Im getting my custom .308 next week and been reading about the .308 cartridge for a while now. I stumbled upon the .308 match brass with the small rifle primer pockets. Whats the purpose of it? Does it give better accuracy? Is there any modifications that have to be done on a rifle to shoot this brass? Im clueless about this so please give me all the details about this please. Thanks!
.308 match brass with small rifle primer pockets?
- Thread starter stinnett1981
- Start date
Lapua Palma brass will tolerate pressure better and has longer case life, I have some .308 Palma brass with 14 full pressure reloads and pockets are still tight. ES can be a little lower if the load is tuned properly. It also has ~.5 grain more H2O capacity, at least in my lots.
The idea behind the small primer .308 brass was to make load development a bit easier by using small rifle primers that would offer a smaller primer flash regardless of which small primer one used. Makes for smaller ES and SD numbers. One can also use Wolf large rifle primers for the same effect as they offer a smaller flash than other primers. I have been using the Lapua .308 Brass for several years now with good effect but I am switching to their large rifle brass since small rifle primers are harder to come by than their large brethren. Since I have both I will use what ever type of primer I can obtain in some kind of bulk.
So I can shoot either one in my new rifle? There is no modifications that have to be done to do this?
[br]stinnett1981 said:
Either one is fine. Your custom action will likely already have a small diameter firing pin. I've had best results with CCI 450, Russian SRM and Fed 205M. CCI BR4 should also be a possibility.
Note that the cases also use a small diameter flash-hole at 1.5mm v the standard 2mm. This is as per 220 Russian / PPC, 6mm and 7mm BR, and 6.5X47 Lapua brass, the only other cartridges so specified.
The standard diameter decap pin is marginally too large for the flash-hole, and you need a smaller diameter version as used in dies for the PPC, BR etc models. Since 308 Win brass normally comes with the 2mm opening, this cartridge's sizer dies are usually (invariably?) supplied with the larger diameter pin, and you need to obtain a small pin (and spares I'd suggest) and swap it out before sizing 'Palma' brass.
The origin of the Lapua 'Palma' case was a suggestion put to the company by Tom Whitaker, Vice-Captain of the US Palma team back in around 2008 or 2009. Mr Whitaker had extensive knowledge of using the old thin-walled Remington small primer / small flash-hole 'BR' .308 Win dimensioned case, and believed there might be benefits to long-range shooters in this case-form. Lapua took the suggestion up, initially producing a limited production lot solely for the US Palma teams to evaluate. Both parties were sufficiently impressed by the results for Lapua to put this version into general production, for the US Palma teams to adopt it as their standard case, and for Lapua to be permitted to use the jealously protected 'Palma' name.
If you do a search in the 'Precision Reloading' section of the US Rifle Teams' Long-Range Forum for 'Tom Whitaker', 'Dan Simpson' (instrumental in testing the brass for the teams and explaining benefits / issues to forum users), and 'Lapua Palma' you'll find lots of topics there including some very interesting information. Not everybody was initially convinced by the logic behind the development and many doubts were expressed, but the 'Palma' case is here to stay and is a fixture on the long-range precision shooting scene for disciplines that use the .308 Win cartridge.
http://www.usrifleteams.com/lrforum/index.php?showforum=62
The standard diameter decap pin is marginally too large for the flash-hole, and you need a smaller diameter version as used in dies for the PPC, BR etc models. Since 308 Win brass normally comes with the 2mm opening, this cartridge's sizer dies are usually (invariably?) supplied with the larger diameter pin, and you need to obtain a small pin (and spares I'd suggest) and swap it out before sizing 'Palma' brass.
The origin of the Lapua 'Palma' case was a suggestion put to the company by Tom Whitaker, Vice-Captain of the US Palma team back in around 2008 or 2009. Mr Whitaker had extensive knowledge of using the old thin-walled Remington small primer / small flash-hole 'BR' .308 Win dimensioned case, and believed there might be benefits to long-range shooters in this case-form. Lapua took the suggestion up, initially producing a limited production lot solely for the US Palma teams to evaluate. Both parties were sufficiently impressed by the results for Lapua to put this version into general production, for the US Palma teams to adopt it as their standard case, and for Lapua to be permitted to use the jealously protected 'Palma' name.
If you do a search in the 'Precision Reloading' section of the US Rifle Teams' Long-Range Forum for 'Tom Whitaker', 'Dan Simpson' (instrumental in testing the brass for the teams and explaining benefits / issues to forum users), and 'Lapua Palma' you'll find lots of topics there including some very interesting information. Not everybody was initially convinced by the logic behind the development and many doubts were expressed, but the 'Palma' case is here to stay and is a fixture on the long-range precision shooting scene for disciplines that use the .308 Win cartridge.
http://www.usrifleteams.com/lrforum/index.php?showforum=62
Laurie, I ordered large primer pocket 308 Lapua brass but got small primer pocket stuff. Don't know if it was my fault or theirs but what the hay. I have a set of Lee Collet Dies, so I measured the decapping pins and they are 1.58mm, so I tried several pieces of brass and the pin fit each one, snug but fit. Would you suggest I sand them down a little? I thought I read somewhere on this site this could be done.
Ron,
You can go that route, but the best option would be to see if they can provide a true, 1.5mm/.060" decapping pin for their die. Most makers do for some calibers, since the smaller flash holes are common to some cartridges; the 6mm BR, 220 Russian, 6.5x47 all being examples. The .308 Win has traditionally been one with a standard .080" or 2mm flash hole, so that's what you'll see in the vast majority of the die sets on the market. The smaller pin may be an option, but you'll have to ask them directly.
You can go that route, but the best option would be to see if they can provide a true, 1.5mm/.060" decapping pin for their die. Most makers do for some calibers, since the smaller flash holes are common to some cartridges; the 6mm BR, 220 Russian, 6.5x47 all being examples. The .308 Win has traditionally been one with a standard .080" or 2mm flash hole, so that's what you'll see in the vast majority of the die sets on the market. The smaller pin may be an option, but you'll have to ask them directly.
What about getting very vine grit sandpaper and polishing the decapping pin down on your collet mandrel?
Most dies use a small collet to hold the decapping pin. My Redding .308 die easily holds a small decapping pin from a 6BR die and it works fine in standard .308 brass, too. Just buy extra pins from Lee and they should fit.
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