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30-06 military brass

joshmb1982
im looking at brass not he auction side and see a few for military brass. does the same hold true with 30-06 as with 223 and 308. the walls of the case are thicker so you need to cut back on powder by 10%? or do you load it like commercial brass?
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5 comments

Date Votes
  • Herschel
    The walls are thicker on military .30-'06 as well as on the 7.62mm. I am not sure about the 5.56mm.

    The military brass I am referring to is US made. Foreign made military brass may be different.
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  • givette
    Using the brass in a bolt-action rifle?

    Using the brass in an autoloader?

    If the former, use the 10pct rule*, and work up to the best load.

    If paragraph two, you must use load data listed specifically for the M1 Garand, and use 'small base' resizing dies. Best, Joe


    *Do not load lower than any starting load listed
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  • Ambrose
    This is one of the things, in reloading, that we have always been told. Military brass is sometimes thicker (heavier) than commercial brass but not always. This is something you should check for yourself. We all have scales to weigh powder. Weigh your brass. Since the outside dimensions are fixed, and the formula for cartridge brass is fixed, thicker brass must be heavier. Just the other day, I weighed some brass that I intend to use in a vintage .30/06 that I recently acquired: Federal averaged 207.5 gr., RP = 201.7, and the military CMP Greek brass averaged 195 gr. Your results may differ, but weigh it and adjust your loads accordingly--don't just assume from what you've heard.
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  • bentley47
    You can also weigh case capacity, which may be the determining factor on pressure differences. Some use water. I have used a fine grain powder. Use sized, trimmed, and primed cases, fill to the mouth, then pour the contents into the scale pan. Certain .223 (5.56) military cases actually have greater capacity than some commercial 223 brass. In 30-06, any military cases I have tested do have smaller case capacity than commercial. You will also have the primer crimp to deal with, but that is a one time fix.
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  • iwannausername
    Capacity is more important than brass weight - although weight may be an indicator.
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