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Need advice from FTR shooters

Hi everyone, On your 308 FTR rifles, what neck dimension do you use? Do you trim the necks on your brass, and to what thickness? Thanks
 
I use a no turn .342 neck reamer. I’ve won matches with turned and un-turned necks. About 4 yrs ago I shot something like 105 Xs in the FCNC mid range with unturned necks.

If you are starting I’d forgo neck turning for a while unless you live somewhere where it snows till May, then you can do it out if boredom like I do.

Trimming refers to removin brass to make all uniform lengths, not neck thickness, that is turning.
 
I only trim to make the necks concentric. .001" to .003". With Lapua, I don't turn usually.

My chamber's are all cut for no turn necks and typically about .004" to .006" clearance. .006" is a bit much IMO, but they still shoot pretty good with normal loads. Hopped up loads, not so good.
 
Another vote here for .342" no-turn chambers. All of my F-TR rifle chambers are cut with .342" necks, and using Lapua brass, I have never felt the need to turn them. With proper load development, the limiting factor in terms of precision by far is always me. If you experience unacceptably high ES/SDs that even testing different primers cannot tame, turning necks may be something worth trying. Switching to a different [better] brand of brass may also be a solution in some instances; not all brands of brass are equal. Lapua, Alpha, and Peterson are among those brands of quality favored by F-TR shooters.

In terms of neck diameter, a good starting point would be about .002" neck tension (interference fit), meaning that the measured neck diameter before/after seating bullets differs [expands] by .002". The key is to find the correct size bushing, so ordering two or three different sizes is usually a good idea. With Lapua brass, I have always used a 0.336" bushing, which yields very close to 0.338" loaded neck diameter. However, you might need to try bushing sizes anywhere from about 0.334" to 0.337" or so, depending on the neck thickness of the particular brand of brass you're using. If you're wanting to use a nitrided bushing, I'd suggest starting with steel bushings initially, until you find the size you need as they're much less expensive if you're buying several sizes.

Standard trim length for .308 Win should be 2.005". Most chambers will allow for at least .005" (or more) growth in case length before chambering may become an issue. However, it is not necessary in most cases. Using a 2.005 trim length will get you where you need to be. If any pieces of virgin brass are shorter than 2.005", they will usually grow enough to be trimmed after a couple firings, so you can just leave them alone until they do.

As has been noted above, you can always experiment and tweak factors such as neck tension, turning necks, nitrided bushings, etc., at any time. The same is true with other steps and/or tools in the reloading process. The most important thing for someone just starting out reloading .308 Win for F-TR IMO is to start with the simplest and most basic parameters that have been successfully used by F-TR shooters for many years. That will allow someone to get started with the minimum of effort and expense. Once some level of experience has been gained, the odds are better that adding a new step or piece of equipment to the reloading scheme will be fruitful and justify the added time and expense.
 
If you have a tight neck chamber you must turn your necks in order to have reliable chambering. A no neck turning reamer should digest brand of brass you feed it. Lapua brass never varied enough for it to be worth my time and energy to do it. Stimming 0.001-0.002" to make the neck more concentric never seamed to make much if any difference to me so I stopped doing it. YMMD. Careful attention to neck sizing with high quality dies either collet or bushing made better results for me. I prefer Widden Bushing Dies or the Lee Collet die. Best of luck.
 
A group of TR shooters here in Phx. did a un-scientific study for about a year regarding turn / no-turn necks and relative chamber sizing . What we found out was it made little difference on paper as to whether or not you turned brass for TR , unless you had a "Tight" neck chamber , which would cause interference of bullet release . The most important piece of information collected from our un-scientific study was that cartridge over-all length was important for consistent scoring and SD/ES numbers . Whatever length dimension you pick , whether it be 2.005 , or some other number , variations of more than .003 / .005 can cause erratic SD/ES numbers , and show up on the target as well . Trim to length ; after re-sizing , and remember to deburr , too .
 
Best to keep it simple. Consistent brass, Lapua or Norma ,some here are using Norma here due to supplies. My new barrel has a .340 chamber, gives me 4thou release with Lapua brass. Size to 2.005. Get good scales. Your choice of good dies - I use Forster. Good to go.
 

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