Just getting started in benchrest and 6PPC

[DougMH]

I just bought a 6 PCC rifle. I need some help with case preparation. I've read articles on the site, but I'm the kind of person who need 1) do this, 2) do this...

From what I've read, it looks like I will need

.220 Russian brass
Something like a K & M expandiron (to expand to 6mm). Is that in a series of expandirons or a single?
The full-length resize in Redding die.
Then fire form the case with a 6mm bullet
Then trim for length.
If neck turning is required for the donut created during expansion, is there a desired wall thickness?
I've been told that with the bolt face I have, I can re-barrel with a 30 BR barrel at some point. Does this mean the .220 Russian will fit in a .308 shell holder?

I'll appreciate any help I can get.

 

[fdshuster]

Doug: Welcome to the world of the 6ppc, the single most accurate short range competition cartridge out there. Check the equipment list at the annual Kelbly's Super Shoot & show me something other than a 6ppc being used, in the top finishers list.

Anyway, Whether you have to turn the case necks (or not) will depend on the chamber neck diameter. Most are .262" neck diameters, ( might be stamped on the barrel), and if so, then the neck walls will need to be turned to approximately .0085". The "desired" neck wall thickness is determined by that chamber diameter.

Any high quality expander will work fine to expand the necks from 22 (Lapua 220 Russian) to 6mm. I use the expander that is matched to my Sinclair NT-4000 neck turner.

I've known donuts to form on any and all brass, including factory (Lapua 223), that has never had the neck diameter changed, or the cases outside neck turned.

Yes, some bolt faces are "dual" use, will function with both the .445" ppc case head and the .473" BR case heads.

As for the shellholder, not a good idea to try & interchange. When FL sizing the brass there will come a time when you will tear the rim off the ppc case & be left with a case stuck in the die body. Not fun to fix. For the cheap cost of shellholders, just better to have one for ppc & one for BR.

Feel free to PM if any questions or comments.

 

[FergusBailey]

The steps you have mentioned are fine, BUT you do not mention turning case necks. What is the neck dimension of the chamber? Unless its a 274 or so for a no turn neck, you will need to neck turn cases. If you do need to neck turn, aim to leave 2 or 3 thou clearance between the turned case, allowing for the bullet diameter you will be using, and the chamber neck diameter.

Regarding the other steps you mention, I use a K&M expander, and the sizing up step is a single operation on the tapered expander. I use imperial wax to lube the expander.

I dont size my brass before fire forming, but your chamber will dictate if you need to do that or not. You can shoot a .220 Russian case in a .308 bolt-face, but it needs a smaller shell holder for reloading. For example a Redding #12 shell holder.

 

[fdshuster]

Fergus: We both posted at the same time, and are in agreement.

 

[potatoe]

I'd recommend talking this over the phone with someone. The process isn't real hard, but you can/will get hung up if you don't do them right. I personally had someone talk me through the process the first time and it cleared up some of the gray areas you run into by reading about it.

 

[DougMH]

Thanks for the responses. I won't take possession of the rifle until my check clears as that's the deal I worked out with the previous owner. He's going to supply the ammo to shoot it in a 100 yd match on Sep 8, 2012.

I think I understand what you're saying is after I've expanded to 6mm, then...

1) If I can determine the chamber neck diameter, I can measure the OD of the expanded neck and turn off the difference + .002 or .003?
2) If I can't determine the chamber neck diameter. I guess I could try to easily chamber an empty case and turn it down a bit at a time until it did chamber?

I shot the rifile today but didn't check for chamber mouth diameter. The pictures I have of it show some printing stamped into the barrel, but I can't read it.

Do you use one of those chamber length gauge plugs pushed into a shortened case mouth to determine the proper case length (below).

 

[fdshuster]

DougMH: If the seller is going to supply some ammunition then it's simple to measure the loaded round neck diameter. Record that dimension, and after firing, clean the carbon off the neck & measure again. The dimension you get will be .001" smaller than chamber neck diameter.

Yes, the gauges you picture appear to be the ones sold by Sinclair. But again, the previous owner should know the chamber over-all-length.

Actually, the previous owner is the best person to address questions to.

 

[FergusBailey]

Actually, the previous owner is the best person to address questions to.

Thats what I was thinking! Get as much detail from the current owner as you can. If the current owner can tell you which is the correct reamer print for the chamber, make sure you write that down and put it where you will not forget it.

Once you are set up to turn necks for the chamber, and have a well fitting die, you should either find a gunsmith with that same reamer spec, or buy you own reamer of that spec. Otherwise you may have to revisit all this when you get your next barrel.

I agree it is a good thing to measure the rounds made by the current owner - it will give you a good base line for turning your case necks. Just one thing to watch though - there is no guarantee the current owner has enough clearance around the case neck to begin with. Take a bullet that you are shooting and place it in the neck of a fired case. If it doesn’t drop into the case freely, you do not have enough clearance and need to turn a little more off the neck (probably about 2 thou). And if you change bullets, you need to recheck this, as there is about 10 thou variance from the thinnest diameter to the thickest 6mm BR match bullets.