Brass Trimming Question

[coloradokevin]

What if my brass just won't "grow up"? My pieces are on their third loading, and are still below the "trim to" length for this cartridge. They also aren't of consistent length. I'm trying to load match-quality ammunition, and this is a variable I'm having trouble controlling for!

I'm in the process of reloading 20 pieces of Remington brass for my .308 Win. The first firing on this brass was as factory loaded ammo (Remington Core-Lokt), shot through my Tikka rifle. The brass was then neck sized and loaded for a second time, and again fired through my Tikka.

I neck sized the brass once again, and then measured each piece with a set of calipers. The brass length currently varies between about 2.008" and 2.015", with most pieces falling around 2.009-2.011". The SAAMI trim length for this cartridge is 2.015".

So, what shall I do? None of the pieces are above the trim-to length, so trimming would seem pointless. But, the pieces are also of varying lengths, which causes me some concern as I try to load high quality ammunition for target accuracy.

Is it even safe to trim shorter than trim-to length (I know it isn't safe to go over, but I've found little written about going under)? Should I take these pieces down to a uniform length that would end up being .007" below the specified SAAMI trim length? Should I load them as-is, and not worry about the varying length of the brass?

Any other suggestions?

 

[jfdavis58]

I don't know of any answer for this situation; I too have a box of under-length cases from just about every rifle caliber I own. Oddly, I cannot find any evidence that such cases performed (measurably) different from any other case in the same lot (make/bullet style, etc). I might have enough in a couple calibers to make some tests, but I doubt there will be much to show. I'm interested in where this thread might go so I'll check back.

 

[Walkalong]

It's not enough to worry about. Load it and shoot it. If you FL sized the cases they would be at or over 2.015

 

[243winxb]

Full Length Size the Brass to make it longer.

Should I load them as-is, and not worry about the varying length of the brass?

Yes, just so they are not longer than 2.015" (the maximum length) Accuracy will be OK. The SAAMI maximum case lenght for 308 win. is 2.015" :banghead: Standard trim to length is 2.005" The shortest trim length listed is -.020" under the maximum or 1.995" See drawing here http://www.saami.org/PubResources/CC_Drawings/Rifle/308%20Winchester.pdf

 

[coloradokevin]

Yes, just so they are not longer than 2.015" (the maximum length) Accuracy will be OK. The SAAMI maximum case lenght for 308 win. is 2.015" Standard trim to length is 2.005" The shortest trim length listed is -.020" under the maximum or 1.995" See drawing here http://www.saami.org/PubResources/CC...Winchester.pdf

Okay, thanks for the help and clarification. I think I might be getting somewhere now.

Some of my data only provides the maximum trim length for this cartridge, which is 2.015" (seems a bit limiting to only provide the maximum trim length, but it is what it is). I always figured that there had to be some sort of safe range in length, since 100% precision isn't always possible.

I decided to read a bit more closely through my books after seeing your post, and found that the "trim-to" length that you listed is shown in my Lyman manual (at 2.005"). The diagram naturally shows the maximum trim length of 2.015". The minimum length (1.995") doesn't appear anywhere in any of my manuals, at least not that I've found so far.

Anyway, thanks for the response. I think I'll now trim this brass down to the 2.005" length, which is shorter than any of the pieces I currently have. I should then have all of my pieces at a uniform length, as I was aiming for, instead of a spread between 2.008"-2.015"!

 

[Walkalong]

I trim it all to 2.005. If you truly want all the accuracy you can get and the rifle/load can tell the difference, trim to the same length every time.

 

[Rokman]

I bought my first batch of SSA 6.8 brass and they were all over the place in lengths. Out of 100, only about 10 needed slight trim to trim-to length. Most were way, way under. I'll keep shooting, sizeing and trimming until the all equal out I quess

 

[blarby]

Look at it this way... seems like you will be able to keep that brass for awhile with neck-sizing in that rifle.

Keeper in my book