M14 Forum

dougfxdl

Warren- if I can help you with the process, let me know. I'm local and load for the M1A.

82nd ABN

That would be GREAT!!! I just need to figure out which tools I will be buying. I just got done de priming another freezer bag of 308. I am done with 308 and only have one freezer bag of 223 to go and I will start ordering more tools.

TexIndian

Nice tools can be an addiction. They can also be the source of great frustration. A tool that measures to .001 makes you think you've done some good work, and then you get one that measures to .00001 and you realize your work isn't consistent at all (at least it seems that way). More than once I've been tempted to put tape over the last couple digits on some electronic tools just so I won't get distracted by the different readings. I don't see how machinists do it.

Another source of frustration is that brass doesn't always do what you expect it to do. One example is the rule of thumb that brass will rebound about .001 when it comes out of a die, etc. New brass may rebound more and older brass may do less. And two cases that came out of the bag together may react different to a given tool. It can get baffling at times if you sweat the tiny details too much.

82nd ABN

I hear ya. When I was looking for a digital angle finder to use in conjunction with the badger alignment gauge, I saw starrett gauges. They were accurate to within 1/100th of a degree and cost a couple of hundred dollars. I wound up getting one from sears on sale for 30 dollars. I figure if the barrel is indexed and the angle finder reads 0/0 I am accurate to within 1/10 of a degree which is the tolerance of the gauge. Good enough for govt work right.

82nd ABN

So i have read and re read this thread several times now. I am 100% certain I will be getting the Redding instant indicator with the components needed to check .223 .308 and 30-06 I am also going to get the davidson tool and sinclair bump gauge. I am a tool freak like the rest of you so if the redding tool does the job of the davidson and bump gauges so be it I can check one against the other an the two are not very expensive. I have also decided that I will get the redding competition shell holder set. Teindian, I know you mention the washers you spoke of on the phone the other day. i forgot who made them, can you let me know again, i would like to look into them closer. I am a little puzzled though as to exactly where they get placed on the resizing die. I thought the bodies were all one piece. Does it go under the locking ring on top of the press? If it does you still need to remove the lock ring and it seems to defeat the purpose. If I have to remove the lock ring I might as well readjust the die for each different case HS length. A little puzzled on that one. I do like the idea of the washers due to the smaller increments of adjustment. I have put together an order form for redding. I took the liberty of sending my fathers FFL in so he is now a redding dealer. I got a purchase order from him and I am going to go to town at the end of the month. So far with his discount not including the 8.25% tax i have to pay the state, I am just shy of 1200 dollars. I figure with all that and a few pieces I will add from sinclairs and the case trimmer and powder measure the bench will be 100% complete by the end of march and I will have also paid my dam taxes to uncle sam. Have to spread it out over the next couple of months so I have the coin for uncle first. At the end of the day i figure with what I have already purchased to include powder bullets primers, the hollywood turret press, the dillon case separator and cleaner I will be in the neighborhood of 3500 dollars. I figure with the amount of brass I have in 223 308 and 30-06 the equipment will have paid for itself by the time the 308 brass has been loaded four times. Not to mention a new passion to go with competition shooting. I think I might have to hang up the fishing rods and golf clubs soon. Ah I dont think so LOL. Again thanks for all your help.

30Caliber

Make sure you get a power driven case trimmer, especially if you're going to be shooting matches. In fact, I'd recommend if you find a way to get a motor into action on any step you take involving a cutter.

There will be measurable variation anytime you use a cutter; it's going to be highly dependent on how consistent your technique is, so put your focus on doing it the same each time and don't worry so much about the dial indicator. Some trimmers index off the shoulder (so you've got your sizing variation rolled in as well) and some index off the head (which the M1A is very hard on; nicks and distortion). Normal trim length variation doesn't make a measurable diff on a target though.

Back to headspace: there's going to be variation (0.002" is doing pretty good) there due to differences in harness of the cases. Good lubrication is key to consistent shoulder lengths. The standard (non-carbide) expander ball will tend to pull the shoulder forward if you don't lube the inside of the case necks.

