Does anybody here neck down 308 Palma brass to 260??

[Michael Eichele]

Anybody?

I'm interested in building a 'smaller' 6.5 cartridge. The 6.5x47 sounds intriguing. It seems as if the strong Lapua case with small rifle primer pockets hold higher pressures really well. It has quite a bit less case capacity versus a 260 rem and 6.5 creedoor yet runs almost as fast. I'm assuming this is due to running loads at top pressures. All that in mind, I was thinking about going the route of the 260 using the 308 Lapua Palma case with the small rifle primer pocket necked down to 260.

Has anybody tried this? Any ideas? Maybe 45-50 grains of the slower powders won't ignite well??

What do you all think?

M

 

[trickytune]

Not sure where I read it but I would have gone down that road if I hadn't already bought normal Lapua 308 brass. Next lot I buy will Palma brass. I think the benefits are the same in the 260 as the 308. Primer pockets lasting better, higher pressure??

 

[AZShooter]

Michael,

German Salazar wrote about the small primer in the 308 in his blog. Here is paragraph that sums it up:

"Simply stated, the small primer in the .308 case is at the low end of acceptable ignition under ideal conditions - and conditions are often not ideal. As ambient temperature drops and especially if ignition systems are modified (uselessly, I might add) with lighter firing pins, ignition reliability declines. A system which is marginally acceptable under ideal conditions will then begin to produce hangfires and misfires. In many cases, when shooters used the Remington small primer cases as a full-length .308, this is exactly what happened. Heavier powder charges and slow-burning powders further add to the difficulty of ensuring reliable ignition. With the typical Palma load of 46 grains of Varget, a moderately slow powder, I will venture to say that many small primers will be inadequate to ensure adequate ignition under all environmental conditions."

I would think the 260 would react in a similar manner.

Link:
The Rifleman's Journal: Cartridges: Lapua Small Primer .308

 

[Michael Eichele]

Michael,

German Salazar wrote about the small primer in the 308 in his blog. Here is paragraph that sums it up:

"Simply stated, the small primer in the .308 case is at the low end of acceptable ignition under ideal conditions - and conditions are often not ideal. As ambient temperature drops and especially if ignition systems are modified (uselessly, I might add) with lighter firing pins, ignition reliability declines. A system which is marginally acceptable under ideal conditions will then begin to produce hangfires and misfires. In many cases, when shooters used the Remington small primer cases as a full-length .308, this is exactly what happened. Heavier powder charges and slow-burning powders further add to the difficulty of ensuring reliable ignition. With the typical Palma load of 46 grains of Varget, a moderately slow powder, I will venture to say that many small primers will be inadequate to ensure adequate ignition under all environmental conditions."

I would think the 260 would react in a similar manner.

Link:
The Rifleman's Journal: Cartridges: Lapua Small Primer .308

That's interesting. I run 48-50 grains of H4350 in the Palma case. Powder burns clean and at top velocities even at 15 degrees F. I can't imagine a heavier charge of a slower powder for the 308. I've shot over 600 rounds in the Palma case with IMR4064, 4895, 4320, BENCHMARK, VARGET, H4895, H4350, VV N530, N540, N550, RL15 and RL17 using 155s up to 215 grain hybrids with nothing but great results. Excellent accuracy and MUCH lower extreme velocity spreads than the large rifle versions. With the reduced extreme spreads, I wouldn't call it "uselessly".

I'm not saying he's wrong, just that I have had experiences that are different from his assessment.

M

 

[AZShooter]

Good to know, Michael.

Ross

 

[Michael Eichele]

Good to know, Michael.

Ross

It would be interesting to gather data from those that have had problems. Maybe it's given primer brands or powders or combinations of these. I'd love to figure that out to avoid any hang/misfires.

Thank for the link.

M

 

[Sully2]

I use CCI primers and buy .260 brass. Its too easy using the firstline components to screw up the procedure

 

[stomp442]

Had a buddy of mine try this. He was having very erradic ignition issues with his 260 and palma brass. He ended up going to remington 260 cases and problems went away. Results may vary but i think i would just use standard cases.

 

[Michael Eichele]

Had a buddy of mine try this. He was having very erradic ignition issues with his 260 and palma brass. He ended up going to remington 260 cases and problems went away. Results may vary but i think i would just use standard cases.

Thanks C.

Do you know which primers he was using?

I'm leaning towards just using straight 260 cases at this point.

 

[stomp442]

He tried every primer he could get his hands on. If I remember right the CCI br2 primers worked the best but it was still not giving the desired results. Since Lapua is making 260 brass now it's really the only way to go.

 

[Sargesniper]

Thanks C.

Do you know which primers he was using?

I'm leaning towards just using straight 260 cases at this point.

Hi Michael, I also shoot a .260. I have used Lapua and Win. brass with great results. If you have not tried the Russian Primers yet they may be what you want to try. I have good results with them and all powders I have tried them with. I do not see any difference between Lapua and Win. Cases at all. Just something for you to consider. Win. cases are much easier on your wallet also. I neck up .243 cases. I have no experience with small primer pockets at all. Good luck on finding Win. brass right now. I cannot find any.

........... SARGESNIPER