmeal everywhere! Then ream the necks BEFORE sizing them in a die. Outside neck turning can be done after neck forming/sizing and skip the fire-forming. Reaming the neck after it has been sized over an expander button will result in inadequate bullet tension. You should use one of these processes. Otherwise, when you seat bullets the outside diameter of the case necks can exceed specifications and be difficult or impossible to chamber (depending on your rifle).
When working the case necks that much, annealing the necks before beginning the process would be preferred.
In short...the "juice ain't worth the squeeze" for this particular conversion.
Anneal it and do it in one pass.
😎🇺🇸🔥