So cutting, sizing, and charging variability are all highly dependent on how you operate the equipment.

dozier

Rojkoh, Read you post and got interested in the metal bb's above. Thought I'd do a little research on the as I'm always looking for a better way to tumble. Neither Midway lists it in thier Cat. nor does Lyman list it in thier media section. Could it be that it's somebody elses product? Really interested in looking into it. dozier

10mmShooter

Hi 82nd,

Ive been watching the this thread and resisting the urge to jump and give advice and opinions as we all have them, but since you are starting from the ground up I thought I would provide my experience.

Firstly to answer your question the Redding Competition shell holders set they clip onto the ram of you press, I have marked blue arrow in my picture. As you may know they are made of varying thickness and allow you swap them out vs having to loosen move and reset you sizing die. This lets you fine tune you headspace during the resizing operation. I use these shell holders only during the case sizing operation. I'm not running back downstairs to look but they run in sizes from .004 to .009 or so I think 6 came in the set for $45 or so.

So heres how I load for my Springfield m1a loaded, start to finish and I'll be as brief as possible. Firstly component selection. I try as best I can to replicate the M-852 cartridge. This is the ONLY round I load for my M1a. I have made the decision to stick with a proven cartridge combination, I need nothing any better since the rifle will out shot my aging eyes and skill at this point. So component list is Lake City brass x1 brass usually fired from a 240 bravo but that's okay the LC brass is good, currently I'm using a large lot of LC-07, Sierra MK-168 bullet, the only powder IMR-4895, 40.5 grains is the charge weight I use across my chrony it yields 2570 fps, with CCI-34 primers.

Raw brass prep goes like this


step 1. 1x LC brass acquired(hopefully in larger lots to get same years), tumble until its as shiny as you like

step 2. De-prime military crimped primers on Redding big boss single stage with RCBS universal de-capper

step 3. Flash hole de burr(do this prior to swaging), (only has to be done 1 time on the initial case prep)

step 4 Remove military crimp on Dillon Super swage(only has to be done 1 time on the initial case prep)

step 5. re-size brass to proper spec for your rifle...for me that's 0.00 to minus .001 on the RCBS precision mic,(the RCBS tool is a comparator, so I checked 100 once fired casing from my specific rifle they averaged +.003 on the RCBS mic after ejection from my rifle, so I need to push back the shoulders .003, this amount will yield a reading of 0.000 on the RCBS or less, again you need make sure to push the should back just far enough to allow reliable chambering and no FTF but not so much as to overwork the brass(remember you will only use the brass for 4 reloading max, some will stay 3 reloadings max for the MIA) I resize on my Redding BB II with Redding full length resizing die, with a .336 Ti-nitride neck bushing, I resize in a single step and use imperial sizing wax, with the right amount of wax even resizing the LC mg brass is not hard.(initial resizing of Mil brass should be done as a single operation, and should be done in a smooth fluid motion, no man handling of your press otherwise you will get inconsistent results from the sizing operation. It is critical that each and every single piece brass is mic'd and verify that its sized correctly.

step 6. Trim to length using the RCBS powered trimmer 2.005, using a 3 headed cutter it trims, and chamfers the inside and outside of the case.

step 7 Using the RCBS case prep station uniform primer pockets as needed, this step is critical for an autoloader to make sure the primer is seated well below the base of cartridge to lessen the chance of OOB ignition.(only done on 1 time on the initial case prep)

step 8 Off to the Dillon 650 for final loading in the picture you will see, I'm only doing 3 operations on the 650, I prime the brass, charge the case with powder and seat bullet. I used the Redding competition seating die, the dial mic is great for dialing in the in the seating depth and getting the COL to 2.80 inches.
step 9 . Verify the finished product cross the scales at 388.5 to 390 grains...with a 40.5g charge and the LC-07 brass. Different brass lots will weigh differently. Then run each round through the Dillon case gauge to make sure everything looks good.

Redding Big Boss II and resizing


Case prep area RCBS Trim mate and Protrimer


Final loading on the Dillon 650

RAMMAC

I wonder if Rojkoh is referring to using stainless steel media?

http://www.accurateshooter.com/techn...ainless-media/