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Forming 6XC Brass - Picture
- Thread starter Ledd Slinger
- Start date
Which one was first, 6x or the 240NMC?
Hi all, sorry I need a bit of advice on forming 6xc brass. I am looking at sizing some new 243win Norma brass to 6xc. I tried an old winchester case last night and when sizing the inside neck got a massive step up which will obstruct me from seating bullets. What will be the best way to do it? I just sized the case with a FL Forster 6xc die. Will it be better to size the 243 brass to a 308 or 6.5CM first before going to the XC die? (Those are the other dies that I have here in my house) Your help will be appreciated.
Old Winchester 243 case?
I’ve made 6XC cases from Lapua’s Palma brass starting about 2010. This shows how my first couple attempts ended:
I don’t understand how starting with a 6mm/243 necked case would result in a step up though, I need to see what you see.
Understand too that, however you manage to push the shoulder back to where it needs to be, you’ll have so much more neck that needs to come off somehow that typical case-neck trimming just won’t be efficient.
It can be done so keep experimenting. I’d made 6XC from just about every available brand of 22-250 case years ago but the best results came from that Lapua 308 Palma brass. And it wasn’t easy figuring out the right steps either.
Five year old thread and still a need to DIY 6XC cases...
David Tubb has gone to great lengths to secure a state of the art brass manufacturer who understands how to make high quality 6XC cases consistently. There is no reason to make your own cases when this brass is available unless you just have to do it yourself for some reason of personal satisfaction. It will not be as good as the Tubb brass straight from the manufacturer. But I guess some folks have more time...
David Tubb has gone to great lengths to secure a state of the art brass manufacturer who understands how to make high quality 6XC cases consistently. There is no reason to make your own cases when this brass is available unless you just have to do it yourself for some reason of personal satisfaction. It will not be as good as the Tubb brass straight from the manufacturer. But I guess some folks have more time...
You will notice that the left hand case has the "step up" or whatever you would like to call it. The other one that I did looks perfect. I noticed the step up when I tried trimming the neck and the pilot could not go any further.
Attachments
OK, thanks for those.
What’s happening is you’re making neck wall out of thicker brass that used to be case shoulder. One fix is to use a .243 neck reamer to shave that step out. Another is to use a neck sizing mandrel to push it to the outside of the neck where it then can be shaved off with neck-turning tools.
Making 6XC from 308 required both operations I found as the necks became so thick from both the necking down as well as the increased length before cutting off most of the surplus with a jewelers saw.
Hope this helps. Don’t be put off by the challenges, or comments by others who would prefer to just buy ready-made factory brass available now. We do what we want because it’s of interest to our pursuits, not because it’s what others tell us is the best path going forward.
Faced with the unprecedented risks present in otherwise everyday aspects of what life was before COVID-19 appeared, a lot of us are going to have a lot more ‘free time’ to fill. Do what you can to use it wisely but don’t do things that put you or others at greater risk of exposure. Stay well, stay healthy.
I I just realised that I didnt have the 6mm "plunger" on my 6XC full sizer, when I ran the brass through my neck sizer which has it, it sorted out that issue. I had to bump my shoulder back with my body die to get it to fit my chamber. The trimming actually went by quickly on my trimming tool. I don't think it will be a massive task to get them done.
Do you suggest annealing before and after sizing?
Do you suggest annealing before and after sizing?
Before? NO.
That's how those two 'mushrooms' formed in that picture. Your experience may be different but I'd assumed annealing parent case shoulders and upper sides would facilitate reshaping; it did, to the point that those areas couldn't then withstand the forces being applied by the sizing die, causing them to collapse.
What I will suggest - unless you're already doing it - is to advance the sizing die's downward progression in baby steps, retracting it after each minor advance so as to have access to the case being formed. This is when you turn it slightly in the case holder, perhaps 1/8th of a full twist 'round, before bringing the die down for the next advance.
Once you have cases that have will chamber and have been trimmed, then yes - anneal before use. What had been the original necks may not have been affected much by the resizing (most should have been trimmed off) but the newly-shaped stuff will have been.
Check your neck thickness too against what your chamber's neck ID is so you're not suddenly confronted by the need to reduce neck thickness after finding that cases are hard to extract after having been fired, or that a fresh bullet can't be inserted into a fired case neck before resizing. Both are indicators that your neck clearance needs attention.
That's how those two 'mushrooms' formed in that picture. Your experience may be different but I'd assumed annealing parent case shoulders and upper sides would facilitate reshaping; it did, to the point that those areas couldn't then withstand the forces being applied by the sizing die, causing them to collapse.
What I will suggest - unless you're already doing it - is to advance the sizing die's downward progression in baby steps, retracting it after each minor advance so as to have access to the case being formed. This is when you turn it slightly in the case holder, perhaps 1/8th of a full twist 'round, before bringing the die down for the next advance.
Once you have cases that have will chamber and have been trimmed, then yes - anneal before use. What had been the original necks may not have been affected much by the resizing (most should have been trimmed off) but the newly-shaped stuff will have been.
Check your neck thickness too against what your chamber's neck ID is so you're not suddenly confronted by the need to reduce neck thickness after finding that cases are hard to extract after having been fired, or that a fresh bullet can't be inserted into a fired case neck before resizing. Both are indicators that your neck clearance needs attention.
For 25 years, I've been making more wildcat brass and obsolete brass than you will ever imagine.
But most of these pursuits were short runs just to get a particular firearm back in service or to test a cartridge not currently on the market or available as brass from a manufacturer. Most of these conversions though are simply a PIA! They resolve nothing when brass of the quality which David provides is available. Unless, as I stated, you just HAVE to go to the effort of making the cases for yourself. This current state of containment here in the U.S. certainly does provide for the extra time in which reloaders can make all the cases they desire since we can no longer gather to shoot. But this is also a new event, not one from the last 20 years. Retirees also have the potential of available time to create cases from scratch so long as their other extracurricular activities and spouses do not interfere.
I, on the other hand, am not retired nor am I hindered by the impediments placed on us by the State and Federal government agencies. I work 6 days a week for clients except when I compete. There are millions of acres of open access land surrounding me which I use for testing with nary another human even close.
I have the need to produce larger qualities of loaded ammunition for competitions, not the 20 cases used 50 times for some endeavors. I also test dozens of firearms a year which often require more bulk cases than just a handful of heavily customized DIY cases. So my time does have value and that value come in the form of buying the best cases available. Expediency and quality win out every time.
I apologize for any remark you mistook as being disparaging. But to the same extent there are two sides to every coin to which we can all subscribe.
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