Nas3 308 Loading

[Wvfarrier]

Ok, here is the good, the bad and the ugly.

All shots were at 150 yards.

I did one test load at max book this morning but got side tracked and had to come back after 2 hours to start.
Varget
180 Tipped Gameking
308 Win
2.88" OAL
Big Horn Origin
20" PVA barrel
Shellshock Nas3 Casings
CCI #200 Large Rifle Primers

#1- 46.2 grains (cold bore)
2688/2713/2722
size after 2.0155/2.0190/2.0190

#2- 46.4 grains
2738/2729/2743
size after 2.0180/2.0195/2.0185

#3-46.6 grains
2763/2758/2747
after 2.0178/2.0130/2.0195

#4-46.8 grains
2738/2737/2740
2.0180/2.0135/2.0185

#5-47 grains
2756/2745/2764
after 2.0130/2.0135/2.0185

The casings are absolutely NOT re-sizeable. I tried to neck size 1 and the base tore off leaving the broken case stuck inside my die. It was well lubed.

For non-reloaders these are pretty nice but for me its a NO. My Alpha brass works just as well and some have 15 firings on them.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

 

[Wvfarrier]

Here is the base that tore off when I tried re-sizing.

 

[Wvfarrier]

Apparently SS says in their FAQ section that their brass is not reloadable. However, the danged description says otherwise

 

[NikA]

I'm not really clear why an alloy other than brass is desirable for the top half of the case. The fully supported chamber area is not really limited by the flow stress of brass like the case head is, SIG has shown this with their hybrid case loadings for DoD. Those cases are reloadable, I've formed surplus ones to a couple .308-based cartridges. Not yet sure how well they stand up to repeated use.

 

[contender]

I've been seeing some of this brass show up as "left behind" on my range. I haven't tried to reload any yet,, so this is interesting to me. The stuff I'm seeing is 9mm.

 

[Mobuck]

Looks like you should go back and do more testing with the 46.4 load. Doesn't seem that you gained much with the hotter loads.
I can't imagine a civilian (hunting) scenario in which saving a few ounces on spare ammo is going to be a factor. Maybe I'm missing the point?

 

[kmoore]

Cold bore zero is important when being a hunter or sniper. It does not help when testing loads for grouping. I fire the cold bore off target, so I don't mess with the group. My limited cold bore vs calibers have found my 338 RUM is the worse at 100 yds always shoots 1 inch right on a cold bore shot.

 

[Mobuck]

Good point kmoore. I'm fortunate to have my own range so I can check 'cold bore' zero and performance easily-1 shot per 'session'. I may spread the 'test' out over hours or days-picking up and resetting the rifle, bags, and myself completely from one shot to the next. It's really important for a hunting rifle to show it's performance on that first shot.