Article Published Date: 01/28/2008

Article by Mark Trope

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Part II A - The Loading Bench

WARNING!

This article addresses issues that deal with reloading firearm cartridges. The information presented is a result of strict adherence to current, recognized sources of reloading data (loading manuals), very careful observation, and experience. We offer no guarantee or warranty of any kind on the information presented and you should proceed with caution if you choose to try the techniques or products that we present. Reloading is not an exact science; we have no control over what you do or what you use. Therefore, you assume any and all risk involved.

In the first installment, we described in detail a Swiss made, straight-pull H�mmerli 300 Meter Free Rifle based on the design of the Swiss K-31 straight pull action (Note.1). The H�mmerli is a purebred accuracy rig. It needs ammunition of the highest possible consistency to wring out all its accuracy potential. Paying attention to the details during crafting will separate this ammo from run-of-the-mill fodder. Let�s head to the loading bench.

The first thing to be done is determine the safest Cartridge Length Overall (CLO) for the gun. To do this, we must find the point where the chosen bullet will intersect the leade in the barrels rifling. The chamber and barrel must be clean to make this measurement. A measurement against powder or jacket fouling is not valid! Since we cleaned the barrel in the first installment, we are ready to proceed. My friend, and fellow writer, Ted and I developed a procedure to do this several years back. Here is the article that outlines the process:

http://surplusrifle.com/shooting/oal/index.asp

In that article, we touched briefly on the Stoney Point (now Hornady) tool. While the process Ted and I came up with works quite well, I kept hearing glowing reports about the Hornady tool. So, since I love finely crafted tools, I purchased one (Note. 2).

Midway Product #: 570611

http://www.midwayusa.com

Figure 1

Hornady Chamber-All OAL Gauge and modified cases, etc.

Figure 2

Hornady modified case; the head is drilled & tapped

Figure 3

Threading modified case onto tool

Figure 4

The bullet is set deeply in the case on purpose, until the case is completely seated in the chamber, and pushed against the leade.

Figure 5

The case is completely seated in the chamber. The thumbscrew is loosened.

Figure 6

The plunger is pushed forward to firmly seat the bullet against the leade.

Figure 7

The thumbscrew is tightened.

Figure 8

Notice how far out the bullet is now. By seating the bullet .015 deeper in the case then it is now, we will have achieved our desired OAL.

A separate, Hornady modified cartridge case is required for each caliber you wish to load. A standard cartridge case head is drilled and tapped by Hornady to fit the Hornady tool. Then they polish the inside of the case neck so a bullet will just slip through. In this way the tool�s plunger can push the bullet against the leade without any drag.

Midway Product #: 459683

http://www.midwayusa.com

With this tool, one could simply use a caliper and measure from the case head to the bullet tip. However that is a bit inaccurate. That�s because bullet tips, even on target bullets; can, and do vary by a few thousands between individual bullets.

Figure 9

Thumb screw locks Hornady Chamber-All Comparator body to caliper.

Figure 10

Hornady Chamber-All Insert.

Figure 11

Allen setscrew locks Hornady Chamber-All Insert to Comparator body.

Figure 12

Bullet ogive will rest against insert.

What�s much better is a tool that measures from the bullet ogive to the case head. The ogive of individual bullets is always in the same place. Once again, Hornady has the tool, the Hornady Lock-N-Load Bullet Comparator Body. A caliber specific insert is required for each bore size. However, the single insert for 30 caliber will work for every cartridge with .308 (or .311 /.312) diameter bullets.

Midway Product #: 709931 and 724733

http://www.midwayusa.com

Figure 13

This is full length of the cartridge with the bullet pressed against the leade of the rifling in the barrel.

(You can�t see it, but the Hornady Chamber-All is still attached to the OAL Gauge)

Once the COL is determined with the Hornady tools, it�s a simple matter to subtract a safe distance so the bullet has a running start before engaging the leade in the barrel. I chose .015. This is a good amount of clearance, but in no way considered excessive.

I�m sure someone is thinking: �Don�t a lot of precision shooters seat bullets to press against the leade?�

Yes, many precision shooters do set their dies so bullets press against the leade in the barrel. They also have turn-bolt guns. T turn-bolt guns have the greatest camming power. The H�mmerli has a straight-pull bolt. Straight-pull guns don�t have anywhere near the camming power of a turn-bolt gun. Therefore we will back our bullets up by .015.

Figure 14

Hornady Cartridge headspace bushing locked in to the Comparator Body by the Allen setscrew.

Figure 15

A new, resized case was inserted in the Hornady tool, and the caliper was zeroed. A case fired in the H�mmerli was then inserted. We can see the chamber in .007 longer then a new, resized case.

Lastly, it would be nice to know exactly how much full-length resized brass grows when fired in the rifles chamber. Knowing this information will tell you if your rifles chamber is a match chamber, or if it is a standard chamber. If you really want to fine tune die adjustments, this data will guide you. If you already have the Hornady Lock-N-Load Bullet Comparator Body, you are half way there! All you need is a Hornady Cartridge Headspace Gage Bushing. The 400 diameter bushing is correct for .308 Winchester, and also for 3 additional cartridges.

