Forming .22 PPC brass

[rstreich]

I'm about to pick up two new-to-me Sako .22 PPCs. So, I'll be faced with the task of forming some brass for them. Can anyone lay out the steps for forming .220 Russian into .22 PPC? Is it as simple as loading it up and fireforming? Or do I need to expand the .220 Russian brass first so that I can create a false shoulder first? Got any good loads?

I've heard that the Sako chambers have a tight neck when using Lapua brass so I'll probably have to start out making a cast of the chamber to see what the neck dimensions are. Are there any other major differences between a Sako PPC chamber and the Lapua-based PPC chambers?

thanks,
robert

 

[steveyrock]

when I prepped 220 Russian for a no neck turn SAMMI chamber I simply uniformed the primer pockets and chamfered the case mouths.I used a boatail bullet so they would enter the necks easier as the new brass may have some small dings in the necks right out of the box.The bullets were seated over a good amount of Winchester 748 with a jam fit into the rifling.

others may not do it like this but it worked for me with out running them in a die first.

 

[kitsap]

rstreich,

I have a Sako light barrel repeater in 22 PPC USA and have no problems forming brass from 220 Russian. Started with Lapua brass and I did have to neck turn for a loaded round neck diameter of 0.251. No false shoulder necessary if you are able to seat the bullets with a jam into the rifling. Mine has a rather long throat and I found it necessary to fire form with 55 grain bullets. The 55 grain bullets shot very poorly due to the slow twist on the barrel. In the end mine would not shoot accurately any bullet weight greater than 50 grains.

 

[rstreich]

...The 55 grain bullets shot very poorly due to the slow twist on the barrel. In the end mine would not shoot accurately any bullet weight greater than 50 grains.

Well, that's some bad news for me. I'm on the hook for two of them now: an A-1 repeater at Cabela's and a 75 Varmint repeater that I just got on an auction. I was really hoping they'd be shooters as is 'cause they don't come cheap with so few of them around,these are the first I've seen for sale in a year). Although I really bought them to eventually replace the barrel, I hate the thought of having to do that right off the bat.

I really wish I'd been paying attention to guns when you could just buy the PPC actions or complete rifles on close-out. My brother and my gunsmith are still kicking themselves for not buying a bunch of them.

 

[tightneck]

Kitsap, what is the barrel twist? I don't have much experience with Sako but I would guess a 1-14. The standard twist for 52-53gr match bullets is 14. Does Sako use a slower twist than a 14? I cannot imagine what reason they would have to do so. 14 twist barrels should stabilize 55's without any problem.

 

[kitsap]

Tightneck,

I agree with you completely and was very much surprised the first time I shot the gun. It is a Sako AI standard barrel repeater I bought used. I measured the twist of the barrel and it is 1 in 14 inches. Three different brands of 55 grain bullets, Sierra BK, Nosler BT, and Hornady V-Max were all going sideways at 50 yards. Backing off to the 50 grain Sierra BK put 5 shots in a 1/4 inch at 50 yards.

 

[steveyrock]

Maybe the Norma 22 PPC brass will work and it,s already formed.

I sold 60 Sako 22PPC USA cases on e-bay last year they for sure would work in a Sako but hard to find.

 

[tightneck]

Tightneck,

I agree with you completely and was very much surprised the first time I shot the gun. It is a Sako A1 standard barrel repeater I bought used. I measured the twist of the barrel and it is 1 in 14 inches. Three different brands of 55 grain bullets, Sierra BK, Nosler BT, and Hornady V-Max were all going sideways at 50 yards. Backing off to the 50 grain Sierra BK put 5 shots in a 1/4 inch at 50 yards.

Very interesting, I could understand that the barrel just likes the lighter bullets, but to be that unstable is indeed puzzling. The bottom line is though, that you did get it too shoot...

 

[rstreich]

Maybe the Norma 22 PPC brass will work and it,s already formed.

I sold 60 Sako 22PPC USA cases on e-bay last year they for sure would work in a Sako but hard to find.

Huntington's carries Norma .22 PPC brass, but I'd rather not mess with it. It's really kind'a sad that such nice quality brass is just too soft to be really useful.

The 75 that I bought comes with something like 75 pieces of Norma brass, so I can play with that a bit. Hopefully, by the time my wallet recharges, there'll still be some Lapua around.

 

[tightneck]

The Norma brass is soft too. Just don't load it too hot and you shouldn't have a problem.