Making 300BLK Brass

[fritzcat]

I was loading the 300 long before the blackout was conceived and never annealed any brass. I first ran brass through Redding short sizer then have a grinder with disk cutter mounted in vise to cut at shoulder. then inserted in RCBS powertrimmer. Works fast and easy. Then you can develop your own loads to be the quietest and lightest bullets for plinking or hunting.

 

[Shorts]

My drill has a deadman switch. Full speed is the best I've found. My battery drill wasn't fast enough and would grab and pull the cases.

Ah ok. That gives me an idea that should work.

 

[scap99]

Ok, just so you all know...REDDING freakin' ROCKS!

I stuck a case in my sizing die, mangled the decapping rod and button extracting the case. Emailed them my sob story, and expected to be billed for a replacement or told where to buy one. NOPE!! I get in the mail a few days later, a new decapping rod and two new buttons!!!

This is the type of service that I've come to expect from Dillon. I was pleasantly surprised that Redding was just as good to me!

That is all for now. I'm a go crank out some .300blk on my XL650 with Redding dies, but this time the cases are PROPERLY lubed.

 

[guyver0313]

Now, according to Hogdon, the Trim Length for 300 AAC is 1.363". Now, I have been looking into doing the chop saw thing (even have that little HF 2" chop saw). So, given that the brass will effectively have a new shoulder shaped into it, what would be the length somebody could recommend chopping the .223/5.56 down to?

 

[smschulz]

Scap, I knew I had seen this. You could use this to hold your case while trimming it.

K&M Shooting - Shell Holder Retainer/Power Adapter and Handle

That looks like a cool tool. I don't know why they haven't made a way to attach the WFT to a reloading press yet. They would also need a way to secure the bottom like the Sinclair hand primer though. Mine is mounted in a cheap desktop drill press.

 

[Vern1]

Now, according to Hogdon, the Trim Length for 300 AAC is 1.363". Now, I have been looking into doing the chop saw thing (even have that little HF 2" chop saw). So, given that the brass will effectively have a new shoulder shaped into it, what would be the length somebody could recommend chopping the .223/5.56 down to?

I made about 600 brass for the 300BO using the Harbor Freight chop saw.
I cut them off right behind the original .223/5.56 shoulder, deburred/chamfered lightly and then lubbed well using One-Shot and sized them.
After I sized them, I cut to proper length using a standard Redding brass trimmer set to proper length.

Still can't believe the time and money I wasted on that round...LOL!

 

[Sam Colt]

I'm not convinced that annealing adds that much life to the brass.

You're probably correct, but all indications are that it contributes to accuracy. At least that is the consensus on other forums.

 

[TXARGUY]

How in the hell did I miss this thread?

 

[deemus]

I made about 600 brass for the 300BO using the Harbor Freight chop saw.
I cut them off right behind the original .223/5.56 shoulder, deburred/chamfered lightly and then lubbed well using One-Shot and sized them.
After I sized them, I cut to proper length using a standard Redding brass trimmer set to proper length.

Still can't believe the time and money I wasted on that round...LOL!

How much trimming did you have to do? I paid $25 for 50 new brass. I have a crap load of 223 brass, so I may need to try this.

 

[deemus]

Now, according to Hogdon, the Trim Length for 300 AAC is 1.363". Now, I have been looking into doing the chop saw thing (even have that little HF 2" chop saw). So, given that the brass will effectively have a new shoulder shaped into it, what would be the length somebody could recommend chopping the .223/5.56 down to?

Thanks for the heads up on the trimmer at China Freight. That thing is golden. $32 for those interested.


My new Hornady manual shows case length to be 1.400.

I cut the shoulder off, resized with my Lee dies, and trimmed using my Lee case trimmer. But it ended up 1.355. Very close to 1.363. I am thinking maybe adjust the trimmer a bit.

Edit - just measured my brand new Hornady brass, and they are 1.360. Exactly. Guess I will use that for my length.

 

[deemus]

Took me about 4 cases to get everything adjusted just right. But man is that easy. I was a little scared of it (saws make me nervous) and didn't want to screw up my 223 brass for no good reason.

The little China Freight saw works like a charm. I figured out if I align the left side of the vise that holds it, with the groove above the rim, it cuts at just the right spot. And its fast too. Kudos to whoever mentioned that thing. The best $32 I've spent in some time.

A little chamfer rub, and some One Shot lube, and its ready for the resizing die.

The Lee die works great. You literally cannot tell the difference (after trimming) between the case I just created, and the brand new Hornady cases I paid out the ass for.

After the sizing, I put it in my Lee drill trimmer and trim it to length. When it stops biting, its done.

I plan to tumble them after I get a few more completed.

I did around 60 of them last night, with minimal effort. I have a little factory setup in my garage. Workbench one has the chop saw and chamfer on it. I also have a brass tray to spray the lube on there. Move them to the press and resize. Then on to workbench three where I have the drill setup to trim them.

 

[deemus]

View attachment 21458



I had to buy a new lithium battery for my Riobi cordless drill. But on speed 2 (high) it worked great.

Processed appx 200 of them, and here is the final polished product. I just can't believe how easy this is to do.

 

[UtopiaTx]

A lot of 300 Blk loads are substantually lower pressure than say....223 and annealing is not as important. I have some converted 300 Blk brass I've reloaded a dozen times or so and it still works just fine. Annealing is a good idea but depends on your loads and how often you recycle.

 

[robocop10mm]

I make 8 X 57 from .270 and .280 brass. I make .308 brass from .243. I have reformed 6mm Rem to 7 X 57. Anealing helps prevent splits and lengthens case life. It also returns the neck to its malleable state so you get a better gas seal upon firing. Less sooty residue on the case and in the chamber.

Anealing is easy. I use a propane torch. I stand the cases in a pie pan with about 1/2 inch of water. Heat the necks till cherry red and tip them over in the water.

I use a red magic marker on the base of the cases to let me know the head stamp is no longer indicative of the actual caliber.

 

[foghorn]

I made this about a year ago, seems like it fits in here.

 

[deemus]

I made this about a year ago, seems like it fits in here.

Nice video, any more?

 

[OldCannon]

I really like Nic Taylor's video on forming/loading 300 BLK. To the point.