hntrjohn
New member
A year ago I went out and bought a RCBS master reloading kit. I want to start reloading and wonder what round should I reload first .270 or 7mm rem mag.
Starting to reload
- Thread starter hntrjohn
- Start date
Mike375
New member
hntrjohn,
I am not sure what you mean by your question. Does an extra set of dies mean you would reload for both calibers?
If you are reloading for economy and for some reason can only reload for one of the calibers, then reloading for the 7mm Rem will give the best economic return.
The difference in costs between reloading a 270 and 7mm Rem is extremely small.
In other words, a 100 270 factory rounds plus a 100 7mm Rem reloads will cost less than 100 270 reloads and 100 7mm Rem factory rounds.
Mike
I am not sure what you mean by your question. Does an extra set of dies mean you would reload for both calibers?
If you are reloading for economy and for some reason can only reload for one of the calibers, then reloading for the 7mm Rem will give the best economic return.
The difference in costs between reloading a 270 and 7mm Rem is extremely small.
In other words, a 100 270 factory rounds plus a 100 7mm Rem reloads will cost less than 100 270 reloads and 100 7mm Rem factory rounds.
Mike
hntrjohn
New member
The onley thing I reloaded before is shot gun, and it is pretty foolproof. I heard storys about belted mags. are harder to set up.
Mike375
New member
hntrjohn,
The story on belted magnums concerns case life. Because the case can headpace on the belt rather than the case shoulder, sometimes the dimensions of the chamber are longer than they need be. If the chamber of a 270 was too long then the case would go in too far.
There are two things you can do.
Firstly, just reload the 7mm Rem in the same way as the 270. If you do this then case life maybe shorter.
Secondly, have the full length screwed out slightly, perhaps a 3/4 turn or so. Now full lenght size the case and chamber it. It will probably be hard to chamber. Now scew the die in a little bit more and resize and rechamber again. You will get to the point where you can nicely chamber the case.
What you are doing when do this is to have the case headspace on the shoulder rather than the belt. In other words, the shoulder of the case is butting up against the chamber but there is clearance between the front edge of the belt and the chamber. If you kept screwing the die down further, then the front edge of the belt would hit the chamber and the case shoulder would be well clear of the chamber. Thus you would have sized the case more than is necessary and this can shorten case life.
To get an ideal setting, first check that with the action closed, chamber empty and firing pin down (that is, after dry firing) that you can "rattle" the bolt backwards and forwards several thou.
Once you have established that the bolt has some back and forward movement, chamber one of you fired rounds and let the firing pin down. The ideal is to have just a little bit of play in the bolt with the case chambered, just a couple of thou.
When I reload for 270 I do the same. The reason is that some dies will simply size the case back to far and accuracy is usually better if there is not more tha 2 or 3 thou headpsace.
I don't know if I have explained this very well. It is one of those things that is much easier "to show" than to "describe"
Mike
The story on belted magnums concerns case life. Because the case can headpace on the belt rather than the case shoulder, sometimes the dimensions of the chamber are longer than they need be. If the chamber of a 270 was too long then the case would go in too far.
There are two things you can do.
Firstly, just reload the 7mm Rem in the same way as the 270. If you do this then case life maybe shorter.
Secondly, have the full length screwed out slightly, perhaps a 3/4 turn or so. Now full lenght size the case and chamber it. It will probably be hard to chamber. Now scew the die in a little bit more and resize and rechamber again. You will get to the point where you can nicely chamber the case.
What you are doing when do this is to have the case headspace on the shoulder rather than the belt. In other words, the shoulder of the case is butting up against the chamber but there is clearance between the front edge of the belt and the chamber. If you kept screwing the die down further, then the front edge of the belt would hit the chamber and the case shoulder would be well clear of the chamber. Thus you would have sized the case more than is necessary and this can shorten case life.
To get an ideal setting, first check that with the action closed, chamber empty and firing pin down (that is, after dry firing) that you can "rattle" the bolt backwards and forwards several thou.
Once you have established that the bolt has some back and forward movement, chamber one of you fired rounds and let the firing pin down. The ideal is to have just a little bit of play in the bolt with the case chambered, just a couple of thou.
When I reload for 270 I do the same. The reason is that some dies will simply size the case back to far and accuracy is usually better if there is not more tha 2 or 3 thou headpsace.
I don't know if I have explained this very well. It is one of those things that is much easier "to show" than to "describe"
Mike
Hntrjohn, I don't mean to contradict what Mike told you, he passed a lot of good information. One thing he said bothers me though. If you resize a belted case so that it headspaces on the shoulder, you run the risk of leaving a space between the top of the belt and the chamber lip that should contain it. This gap presents an excellent potential for case head separation. If you choose to use this method, I suggest that you use a micrometer and measure the case diameter just forward of the belt after each firing. Be extraordinarily aware of any bright rings that form just forward of the belt. Dan AZ
Calif. Hunter
Active member
Dan - I neck size my .300 Weatherby brass after I've shot it in my rifle. I do the same for my friend with his brass...kept separate from my brass, of course. If the brass has been fired in the rifle it's being used in, would there still be a potential problem like you cited above? My understanding, which could be wrong, is that neck sizing works fine as long as it's used in the rifle that last fired that brass. Thanks!
Rick
Rick
the problem with necksizing belted brass is that you can change the headspace from the belt to the shoulder. If you do that, you create the possibility for the belt not to seat against the lip in the chamber that it is designed to fit against. This creates a weak spot in the supporting of the case. Once that bulges, you will never get it back to it's original size. I am not saying this will happen, I'm saying it might. For my money, it's not worth the risk. I prefer to full length size all of my belted cases so that they headspace on the belt as intended. Unbelted cases I neck size if I know what rifle they are going into. Dan AZ
Calif. Hunter
Active member
Thanks again, Super Dan. You know how the "conventional wisdom" goes with gun writers. Course, it depends on what the current trend is. I guess I had just "assumed" (and yes, I know what they say about that word!) that the belted area would expand and size itself to a near perfect fit in a given chamber like the rest of the case. That "conventional wisdom" is that neck sizing belted brass to headspace on the shoulder is better, but hey, next month or next year the writers will flip-flop on this, too! Nice to see the other considerations involved from someone who has some basis for their opinion. Thanks, again.
I agree with you but I would add that it is easy to come up with accurate loads for the 270 which is a good way to start. But the 7 RemMag will out perform the 270 with minimal difference in cost. Have fun and be safe!
D_Walt
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2020
- Messages
- 700
Bill Clinton was President when the post you just quoted was written...
VikingsGuy
Well-known member
Try LBJ
Hey lol, I'm old and mixed up, but i will say this, in the words of the immortal Mel Brooks " May the swartz be with you"
