Military brass question

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Every chamber is different.

You might have to use a small base die to reload this brass. To think otherwise......well....
 
Standard RCBS 30-06 dies, F/L size, trim to 2.484, deburr, reload, plunk test. Always worked even when testing.
 
Read the directions carefully for adjusting the sizing die. It may recommend to seat the die against the shell plate (platen) or shell holder just as it cams over at it's highest point. The ram handle may not be all the way down to do this. This is actually a few thousandths closer than fully cammed over.

This has caught me a few times adjusting dies for military brass especially!

Smiles,
 
3GunEric said:
I small base every round, if it is to be used in an auto loader. Civilian and military.
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Same here.

I've had issues with cartridges fired in one gun that would not chamber in another after sizing and loading. Small base dies is just a bit of insurance for reliable operation.

Also, I've found no loss in service life of the cases. They fail for other reasons than the bodies splitting due to "excessive" sizing of the base.
 
I size .223/5.56 to fit a Sheridan case gauge, which replaced a Wilson, because the Sheridan also does the diameter and catches some that pass the Wilson. I size .30-06 for my son's Garand to nearly max headspace in a Wilson gauge, considering upgrading to a Sheridan.
Archie said:
I've never had any chambering difficulty just full length sizing. Maybe I'm just lucky?
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Perhaps. :)
 
Walkalong said:
I size .223/5.56 to fit a Sheridan case gauge, which replaced a Wilson, because the Sheridan also does the diameter and catches some that pass the Wilson. I size .30-06 for my son's Garand to nearly max headspace in a Wilson gauge, considering upgrading to a Sheridan.

Perhaps. :)
Click to expand...
Luck shows up no where else of which to speak. Upon further reflection, I think the bulk of what I have had is mostly older stuff. And considering, probably of a much lower percentage than commercial brass. I tend not to use military surplus brass mainly for the crimped primers. What strikes me as a large pain in the yarmush. Nor do I have any semi automatic rifles chambered for U. S. military cartridges except for a .30 M1 Carbine. I don't shoot the carbine in the volume of rounds like typically done with ARs and AKs. I do have several Government Model pistols, but I tend to shoot commercial brass through them.

So maybe I'm more picky than I realized. Which reasonably cuts down the 'luck' factor.
 
I have a lot of military 5.56 brass from military ranges. I have successfully reloaded it with a full length, standard .223 die (Redding). It functions fine in ARs as well as bolt Winchesters and CZs. On the other hand, I have a lot of 7.62 brass that was fired in machine guns off the deck of a ship. It has sized fine and chambered perfectly in an AR-10 clone.... however, in about 2 or 3 percent of cases, I don't have enough neck tension to grip the bullet solidly (I can press it into the case with my thumb!). I have not yet determined if it is neck brass thickness or what. The Redding tech thinks the problem is likely the thickness of the brass at the neck. I have more investigation to do. All cases are annealed and run through standard Redding sizing dies.

Your gauge is likely a minimum SAAMI spec. A small base die should return your cases to that same minimum SAAMI spec. In my experience, I don't require a SB die to chamber my reloads in any rifle.
 
RainDodger said:
In my experience, I don't require a SB die to chamber my reloads in any rifle.
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I haven't either. I just think that small base sizing is a small price to pay (none, really. case life is similar, maybe I lose one reloading by doing so) for assured chambering under less than ideal conditions.
 
One other thing to check.

Make sure all the case lube is cleaned off and also clean the inside of your gauge real good with alcohol. A build up of lube and grime will cause a false no-go.
 
I don't own any "small base" dies. And all the case gauges I owned are now in a drawer somewhere in my shop, unused. There are a few other reasons for a case not to fit a gauge other than resized dimensions. Case length, and the biggie is the condition of the rim. On two different occasions I fought my processed brass to fit a case gauge, (it took two battles for me to learn; I don't shoot my handloads out of a gauge, but out of my guns!). When I first got a couple guns, I thought In needed a case gauge; 45 ACP and 30-06 for my Garand. I tried double sizing (size, turn the case 90 degrees and size again, sometimes 3 or 4 times). I measured every dimension I could on a sized case, and I even bought new "better" dies. I was on another forum asking about Garand ammo and one old member asked "do they fit/chamber in your gun?". Duh! Yep the finished handloads "plunked" just fine and the gauges were retired in about '88, never to be seen again. Turns out the rims on my Garand brass were getting dinged on the OP rod as they were fling outta the gun, and never found a reason for the 45 ACP brass standing high about .005". I now use the plunk test for all my semi-auto guns' handloads and have had zero chambering problems in at least 30+ years...
 
Just my opinion here, MG fired 7.62 takes more work, but it’s absolutely doable. The heavy mil brass springs back considerably. Polish the hell out of them, prep, anneal, lube, and run’em through a small base die once, load and shoot’em. The second time should be easier, depending on your chamber. Annealing and small base dies are your friends with MG fired mil brass.
 
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