Has anyone used 308 brass from an M249?

[MarshallDodge]

I have reloaded quite a bit of LC brass from an M16 (5.56) with good results.

Recently a friend gave me about 500 empty 308 cases fired from a M249 machine gun. The headstamp is LC. Are these OK to reload and use in a semi-auto rifle?

 

[Owen]

probably from an M240.

You may have a little trouble sizing them, because the M240 chamber is short and fat, relative to the the SAAMI chamber

 

[Gewehr98]

I've got a bucket full of once-fired LC 7.62mm NATO brass.

It came from an M240 or M60, and I wanted it to feed my fluted-chamber CETME. As it came from the government, I really had to give it an extra tug on the reloading press to resize properly. So, yeah, I've noticed it's a smidgen "fat".

 

[ReloaderFred]

The M249 is 5.56 caliber and the M240 is 7.62. I've used brass from both of them and they're usually a little oversize. I lube them good and run them through the sizing die and they're good for a couple of reloads, at least. The best way to find out is to size a few and give them a try.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[MarshallDodge]

Thanks for all the responses.

The M249 is 5.56 caliber and the M240 is 7.62.

Thanks for clarifying, I must have mis-heard him.
I resized a couple pieces with RCBS dies and tried them in the gun. They chambered and the bolt closed without a problem. Now I need to get the crimps out of the primer pockets.

 

[Pointman]

Small base sizer die. You'll need it. Emperial Sizer wax. Hope the bolts and counter top that Rock Chucker is sitting on are STRONG. Expect to trim it. All of it. Probably need a primer pocket reamer, too. Though the newest LC brass I have was '90 and things do change.

If you're going for accuracy I found that (having bought 1k rnds of 240/60 empties) segregate by headstamp then sort by weight and they make for some seriously accurate loads. My best ever loads out of various bolt guns have been with LC surplus brass. I had one Winchester heavy would consistently shoot .3" with fully prepped LC74, 41gr 4895 and 168gr match kings. Wish I still had that one....

Also, watch your max charges as the LC is 7.62NATO and not .308 WInchester so have a thicker web and less capacity so pressures will spike a bit more quickly.

 

[MarshallDodge]

What is different about a small base size die from a standard die?

 

[Gewehr98]

Small-base dies get more of the brass resized.

Notice the unsized portion of a piece of brass after you run it through a standard full-length resizing die? The special small-base dies bring the brass in that area back down to the original unfired dimensions. They're good for rifles with tight chambers, and I've had to use them for a Belgian Browning BAR in .30-06 that wouldn't chamber ammo made using standard full-length dies. Depending on how oversized the brass was stretched when fired in the M240/M60, and your own rifle's chamber dimensions, you may or may not need the small-base dies.

 

[ReloaderFred]

The small base die is smaller in diameter at the die opening, and slightly above the opening. The purpose is to bring brass back to original size that has been fired in an oversize chamber. Most machinegun chambers are oversize, so they'll still fire when hot and will digest any out of spec ammunition, or ammunition that has gotten dirty. Some people use small base dies to feed semi-auto rifles, but I've never found the need for any of my M1 Garands, M1 Carbines, M1A's, AR-15's or my Browning BAR. Some people also use them for lever guns, since there isn't as much leverage when chambering the round. All my lever guns, with the exception of my 45-70 and 30-30 are pistol calibers, so I've never had to use them for those, either.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[MarshallDodge]

Thanks for all the input. With a little work they cleaned up nicely.
I ran them in the tumbler for over two hours then sprayed them with some Midway lube and sized them. They were a little tough but I have seen worse from 30-06 brass. They were trimmed and deburred, then treated to a 168 grain A-Max over 42.0 grains Varget and a Federal 210 primer.
I am going to give them a try tonight.

 

[creekwalker]

Sweet.

creekwalker

 

[MarshallDodge]

See the range report here:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=3403510#post3403510

 

[lawson4]

The MK48 looks like an M249, but is .308 NATO cal. So, maybe they came from what your friend thought was an M249.

lawson4
Rick

 

[ReloaderFred]

The proof is in the pudding. All it takes is a little case prep and it's good brass. I've heard people say, and seen them write on the internet, that any brass fired through a machinegun is automatically junk and shouldn't be used. I've used it for many, many years, and that hasn't been my experience at all, except for some brass that was fired through an M-60 that the headspace wasn't set up properly on and did in fact stretch the brass too far. Generally, the brass is usable, but a lot of people are afraid to try it. I'm glad this worked out for you.

Fred

 

[DougW]

I bought 500 rounds of LC once fired from MidwayUSA, and I found the brass to be in excellant shape. Already de-primed and cleaned. I also found that neck sizing allows tha brass to chamber in my L1A1 nicely. I did buy a small based die, of course. I also find that the brass is heavier than commercial, by a noticable ammount. Good stuff. It matches well with the 150gr Hornady FMJ's I got at the same time.