.284 Shehane and Norma Brass

[carlsbad]

I picked up a couple hundred of the currently available Norma .284 Win brass for my ongoing .284 Shehane build. Made up a dummy round and a little surprised to see the neck measure .317".

The reamers out there are generally .317 or .313 neck, the latter seems to be generally for 6.5x284 brass necked up which is thinner after stretching. The former requires neck turning with my Norma brass to give adequate clearance.
I generally don't neck turn but thinking maybe it's time to start.

Anybody have experience with Norma brass and .284 shehane?

thanks in advance,
Jerry

 

[Alex Wheeler]

The .313" needs turning even with the 6.5 Lapua brass. Measure a loaded round add .004" thats the neck I would order on the reamer.

 

[ShootDots]

I have shot the new "Norma / Shiraz" brass out of a .284 Shehane and a "straight" .284. However, I turn my necks down to 12 thousandths neck wall thickness and it works great with a .313 neck chamber. The brass is excellent, however, mine developed doughnuts quickly. BUT, once they were removed, they never returned. Fear not about the Norma brass.

 

[Sniper338]

I use it in a straight 284. Ive never had a problem yet.

 

[Sniper338]

I do neck turn it to 15thou tho

 

[dbramley]

Norma brass is great! Just go easy on it first firing or two and it will last a long time.

 

[carlsbad]

OK. Thanks guys. I've decided I want a 317 neck. Let me know if you have a reamer for sale with 317 neck and 225 or so freebore. Otherwise, I'll order one. thanks.

 

[savageshooter86]

I have shot the new "Norma / Shiraz" brass out of a .284 Shehane and a "straight" .284. However, I turn my necks down to 12 thousandths neck wall thickness and it works great with a .313 neck chamber. The brass is excellent, however, mine developed doughnuts quickly. BUT, once they were removed, they never returned. Fear not about the Norma brass.

So a standard Shehane reamer will work with Norma brass as long as I turn necks? I turn necks to 12k on everything

 

[carlsbad]

I've got a .317 neck remer. Turning the necks to .012 gives you more neck clearance than recommended but lots of people do it and I've never had a problem with it. --Jerry

 

[ShootDots]

So a standard Shehane reamer will work with Norma brass as long as I turn necks? I turn necks to 12k on everything

I like plenty of chamber / neck clearance. Four to five thousandths is excellent. I don't know what a "no turn" neck reamer is, I always use a neck that I need to turn.. However, if it goes past 6-7 thou tops, I would consider getting a different reamer.

 

[savageshooter86]

But other than the neck the Norma brass will be fine in a Shehane reamer?

 

[ShootDots]

But other than the neck the Norma brass will be fine in a Shehane reamer?

No problem at all. It is excellent brass and fit my chamber nicely..

 

[savageshooter86]

Great. I have 3000 pieces. Thinking of trying a shehane too. Been straight 284 for couple years now

 

[ShootDots]

Great. I have 3000 pieces. Thinking of trying a shehane too. Been straight 284 for couple years now

There is nothing wrong with a Shehane. I had 2 of them and 2 straight 284s. I see ZERO benefit to having a Shehane. The accuracy node for both is somewhere between 2885 and 2915. You can get there with RL-23 in a straight 284 no sweat. So fireforming becomes a rather moot point in my not so humble opinion.

 

[Scott Harris]

Great. I have 3000 pieces. Thinking of trying a shehane too. Been straight 284 for couple years now

We have been shooting the Shehane for a looonggg time, my thoughts:
1. Two well-known nodes: 2820-2830 (same as 284 WIN high node) & 2870-2900 fps. There is a higher node at 2920-2950 fps but brass life is a bit shorter and not all barrels can hit it.
2. Norma brass is pretty thick, I'd use a .321-.323 neck for a no-turn chamber.
3. We really like the Shehane. It's the largest case you can get in a standard bolt face and is capable of velocities in between a magnum and a straight 284. At 2920-2950, it is very close to the low node for a 7 SAUM.
4. Fireforming is no different than a 284 WIN. Most people don't want to shoot new brass in a big match. So, there is no difference between using a Shehane and a straight 284 WIN. Same shoulder angle, same headspace....not much involved in fireforming.
5. 284 WIN, at velocities above 2850 fps: hit or miss. In my experience, groups open up above 2850 fps: not reliable.
6. FB, .250 is our number. not too long for the 180H which we use and can also handle the 184H. We shoot .015 off the lands, so maybe a little shorter FB if you jam your bullets. Also, for a no-turn 180H chamber, you need to be well above the neck shoulder junction to avoid the donut. A .250 FB accomplishes this.

Long and the short, the Shehane is a 284 WIN with a higher velocity capability. Both cartridges win lots of matches because they provide great accuracy, moderate recoil, good wind drift, and good barrel life.

 

[Geno C]

I went with the shehane so I could reach the 284 high node, with a bit lower pressure. I run the .313 neck with Norma brass too

 

[Gunracer]

I had no luck with Norma brass. After going through all the work of hydro forming and neck turning they lasted exactly TWO loadings before the primers were falling out. And this was at .284 velocities. Shiraz basically said "too bad". I've used Lapua in my Shehane since.

 

[greisdor]

Rule # 1.

Norma brass is great! Just go easy on it first firing or two and it will last a long time.

Rule # 2

Go read rule number 1 again.