Midway Product #: 106727

http://www.midwayusa.com

All the above Hornady Lock-N-Load tools are available in sets, or the individual bushings and inserts can be purchased individually. Now that we have the raw data to adjust bullet seating, let�s turn our attention to brass.

Even brand new brass needs attention before getting best accuracy from it. There are 4 steps I usually go through. First, I full length resize all new cases. The reason for this is cases get banged up during shipment. New cases are shipped in bags these days; and it�s normal for them to be slightly dented, especially the case mouths.

Figure 16

Forster / Bonanza Benchrest� FL die set, caliber .308 Winchester.

Figure 17

Seater die on left, notice the sleeve (spring loaded) at the bottom to guide the bullet as it�s seated.

Since this ammunition is for match shooting, I broke out my best .308 dies, a set of Forster / Bonanza Benchrest� Full length dies. I lubed each case and the inside of the case necks with wax based lube, and then resized each case. Interestingly enough, the next 3 steps will remove some of the brass from each case!

http://www.forsterproducts.com/

Now that the cases are resized, it�s time to ensure all are exactly the same length. This is the second step, where all cases get trimmed. There are many case trimmers on the market, and they all work well. I prefer, and use a Wilson Case Trimmer.

http://www.lewilson.com/

Figure 18

LE Wilson case trimmer, notice other holders in the back.

The Wilson system is unique; it doesn�t require collets or pilots. Just a shellholder, often a single shell holder works for several calibers. For example, the Wilson .308 shellholder works for 4 calibers, not only that, but there�s shell holders available for both resized and for fired cases. Suppose you have an obsolete, foreign caliber? Just send Wilson a few cases, and they will make you a special shell holder! LE Wilson can be contacted at: 404 Pioneer Ave. Box 324 Cashmere, WA 98815. Phone 509-782-1328 or Fax 509-782-7200

They can quote current prices for custom work.

Now, the Wilson can be clamped in a vice, but I prefer an accessory base available from Lock, Stock and Barrel. http://www.lockstock.com/ . Not only does it allow you to bolt down the trimmer, but also it has a clamp to retain the shell holders on the rails, very handy indeed! After the cases are trimmed its time to move on to the third step, de-burring both the inside and outside of the case necks.

Figure 19

LE Wilson 45 degree inside & outside deburring tool, power adapter in battery operated drill.

Figure 20

Allen setscrew locks deburring tool in either position.

Figure 21

Outside deburring, just need to break the edge a bit.

Deburring the case mouths could be done with a pocketknife, but the right tool is much better. Deburring tools are made by all manufactures of reloading tools. The addition of a power tool adapter allows you to use a battery operated drill driver; it makes the work go faster!

Midway Product #: 295771

http://www.midwayusa.com

Figure 22

Gentle taper inside deburring, found this item in a hardware store!

Figure 23

Don�t cut too much material!

Figure 24

LE Wilson gentle taper inside deburring tool, slips right into case trimmer.

The standard 45-degree tool works fine on the inside of the necks, but a 22 to 28 degree inside deburring tool cuts on a gentler angle. It eases the passage of boat tail bullets into the case necks without scrapping the sides, as can happen if the case necks are rough. Now that the cases are trimmed and case mouths deburred, the last step is deburring the inside flash holes.

Figure 25

EJS primer pocket deburring tool, Allen wrench adjusts its length

(For a shorter case like the .308, the tool can be used in a battery-operated drill)

Figure 26

Deburring primer pocket.

Figure 27

Brass chips from deburred primer pocket.

Flash holes are done with a punch during brass manufacture. This often (usually) leaves a bit of brass sticking up inside the case that can affect the evenness of ignition from shot to shot. A flash hole deburring tool gets it cleaned right up. Once again, several companies make these tools, and all will do the job. Mine is from EJS Company.

Midway Product #: 559829

http://www.midwayusa.com

Seems like we have removed enough brass, it�s time to start assembling ammo!

Figure 28

A great target bullet.

Before we assemble ammo, we have to select a bullet and powder. I had already decided on the Nosler J-4 168 grain competition BTHP bullet. The current loading manuals have plenty of loads and plenty of powders suitable for the .308 Winchester with a 168-grain bullet. Which one to choose though? When it comes to choosing a close shooting load for the .308 with a 168-grain BTHP, I always recall the words of an old Sergeant I knew in the army. I don�t quite recall exactly where he was from, but I remember his advice on this subject,

He said: "Son, if a .308, don�t shoot wif IMR 4064 an� a 168 grainer, thar's sumpin' wrong wif da gun."

Figure 29

IMR 4064, a great powder for all medium calibers.

That�s very good advice (Note.3)! It�s a rare .308 that won�t shoot well with IMR 4064.

I selected a load of 43 grains (Note2).

Figure 30

Winchester standard large rifle primers, magnum primers ARE NOT needed with this caliber or IMR 4064 powder.

