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I've just been given a buttload of once fired 270 Win brass (ouch!). I had been looking for 270 WIN with the intent of forming 6.5x 58 Portuguese but since I got so damn much of the stuff was wondering if anybody has had any success forming 8x57 from 270 Win.
Cheers!
Never tried but I would think you could rough trim the 270 case, lube it (inside the neck and avoid location of new shoulder on the outside), and run it through the 8mm die. I wonder if you need a middle step like sizing to 30-06 first?
I would think a Lee die of newer manufacture with the very gentle gradual taper to the sizing mandrel would do it in one step fine.
Lyman, Hornady, RCBS, etc. might crush w/o an inbetween step.
That's one of the things I was wondering about. Cahnces are I'll probably need to neck ream as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by jonk
BTW Forming 8x58 from 270 does require the use of a 7mm Mauser die. Using 7mm Mauser brass to form 8x58 brass is actually counterproductive as the 6.5x58 die will collapse the neck.
I made a bunch of 8 X 57 from 30-06. I found it necessary to shorten the brass before running it into my sizing die as the longer brass bottomed at the case mouth inside the die before the sizing stroke was completed. Brass worked fine after pre-shortening.
I have made 308 Win from 270 brass so 8mm should work too. The cases were anneled and ran through a 308 Win FL die without the primer punch or expander. Trimming is the biggest problem. I have a Lee 270 case spinner and gauge, the spinner was put in a lathe chuck and the gauge in the tailstock. I just ran the lathe bit in from the side and cut off a ring of brass.
I have a rifle with a long neck and these were cut to fit that rifle. It is probably not worth the trouble but if I needed them and could not find any it can be done.
beemer
I have formed 8x57mm brass from 25/06, .270, 280 & 30/06 brass. All worked but the loss on brass was higher with the 25/06. You can form 8mm brass from any 30/06 based case or for that matter, the 7x57mm case. It tended to split the neck on 25/06 about 1 in 4 cases when necked up that far. On the 270, start by running the 270 brass case over a 30 caliber neck expander button. Then over the 8mm button. You can jump over the 30 caliber neck up but you might loose some cases that way. I never lost a case when using the 30 caliber step. Then remove the expander assymbly from the 8mm die as the new formed case will be too long and will buckle the case if you don't. Next, using Imperial die sizing wax as a case lubricant, run the 270 case into the 8mm die all the way very slowly. Rotate the case 180 degrees and do it again. Next is the most aggravating part of the whole operation. The case must now be trimmed to length. I use a forster case trimmer with a power drill attachment which makes the process a lot easier and quicker. You can do it by hand but you are trimming quite a bit of case neck and it sure gets tiresome without power. If you have a dremel tool you could use a cutoff wheel to trim fairly close and then finish with the regular trimmer. Chamfer inside and outside the case mouth to clean up the edges. Some people quit right here but I go an extra step by lubing the case again and re-sizing it one more time before I use the case. All this is greatly helped if you have a case length gauge that measure both headspace(shoulder measurement) and overall length. I have an old forster gauge and I couldn't do without it. This seems like a long drawn out process but it really isn't too bad once you get the hang of it. It sure beats paying the price of 8x57mm brass these days. Hope this helps, James
I've generally reformed .30-06 brass via running them into a 8 x 57mm FL die that I gradually turn down so that it firmly contacts the shell holder. However, that's a slow process, plus you either have to pre-trim the '06 brass or trim (a lot!) after reforming. The better way is to get a Redding form & trim die and avoid most of the hassles...and it works on .270Win. brass too. Btw, if you reform the .270Win. brass in the 8 x 57mm die, you may find that some of the case necks aren't concentric. With any method, it's easier if you anneal the brass prior to reforming it.
I've been wondering iof the Redding die would work with 270! Woudl reaming be a necessity? I'm assuming it would be due to the jump up/down in diamaters.
Newfoundlander2, You may need to inside neck ream some of the [reformed] .270Win. brass after the first firing, but it's not likely. However, were you to reform a larger caliber cartridge into a smaller one, e.g., .30-06 or .270Win. to 6.5 x 55mm, you'd have to inside neck ream & neck turn (just enough to clean up the necks) each piece after reforming & FL resizing. Btw, if you do use a reforming die for your .270 brass, use a needle nosed plier to expand the mouths after you trim them so as to allow the 8mm expander ball to enter the case with less effort when FL resizing.
I've not had to neck ream going from 30-06 or 270 to 8mm, but have going to 7.65X54.
I used a 8X57 trim die for converting '06 cases and cut with a hack saw to save case trimmer time.
+1 Imperial Wax!!
