Reloading for .338 LM and a Gas Gun ? Can it be Done?

[jeffmedlin]

I shoot .338 LM Bolt Guns..... My brother purchased a .338 LM in a Semi Automatic.... and was told by the manufacturer that you could not reload a piece of brass that has been fired from a Semi Auto .338?

I don't understand???

Please help me... why can't a .338 LM case be reloaded and used again in a Semi Auto Gun? He was told it could be used in a Bolt Gun.... but NEVER to use reloads in a Semi Auto .338. Does anyone have the answer?

Any help/guidance will be greatly appreciated....

Jeff

 

[TonyTheTiger]

Because lawyers.

 

[Mike_in_FL]

It sounds like that's their way of saying your warranty will be voided and if it blows up in your face you're on your own.

 

[jeffmedlin]

Guess I will reach out to Lapua... and see what their thoughts are....

 

[Howland]

There is no rational reason why you couldn't resize and reload cases from an autoloader. People do it all the time. Do expect the autoloader to beat up the brass.

Who made your brothers rifle? I'd be interested to hear what their reasoning is.

 

[memilanuk]

Is the chamber fluted to aid in function? You'd be able to tell pretty easily by the marks on the fired cases. I've heard that reloading brass fired from such a chamber is generally a no-go.

 

[19Scout77]

Maybe the thinking is that anyone who is stupid enough to buy a semi auto 338 is likely too stupid to safely reload. ?

 

[jeffmedlin]

So... I reached out to Lapua, and here is the answer they gave me...

"Jeff,
It MAY be that the chambers in semi-auto are oversized to promote reliable feeding and that affects the life of the case due to the stretching that occurs to the cartridge case during the extraction cycle. OR that some of these rifles have "fluted" chambers to help with extraction that leave the cartridge case body with creases that resizing will not remove. If the factory advises against reloading this brass that has been fired in semi-auto rifles then I would follow their advice."

To the best of my knowledge the chamber is not "fluted"... will reach out to my brother to confirm. But the oversized chamber, and the stretching of the brass makes sense to me. So I don't think I will go down that rabbit hole.

 

[19Scout77]

It will take you all of about 30 seconds to determine if chamber and therefore the fired brass is an issue. I am sure you will find a long line of folks willing to take the once fired semi brass off your hands as it must be scrap...