Just got my rifle back from JES reboring where I had it bored out to 338-06. I will be resizing 30-06 brass and was wondering which brand of brass has worked best for those who increased the neck on a standard round to make a wildcat cartridge?
Best brass for resizing and fire forming
- Thread starter Sawtooth
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cahunter805
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I'd run lapua brass. Get some Redding bushing dies. Size it up in 2 steps.
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p_ham
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Norma and nosler both offer 338-06 brass. If you're set on necking then do so, thought I would offer another option.
marksjeep
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I fire form 280AI using Norma. It is soft enough to form well. It's also soft enough that the primer pockets open up after 5 reloads.
Fire_9
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With Lapua brass available, I wouldn’t mess with anything else
D
Deleted member 20812
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The always used Winchester brass for mine with good accuracy. Neck size and shoot.
JLS,
I didn't know you had a 338-06. What loads have worked well for you. I just bought a box of Barnes TTSX in 185 gr. and am debating whether or not I want to try out the Hammer Sledgehammer 186 gr. I won't be hunting with it more than a couple times a year so I don't plan on putting a bunch of rounds through it each year.
I didn't know you had a 338-06. What loads have worked well for you. I just bought a box of Barnes TTSX in 185 gr. and am debating whether or not I want to try out the Hammer Sledgehammer 186 gr. I won't be hunting with it more than a couple times a year so I don't plan on putting a bunch of rounds through it each year.
D
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I sold it last year to fund the 6.5 project. I used 185 TSX exclusively. I’ll have to try and find my notes, but I’m pretty sure I was using Reloder 15 and CCI 200 primers.
Edit 55.0 grains of RL15.
Edit 55.0 grains of RL15.
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tim629
Active member
used winchester brass for my 338-06ai 06 to 338 was an easy process
Norma sizes up easily because it's factory annealed. Any brass you use, be sure to anneal it to make the necks a tad softer and more likely to take the sizing without being split, etc.
claybreaker
Member
I second the Ben's annealing suggestion, softer will be better.
Be Safe,
Be Safe,
bparkera300
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I’ve used .270 WSM brass for the .325 WSM. No problems yet. Although .300 WSM will work .270 WSM is the exact same dimensions minus neck size...
ImBillT
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Norma RWS and Lapua are annealed, which is a big plus. They are also good brass. I’d have a really hard time not using Lapua for a 338-06. Some other brands are annealed from the factory also. Being annealed before you neck up will dramatically reduce the number of split necks you got, as will starting with high quality brass. I highly recommend annealing after necking up or down. Even brass that was annealed from the factory, or by you, before necking up or down will work hardened a bit after the necking operation. Annealing afterward will get you back where you should be. If you don’t, you risk split necks with relatively few firings. The only cartridges I’ve had more than one or two split necks in were ones that I had necked brass down to form.
std7mag
Well-known member
Peterson Cartridge is now making 30-06 brass.
Quality stuff. Up there with Lapua & ADG.
If not using 338-06 brass, then i'd get theirs.
Note 338-06 A Square is a SAAMI cartridge now. No longer a wildcat.
Quality stuff. Up there with Lapua & ADG.
If not using 338-06 brass, then i'd get theirs.
Note 338-06 A Square is a SAAMI cartridge now. No longer a wildcat.
Knight.54
Well-known member
Hey Sawtooth, I saw where Nosler has two different custom loads on a pretty good clearance sale right now. You’ll get some good ammo and good brass.
Another option would be to neck down 35 Whelen brass. Probably could be done in one step and allow you to control the shoulder and/or headspace better.
If going with 30-06 brass, I'd lean hard towards Lapua. It's worth the price difference IMO.
If going with 30-06 brass, I'd lean hard towards Lapua. It's worth the price difference IMO.
For my first batch of 100x .338-06, I used Remington cases and trimmed them to all the same size. I have been able to shoot 1.5” groups with little hassle with this cartridge. Far better than I expected it would shoot. On top of that, with a bit of sorting and trimming I won’t be feeling bad if I only get a handful of reloads for each case, planning to step up in brass the next batch, but at the same time if it’s not broke I may continue to use the cheap stuff.
