Fire Forming .284 Shehane

[Terry]

Has any one fire formed .284 Shehane brass using the Cream of Wheat method?

How much pistol powder did you use?

Terry

 

[expiper]

Hi Terry....this is like most evry thing in life ...there are more than one way to do it....I dont use cream of wheat...just Universal Clays (or Unique) use 55% of total case volume to start,you may hav to go up or down a lil....no messy ceral all throughout the action etc.......just hold the powder in the case with a 1/4 square of toilet paper.....let us know how it works...Roger

 

[6mmHot]

I really wouldn't bother fireforming like this for the Shehane, lifes to short.
I just load her up and shoot matches or practice whilst fireforming brass, she shoots superbly.
In mine my fireforming load is identical to my match load.
She runs superbly on 58gn H4831SC giving velocities around 2950 fps.
Cheers and have fun
Dave

 

[geordiesniper]

As per 6mmhot, do not waste time fireforming with cereal stuff. Just load it up with H4831sc.
I load up with 56.0 grains of shortcut with a Berger 180gr vld to fireform with the bullet seated out 20 thou and it shoots like a dream.
Good shooting

 

[Elwood]

Hi Terry....this is like most evry thing in life ...there are more than one way to do it....I dont use cream of wheat...just Universal Clays (or Unique) use 55% of total case volume to start,you may hav to go up or down a lil....no messy ceral all throughout the action etc.......just hold the powder in the case with a 1/4 square of toilet paper.....let us know how it works...Roger

As much as 55%? that seems an awful lot for a pistol powder, I'm not saying you're wrong I just want to double check. I did read somewhere else that you don't have to use a filling/packing in front of the powder so long as you fired vertically to keep the powder in a column? I have fire formed 6mm Crusader brass with the COW method and used about 25% of the total volume with Unique, is it 55% because you don't use any packing/COW?

For my Shehane I was going to fireform but after talking to 6mmHot and the former GB and European F class champ who both told me I would be wasting my time so I didn't. I did exactly what they said and loaded it up with 4831SC, did my load development and then shot matches with the best load, it works.

 

[Shynloco]

Terry,
I don't believe there is ANY difference in whether you are "fireforming" brass for a Shehane or any other rifle model or caliber. Since I shoot for precision and accuracy, I've found short cuts create uncertainly in consistency and therefore recommend you eat the Cream of Wheat and not even try and fireform with it. Just load your normal powder load OR at least starting load that you intend to use in testing so that each piece of brass gets the same pressure (for expansion and heat) that it would get during a normal firing. Just my feelings.

 

[Terry]

" Two years ago Bill Shehane wildcatted an improved version of the .284 Winchester. The changes were modest, and no special case-forming was required. Neck length and shoulder angle are unchanged. Basically, Bill just reduced the case’s body-taper about .010″. That adds enough case capacity? (+3.35 grains)"

With the above quote from the 7mm page on this site, is there no change in load from stock to improved case?
Will the stock case hold and safely shoot the charges recommended in this thread?

If I do load testing with stock cases won't I have to do it over again with the improved cases?

Just trying to learn.

Terry

 

[6mmHot]

The loads are safe in my rifle so obviosly work up, UK temperatures are also some what lower.
My accuracy load happened to be the same as my fireforming load. You will still need to do a little tweaking to get your final loading.
What I did notice my ES dropped in the formed brass.
ES 15 forming load
ES 9 formed case, both with 58 graains H4831SC
Cheers
Dave

 

[Terry]

Dave

Thanks!

 

[DennisH]

She runs superbly on 58gn H4831SC giving velocities around 2950 fps.

6mmHOT, what bullet are you shooting?

 

[Elwood]

" Two years ago Bill Shehane wildcatted an improved version of the .284 Winchester. The changes were modest, and no special case-forming was required. Neck length and shoulder angle are unchanged. Basically, Bill just reduced the case’s body-taper about .010″. That adds enough case capacity? (+3.35 grains)"

With the above quote from the 7mm page on this site, is there no change in load from stock to improved case?
Will the stock case hold and safely shoot the charges recommended in this thread?

If I do load testing with stock cases won't I have to do it over again with the improved cases?

Just trying to learn.

Terry

Terry that was exactly my line of thought as well, or as I likened it "why run a race car with a restricted engine" However I had two hundred cases to form and didn't want to waste barrel life forming them, even if it was using the cream of wheat method. Having then seen 6mmHot's F class rifle hammer the X ring while fire forming his cases I followed suit.
I will have to do some more testing with the formed cases, but as many others have already found out, load development is very easy with this caliber, I expect to nail it with no more than 15 rounds and I suspect the final load will be within .2 grains of 6mmHots final load of 58 grains of H4831SC using the 180 Berger Hybrid/VLD.

 

[6mmHot]

Hi Dennis, I'm using the Berger Hunting 180 VLD's.
Sorry should have put that in the post.
Cheers
Dave

 

[21shooter]

Hi Terry, I use 54gr. 4831sc 180gr hyb. pushed into lands .010
Works nice at 600. John