what dies to order to make .308 bullets from .223 brass ?

[mosby's men]

what set of dies do i need to order to make .308 bullets from .223 brass ?
how long does the .223 brass need to be cut to ?
tia
MM

[ratboy]

well,minimum you will need a set of btsnipers 30 caliber dies and several jacket reducing dies.
then there is what to use for cores.
5.7x28 makes good jackets with less work
even 9mm cases are easier to play with but i assume you have a surplus of 223.

[BT Sniper]

A strong press is a must to draw down brass cases for jackets. After that the rest is easy :)

BT

[anotherred]

Ya, save the 223. If you want I'd trade you 2:1!

[BT Sniper]

I don't know if 9mms are any easier to make 30 cal jackets then 223? 9mm is certainly cheaper unless you can find some scrap 223 blanks or similar.

BT

[ratboy]

i just figured that at least you might not have to cut them down. i guess it depend on the desired end weight.
223 cases for 30 caliber jackets just seems like so much work but if it was all i had i would do it.

[BT Sniper]

They both involve a good deal of "labor of love" but the less diameter you have to reduce will always be better IMO. .390ish of the 9mm down to .308 I use 4 draw dies vs. .375 down to .308 in which I use 3 draws. The 9mm will limit you to about 165 grains in a 30 cal bullet while the 223 is limitless in the 30 cal weight possibilities, It is not difficult to cut the 223s, I can cut them at about 20/minute, of course I am cutting up junk 223 blanks.

Swage on!

BT

[clodhopper]

Between 9mm and 223, which cartridge tend to have the thicker web?

[mosby's men]

how long would you cut the .223's ?

[ratboy]

how long would you cut the .223's ?

that would depend on the desired weight of the 308 and must take into account the lengthening of the case during the draw

[mosby's men]

i am having a jig made to cut down .223 i need a lenth to tell the guy making the jig .

[BT Sniper]

The length to cut the brass depends on a lot of factors....

- how heavy of bullet do you want
- what ogive is the point form die
- how much void do you want in your hollow point
- how tight is the meplat of the die

When you start making your own bullets from scrap brass for jackets you will eventually abandon making bullets of "known" weight, ie. 180 grain, 200, 165, etc. and instead make the weight that best suits your particular jacket.

Example, my 30 cal jackets made from 5.7 brass worked well at 176 grains with the particular point form die I had. I wasn't bothered it didn't weight exactly 180 grains. I simply made the best weight bullet for the jacket I had.

If you give me 2 months I will have some numbers for you as I have a dozen 30 cal dies heading for heat treat. There are not many shooters here making 30 cal from 223 brass so the available info may be a bit limited.

BT

[mosby's men]

thank you for the replies

[Prospector Howard]

The thing to do, is use the brass you can't reload anymore. When the necks split on .223 and when the primer pockets get loose in 9mm, what better way to dispose of them than to use them for jackets and that way they don't cost anything. I would hope others are doing this too.
I don't know if 9mms are any easier to make 30 cal jackets then 223? 9mm is certainly cheaper unless you can find some scrap 223 blanks or similar.

BT

[BT Sniper]

Between 9mm and 223, which cartridge tend to have the thicker web?

of the top of my head they where both very similar as I recall but once you get them down to 30 cal I would be willing to bet the web of the 9mm is going to be more.

BT

[BT Sniper]

and as to the original question.... which dies? I'm positive any of the reputable die makers would work well so long as you properly size down the 223 or 9mm brass first, Corbin, RCE, myself, Blackmon if he makes them and if you have the scratch to buy the carbide dies from the benchrest die makers you don't need to worry about using scrap 223 brass, you will be able to afford J4 match jackets :)