308 FGMM Brass ?
- Thread starter Old Corps 8541
- Start date
- Nov 3, 2010
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Works great. When I was reloading 308 in higher quantities, I would just pitch them after 4 reloads. Could it go more, sure just dont load it hot. Lot of guys just don't have the time or patience to load for everything they shoot. Especially when factory stuff gets down to a buck a round. Banging steel out to 1k, factory stuff is good enough for what I do and don't have time to reload it any more. I was sitting on brass last two years just in case. And now ammo is down, guys will start selling it off, like myself.
It’s fine as long as you stick to FGMM power levels. If you load stupid loads then the primer pockets won’t last.
Thank you,
919v mentioned power levels, a little internet searching shows Federal lists their 175 GMM ammo at 2600 psi.
Using Hodgdon's online data for a "service rifle" that I read as an M1A , they list loads at or very near 2600 FPS at 52 / 53000 psi. Same with the 168's
919v mentioned power levels, a little internet searching shows Federal lists their 175 GMM ammo at 2600 psi.
Using Hodgdon's online data for a "service rifle" that I read as an M1A , they list loads at or very near 2600 FPS at 52 / 53000 psi. Same with the 168's
I wouldn't pay crazy prices like some people sell them for here. It's probably the weakest brass out there. I have never had any that has gone more then 2 or 3 firings. Then again, I don't shoot reduced loads.
The newer 308 GMM brass cases that have been made in the last 10 years or so are much better cases than they used to be. They can be identified by the dark blue primer sealant around nickel plated primers.
The older cases had no primer sealant and a brass primer.
I have no problems getting 8+ firings out of the newer cases.
The older cases had no primer sealant and a brass primer.
I have no problems getting 8+ firings out of the newer cases.
I don't think it sells all the time because they think the quality is poor... but rather because people that shoot FGMM don't reload- hence the fact that they are shooting GMM.
I've personally never seen any results that makes me think you can get better accuracy out of lapua brass than Federal- just longer brass life. The other thing that lapua is great at is masking overpressure signs. Federal will not take the same abuse- but don't abuse it and it works good.
Gas guns are more difficult to say- some are just hard on the brass no matter what level you load it.
I've personally never seen any results that makes me think you can get better accuracy out of lapua brass than Federal- just longer brass life. The other thing that lapua is great at is masking overpressure signs. Federal will not take the same abuse- but don't abuse it and it works good.
Gas guns are more difficult to say- some are just hard on the brass no matter what level you load it.
I've fired and reloaded a log of Federal brass in my .308 and my loads have been mostly moderate with some somewhat hot. They work very well, though as mentioned, the brass is a little on the soft side where the primer pockets can loosen up sooner than some of the other brass. So, no . . . they're not as tough as LC brass, mainly because the case walls are thinner, which BTW means more case capacity (~.7 grs H2O) and less pressure for the same amount of powder. I've gotten 10 plus reloads out of them. I wouldn't hesitate to use them in a gas gun.
I've been reloading 308 with FGMM brass for years with never an issue, mostly because I have a ton of it from my early days of shooting factory rounds. As others said here, just keep the power levels reasonable and you'll be fine. I tend to reload the brass five times then discard because I don't bother to anneal.
In my dotage, I keep returning to a bit wisdom(?) my Eldest Brother Bill kept hammering into my noggin. He taught me handloading, and had done most of his shooting as a BR guy. Now BR guys (IMHO) tend to drive the bejeezuz out of their ammo. He didn't and reminded me that the folks in our family simply couldn't afford the at least annual barrel replacements that many BR guys did. They also used a lot more brass than me. When he found a node, he'd look for another one lower, and he usually found one. He counseled me constantly to do the same. I'd like to say I take advice well, but not really.
But he was right all along.
I think a load needs to do two things. Hit the part of the target that earns the points, and arrive on target at no less than 1300fps (so it's not transsonic). Going faster than that (like, for instance, to reduce wind drift) is not all that necessary. In the end, wind dope is wind dope, and every velocity has its own. We have to find it, no matter what that velocity is, and how well we shoot is really just about how well we can adhere to that dope.
IMHO, blazing velocities are not really any better at this game. What they are amazingly good at is burning out barrel throats and ruining otherwise good brass. If that's acceptable to you, fine; but are they really buying anyone as much as they're paying for them? I'm not in the market for that. Shoot the right dope with diligence and you'll do plenty good enough.
That's an old man, who wishes he could get out and shoot more, talking. We all get our choices in this game.
By this token, FGMM is actually pretty good brass, as long as one is not loading them so hot that the primer pockets jump ship after just a few uses.
I don't use it, because I'd rather neck down 7-08 (Starline) for my 260, and I have a lot of IMI 7.62x51 NATO standing in the wings for when I load more 308; left over from the IMI loaded ammo I bought a ton of a few years back. But FGMM 308 is every bit as good for me, just so long as I treat it with the proper degree of respect.
I have never annealed, and probably never will.
Greg
ETA: I do not wish to portray all BR Handloaders as being hot loaders. Many are not, and even mention that they get amazing numbers of reloads out of their cases. This practice, I wish to publicly applaud. Brass is becoming a rare commodity, and maybe even for no other reason, should prompt more sane reloading recipes that stress the conservation of this essential item.
But he was right all along.
I think a load needs to do two things. Hit the part of the target that earns the points, and arrive on target at no less than 1300fps (so it's not transsonic). Going faster than that (like, for instance, to reduce wind drift) is not all that necessary. In the end, wind dope is wind dope, and every velocity has its own. We have to find it, no matter what that velocity is, and how well we shoot is really just about how well we can adhere to that dope.
IMHO, blazing velocities are not really any better at this game. What they are amazingly good at is burning out barrel throats and ruining otherwise good brass. If that's acceptable to you, fine; but are they really buying anyone as much as they're paying for them? I'm not in the market for that. Shoot the right dope with diligence and you'll do plenty good enough.
That's an old man, who wishes he could get out and shoot more, talking. We all get our choices in this game.
By this token, FGMM is actually pretty good brass, as long as one is not loading them so hot that the primer pockets jump ship after just a few uses.
I don't use it, because I'd rather neck down 7-08 (Starline) for my 260, and I have a lot of IMI 7.62x51 NATO standing in the wings for when I load more 308; left over from the IMI loaded ammo I bought a ton of a few years back. But FGMM 308 is every bit as good for me, just so long as I treat it with the proper degree of respect.
I have never annealed, and probably never will.
Greg
ETA: I do not wish to portray all BR Handloaders as being hot loaders. Many are not, and even mention that they get amazing numbers of reloads out of their cases. This practice, I wish to publicly applaud. Brass is becoming a rare commodity, and maybe even for no other reason, should prompt more sane reloading recipes that stress the conservation of this essential item.
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