Brass question

[savageshooter86]

two barrels chambered by competent smith for two different rifles but using same reamer. Should I be able to swap brass from gun to gun?

And hopefully too have same node window as well? I know that might not be case. Since two different actions and gun weight and stock design

 

[Twoboxer]

I have this very strong premonition we will soon find out

 

[Clancy]

Same barrel I guess? Sure, they'll probably shoot the same load at least reasonably well and almost definitely have the same nodes. I wouldn't swap brass. It might be dimensionally the same or might not (+/- .001 even) but if you're bumping your shoulder .001 ish like most the odds of that working out are pretttttty slim.

Question about the brass is, why?

 

[savageshooter86]

Back up FTR rifle. Brass will be virgin. Barrels are from same stock/ batch. Will be chambered at same time by smith. Same caliber. Only difference will be action and stock for the different barrels

Don't want to order 300 plus cases for each barrel

 

[LCazador]

Back up FTR rifle. Brass will be virgin. Barrels are from same stock/ batch. Will be chambered at same time by smith. Same caliber. Only difference will be action and stock for the different barrels

Don't want to order 300 plus cases for each barrel

If it's for competitive shooting, I sort for both until I find how load reacts in both rifles. My personal experience is they probably will not shoot exactly the same. You don't have to buy 600 cases. A couple hundred should suffice. A good load will probably give you great brass life and maybe out live you.

 

[mikecr]

He would set headspacing using the same go/no-go gauges, right?

 

[Clancy]

What cartridge, by the way?

 

[Clancy]

I guess the simplest answer is this... if they measure the same when they iron out after a couple of firings, then it's probably fine.

 

[cheek9075]

A buddy and I purchased 2 barrels at the same time. Had them chambered at the same time by the same person. Barrels shoot the same load, same brass, etc. Fired brass measure the same on both barrels, sized is the same. I guess it depends on how good the person is that chambers the barrels.

 

[savageshooter86]

it's a 308 win. And yes this smith is well known out in TX.

I emailed him but was trying to get answer sooner than Monday since I was gonna order some brass up

Same chamber reamer and barrel and checked using same go gauges should be able to use same brass is what I am thinking. And the load well they should be the same or at least close between the two barrels and two guns. I would obviously verify as this is competition rifle

 

[jim_k]

You're in Georgia, but your gunsmith is in Texas; or you are using a gunsmith in Georgia that Texans know? Either way, I'm doing the same thing, and I bet I get the same results in both rifles. Who is the gunsmith?

 

[savageshooter86]

You're in Georgia, but your gunsmith is in Texas; or you are using a gunsmith in Georgia that Texans know? Either way, I'm doing the same thing, and I bet I get the same results in both rifles. Who is the gunsmith?

Thomas Speedy Gonzalez
Yes I send my stuff off for work

 

[Mozella]

A buddy and I purchased 2 barrels at the same time. Had them chambered at the same time by the same person. Barrels shoot the same load, same brass, etc. Fired brass measure the same on both barrels, sized is the same. I guess it depends on how good the person is that chambers the barrels.

This might be a reasonable goal and it makes a certain amount of sense at first glance; however, I'm reminded of the story of the major barrel maker (was it Bartlein or some other maker?) who wanted to test the theory that some barrels shoot well and some turn out to be duds for no understandable reason.

As the story goes, they produced two barrels at the same time and made them as identical as humanly possible. When they were tested, they did NOT perform the same. One was great and the other was only so-so. Of course I have no way to prove if this story is true or just a urban myth.

My formal education is as a scientist and I try to apply that training to shooting, but I often get the feeling that plenty mystery and/or black art remains in our sport. I blame that on trying to achieve tiny improvements in performance by measuring the results at the target while testing with a gun held by a human as it delivers bullets through an atmosphere which we know little about propelled from a home-made cartridge.

So, if these two guns fail to perform in identical fashion, where does the blame lie? With the brass? With the barrels? With the chambers? And could that unequal performance be corrected by isolating the brass into two batches? As far as I'm concerned, that question is hard to predict and perhaps even harder to actually prove.

But I'll be watching this space for the results anyway.

 

[spclark]

I have a Bartlein 1:12 308 chambered by John Whidden (I'm in WI, he's in GA) I've been shooting since 2010.

A month ago he chambered a Brux 1:12 308 for me using the same reamer (design, if not the same actual tool) to fit another action I'd recently acquired of the same brand and model as behind that first barrel.

Two weeks ago once I'd received the newly barreled action I took both rifles to the range. After I confirmed my zero on the first rifle at 600 yards I moved its sights without changing how they were set to the new rifle and fired its first round.

Target system showed impact ~ 3/4 MOA off to left, ~ 1/2 MOA (mid-ring 10 @ 8 o'clock) below last impact (X) from first rifle. Subsequent rounds fired showed ~ 20 fps velocity gain at the target from the second rifle using the exact same load profile developed for the first one.

I considered that to be a Very Fortunate Outcome indeed so yes, it's possible to use the same brass / load in two somewhat different rifle systems to good effect.

I just don't think it's a very commonly achieved outcome, so will be watching what gets posted here.

 

[Richard Coody]

A buddy and I purchased 2 barrels at the same time. Had them chambered at the same time by the same person. Barrels shoot the same load, same brass, etc. Fired brass measure the same on both barrels, sized is the same. I guess it depends on how good the person is that chambers the barrels.

+1

and you should let the gunsmith know your expectations.

when he runs that finish reamer he needs both chambers exactly the same. .001 matters here.