Three 44s
I converted one 270 to see if could be done. Used the 30-06 expander then the 8mm. It worked for me, I will not do anymore. I use LC 06 brass that i pick up at the club range.I use the 8 mm expander first on the neck only then the redding trim die. Irun the through the Fl die the finish with the lee trimmer.I have converted about 200 this way with out spliting any. Bill
I have made hundreds of 30-06 and 270 cases into 7X57 and 8X57 cases by the simple means of running them into a FL size and trim die from RCBS. Cut off the excess brass with a hacksaw and file smooth. Chamfer the ID and OD of the neck and you are ready to FL size in your 7 or 8 MM dies. I never had to neck ream a case and most of my 7 and 8MM brass started life as a GI 30-06 case which has thicker brass than commercial to begin with.
A year or three ago some one here at CB advised of a cheapo chinese 30$ Harbor Fraight hobby chop saw for $30 US. I got one and this case shortening task is a great application for it. Never again dink around with a hacksaw, file etc. Chop close and go to the case trimmer to finish precisely.
Heck, I even used it to make hybrid colt/schofield cases to play with, 7.65 Argentines out of Winnies best 270, 8 X 56 M-S, 45-60s and so forth.
Just be careful not to chop digital anatomy off whilst having fun. BvT
My experiences seem to mirror those of NickSS. Several years ago I purchased a barrel full of once fired brass for an absurdly low price. Several thousand of these was military 3006 that the National Guard had disposed of by the simple expedient of firing thru an "obsolete" 1919 Browning MG which had a very large chamber. Thank god that I have a RCBS A2 for heavy work! Almost all of these are now 8x57 cases. 98 Mausers apparently have generous chambers and throats and those that I and my grandsons own have never required neck reaming. A friend owns a Remington Classic with a tight chamber and that is a horse of a different color. I have informed him that the labor and expense involved makes it much cheaper to simply purchase commercial brass.
A hunting partner owns a full length die set that allows him to simply full length size a 3006 case, trim, chamfer and load. I do not own such a magical set of dies. I simply use a RCBS, 308 form trim die, adjusted to set the shoulder back. I would originally form a hundred cases, re-adjust the die , hacksaw the neck off, file and then chamfer before full length sizing. Then I tried trimming them in the lathe which didn't work too well. Then I cobbled together a contraption to trim in the drill press that was a real disaster. Things picked up when I begn using a Forster cse trimmer that had the crank handle replaced with a 3/8" battery powered drill. Then I discovered the Wilson Case trimmer. By using it in conjuction with a 1/2" electric drill I have reduced my trim time by at least 75%. Seconds!
The use of 270 cases simply requires running it through a 3006 full length sizer to open the neck so that I can use the 30 caliber spud in the trimmer. Caution!!! As long as I have military marked cases I won't us commercial cases with other caliber markings. Certain hamfisted characters have been known to insert 8x57 rounds in their 3006 or 270 rifles and then jam the bolt handle hard enough to force the bullet back into the case. Instant disaster! All my military marked cases are reserved for case forming. None are used for 3006. Sure reduces the chance of mixing ammo. Neil
I too make brass out of 270, 25-06, 30-06,, and do simialar tooling but no one mentioned my cheap method, i size cases in a rcbs standard two die set, and use imerial sizing die wax, with 25-06 and 270 brass I step the sizers,from .284 daim, 308, then 8mm, takes little time, then, m[take factory case I have on side as a master length, use sharpie, marker mark case and use tube cutter,to cut to length, with slight bevel on case I run it back through sizer die, and then check case length against sammi length in reload books then champer case mouth very seldom do I need to put them through a case trimmer,then juat for the sake of doing so I go ahead and anneal the case, have just loaded mainly hard cast bulllets but do load the ungodly 150 speers. have fun and enjoy your brass making, ther has been great ideas passed to you, just try them all and find what works best for you, I have made some cases out of strange stuff, 7.62x25 tocarov out of .38 special brass, believe it or not but 7.62x54r out of 45-70 brass 5 yreas ago that took a tad more effert and other items, 7.62x39 out of 220 swift, then had to turn down rim and cut extracter groove fun but not necceary for quality brass is available, 7mm tcu out of .223 brass, 7mm waters out of 30-30 brass as well as using 375 win brass to make 7mm waters, fun cartrige, finally my all time favorites, 357 herret and .30 harret also using 30-30 brass and 375 win brass all this was a great learning experiance my new project is making brass for the 5.45 x 39 its been fun. kjg
I too have reformed many .270 Win. cases to 8mm x 57...with no problems. Lots of .30/06 ones, as well. IMO, the "trick" to getting good and easy reforming is to first ANNEAL the cases, EVEN if the cases are only "once fired" ...then trim to about 1/2 mm longer than the final length...then reform. By following this technique, I have been able to reform .270 to 8mm in one step, without using an intermediate die (such as a .30 cal. one).