.284 Win into 7.5 Swiss?

[longhorngunman]

I just got a reloading set and dies. I've read about turning 284 Win into 7.5 Swiss instead of paying out the wazoo for Swiss brass. Question, I've read that it is best to anneal the cases. Should I anneal before I full length resize or after resizing or can I hold off until after a few firings? BTW I bought the Imperial sizing wax that was recommended.

 

[blfuller]

Go here and search:
http://p083.ezboard.com/btheswissriflesdotcommessageboard

Check out the reloading section. Lost of stuff on .284 brass.

 

[bowfin]

How much are you paying for 7.5 Swiss brass?

Hornady makes loaded Swiss Ammo for $19.99 a box, which isn't exactly cheap shooting, but you do get boxer primed brass in the end.

 

[ocabj]

Been there. Done that. 284 brass isn't hard to neck up. Just use a lot of lube on the neck. But if you can, just get Graf's 7.5 brass. If it's stock, snap some up. Decent brass and you save yourself the work of necking up.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I'm pretty shure .284 win brass costs MORE than grafs 7.5x55 brass.

 

[iamkris]

Yeah, why would you go and use .284 when you can order Graf's brass for something like $27 / 100?

 

[Sam Adams]

I'm pretty shure .284 win brass costs MORE than grafs 7.5x55 brass.

Yeah, why would you go and use .284 when you can order Graf's brass for something like $27 / 100?

+1. I got 100 cases before the "shortage" of 2005, and 100 cases afterwards. I'll have those for a while (figuring 4 or 5 loadings before the brass isn't safe), and then I'll order more.

 

[longhorngunman]

If they had it in stock I'd be more than happy to buy it, but they are currently out of stock. All they have is the Norma brass and I ain't paying $1 a case until I have to. Well went ahead and tried to resize the .284, it opened up the neck just fine but the shoulder is too high. I can't get an empty case to chamber. It sticks the bolt right where the serial number on the bolt is coming up visible on the left. Removed the decapper and tried again, no luck. Cranked down on the die, it would only go so far and I think I'll break the press before I reform the brass. Wonder if my brass is outta spec? Any offhand advice is greatly appreciated .

 

[ftierson]

Check Cole Distributing and see if they have the FNM 7.5x55mm 170gr FMJ ammo in stock for $9.95/box of 20.

It's great ammo and you get a beautiful reloadable case at the same time .

Forrest

 

[runninmike]

This GP11 is awesomely accurate-it's what I shoot in mine.
Best-MC

http://www.outdoormarksman.com/product_info.php?cPath=65_63_1610&products_id=12708

 

[Fingolfin]

How much are you paying for 7.5 Swiss brass?

Hornady makes loaded Swiss Ammo for $19.99 a box, which isn't exactly cheap shooting, but you do get boxer primed brass in the end.

If you wanted to go that route you could also pick up some of the Wolf Gold stuff for about half the price to try out.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=244624

 

[Crosshair]

Use the older cases for "plinker" loads and they will last quite a few more loadings.

 

[Koobuh]

Ammoman will sell you a 60 round battlepack of GP11 for around $30 shipped.
Of course, GP11 is berdan-primed, so despite the high quality, you're basically making holes in paper and scrap brass at $.50 a pop.
You can get Wolf Gold (rebranded Prvi Partizan) for about that price if you can get the shipping cost low enough. Cheaper than Dirt has a decent shipping price scheme for large orders, and carries Wolf Gold. WG is boxer primed, BTW.

 

[longhorngunman]

I got block upon block of swiss cheese. I just wanted to load it a little cheaper and make my own hunting rounds. I've heard of lots of people using .284 to make 7.5 swiss and the brass is very cheap. Just don't no why I'm having the trouble with it unless the .284 cases are a bad lot.

 

[longrifleman]

I think I'll break the press before I reform the brass. Wonder if my brass is outta spec?

I went through the same problem reforming 06 into 7.65 Arg a couple weeks ago. The brass sprang back and left the cases just enough oversize the bolt wouldn't close, just like yours. I annealed the case before resizing and that fixed the problem. Good luck.

I also bought some FNM in both 7.65 Arg and .303 Brit to get a supply of brass. It seems to be decent brass, but I haven't loaded it enough to wear it out yet. I don't know if it will hold up as long as other brands. The .303 has been "temporarily out of stock" for about a year.

 

[mainmech48]

+1 on the FNM ammo. While it isn't nearly as accurate as the GP-11 surplus or hideously expensive Norma, the brass is nice quality and boxer primed. FWIW, Midway lists .284 Win. brass at $16.49/50, plus S&H. Personally, I'd rather buy 60 rds of loaded FNM for about $30 and avoid having to mess with the conversion process or having loads around with an improper headstamp on them.

I'm still working on the first 100 cases from a lot of 200 rds of FNM 7.5x55 I bought a couple of years ago for about $7.50/20 net. Haven't had to scrap one yet. Some of those are on their seventh reloading, but I admit to using very moderate loads.

 

[longhorngunman]

LR, thanks for the input! Your answer basically answered my original question of annealing. I'll anneal a few and see if they will size. How's your process? I've read from several to heat the neck and shoulder while holding the head and put it down when it gets hot(well,duh ). Some say to air dry and others say to dump it in water. Do I need to process quickly after heating or wait awhile. MM48 If the above doesn't work I'll probably go the Cole route. Sounds like a good price for reloadable swiss. Especially if you've got that many loadings already. I'll keep an eye out for Graf's getting in some brass. Thanks for all the advice, if anyone has another idea feel free to give it. Too bad Remington or Winchester doesn't offer brass. There is starting to be a lot of these rifles in the country and they are definetly a "shooters" rifle.

 

[mainmech48]

The most foolproof way to anneal case necks that I know of is to use a product called "Tempilaq". Basically, you paint it on, heat the area with a propane torch and when the lacquer melts dump the case into water.

Comes in several temperature ranges from 400 F to 1550 F. Takes the guess work out of the process by removing the subjective parts; when the lacquer melts you know that you've reached just the right temp - every time.

Available from Brownell's, Midway and no doubt others as well. About $10.75 for a 2 oz. bottle with a brush built into the cap. Will do a lot of cases per bottle.

IIRC, quenching is necessary for proper annealing. Air cooling can result in actually hardening the brass instead of making it more malleable.

BTW, have you done any surfing on the sites like Gun Broker, ammoman, etc.? Surely Cole's can't be the only option for FNM ammo. FWIW, I got mine off an ad at Gun Broker and ended up paying a lot less than $10/box even with shipping.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

I ran 100 .284 cases through the sizing die without annealing. I had one neck split. Other than that, the whole operation went fine. Using RCBS dies, and I polished the neck expander before using it. The lube was the spray RCBS.

Regards.