Figure 31

RCBS Priming tool

Winchester standard larger rifle primers were seated in the cases with my RCBS Hand Priming Tool (Note.4). Once again, there is a goodly number of primer seating tools, not to mention press mounted primer arms. They all work well.

Midway Product #: 329291

http://www.midwayusa.com

My Redding 3 Powder Measure handled powder-dispensing chores. Mine is rather old, having left the plant in Cortland about the time the Woolly Mammoth herds disappeared. It still wears the old brown paint. The new ones are green. However, after decades, the old Redding still works perfectly!

Midway Product #: 466608

http://www.midwayusa.com

Now that we have �massaged� brass, primed and filled with powder, and have a set of benchrest quality dies, a properly aligned press is required put it all together. The Lee Classic Cast Press is perfectly suited to this task.

Figure 32

Lee Classic Cast Press, perfectly aligned, has all the best, modern features.

Midway Product #: 317831

http://www.midwayusa.com

Read my review if this fine press.

http://surplusrifle.com/reviews/leepress/index.asp

Part II B - The Range

(A Fine Rifle, Good Ammo & A Bit Of Luck)

Figure 33

.308 Winchester, civilian version of the UA Military T-65 round, a splendid cartridge.

With assembled ammo, I headed to the range. Setting up a newly acquired rifle with a newly acquired scope and scope mount system can often take time to get the kind of performance you are expecting. Sometimes, a bit of head scratching, reviewing and thinking about �fine tuning� is required before you have a completed target that makes you smile.

More then one trip to the range may be in order before things work out. Of course, sometimes things are just right as rain as it were; and success comes easily & early.

After setting things up and swapping one set of inserts in the Burris Signature Zee Rings, I was zeroed and ready to try for a group. As I said in the first article, with the double set triggers, you pull the rear trigger (really a lever) to �set� the mechanism and then make darn sure the X hair is exactly where you want it when you barely touch the front trigger.

Figure 34

Less the 4/10�s of an inch for 5 shots at 100 yards on the first outing!

Figure 35

Now you see it�

(Upper shots were during scope adjustment)

Figure 36

And now, you don�t ; -)

(Upper shots were during scope adjustment)

Yep, sometimes, just sometimes things are just right as rain; and success comes easily & early. It was one of those days! Check the group in the X ring, that�s 5 shots at 100 yards in the blustery, West Texas wind.

Mil-Surp designs can be the basis for some very close shooting rifles! There are still some match rifles, based on Mil-Surp designs, or conversions of Mil-Surp arms to match rifles that were used by various governments, being imported to the US in small lots. Keep your eyes and ears open. When they go on the market, they never last long.

A few words about the tools used in this article (Note.5)

A few words about procedures (Note.6)

A few words about shooting & results (Note.7)

Note 1

In the last article I reported that a fellow shooter advised me that H�mmerli was pronounced: Him-er-lee.

However, I recently received a nice email from a kind gentleman that read the last article.

He advises us that: The sound for the "a" with an umlaut, as you mention in Note 1 of the H�mmerli article, is more of an short "e" sound, phonetically pronounced like

"heh-mare-lee"

I, having had two tours in Germany during my 20 + years in the US Army; recall that pronunciations could literally change from village to village! Meanings for the same word could also change depending on what region of Germany I was in.

Right then, I plan to keep an open mind on this pronunciation issue!

Note 2

The Hornady tool revealed the H�mmerli has a rather long throat for a target rifle. Edwardo, a shooting buddy of mine who is most likely the best off-hand shot in town, tells me the long throat was for 200 grain bullets. Considering the era in which the H�mmerli was produced, the fact it has an 11-inch twist barrel, and since it is a 300meter rifle, that makes sense.

The combination of 168-grain bullets and long leade keeps pressures down. .

Note 3

Varget, IMR 4895, H4895 and others are also very good. .

Note 4

Lyman shell holders are a trifle wider then most, and will not fit the RCBS tool.

Note 5

As I�m sure you noticed, tools from quite a few manufactures are used here. I don�t play favorites! I select tools based on need and appropriateness to the task. I also stated that many other manufactures tools would have worked just as well for some tasks. More often then not, (provide tolls are of good quality) the skill of the operator is more important then what company produced the tool!

Buy good tools; learn exactly how to use them, take care of them, and pass on the knowledge. Do those things, and your grandson or granddaughter will still be using your tools one day.

Note 6

There are other procedures and tools to wring the last bit of performance from ammo.

But, we won�t go into them just yet. We want something to look forward to in another article after all. ; -)

Note 7

Wow! Great shooting! Now, do I always shoot so well? Why, of course�NOT!

Some days I can really shine, others, well, it doesn�t pay to get out of bed. The point is, with a properly set up gun, well-crafted ammo from good tools, and everything going well, excellent groups can, and are achieved.

Lots of things can spoil good shooting. Misjudging the wind flags, failing to place the gun in the same spot on the rest each time, blundering into a trigger, etc.

In the past, I�ve been asked what the �experts� do. I have no idea what experts do!

Just keep working at it, learn from errors, do your best. That�s what I do. ; -)

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