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Can .308 brass be formed from 06?

jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
edited March 2002 in Ask the Experts
No real reason to do this, but I have more 30-06 than I'll ever need and was wondering if it would work.
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.
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Comments

  • cpermdcpermd Member Posts: 5,273 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yes but it is damn sure not worth it.Sell the 06 and buy 308.cpermd
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Jon, the '06 and .308 have the same head size and configuration. I've not done a tabulation, but would bet a sizeable amount that it is by far the most common head configuration in the world & historically. Not only can you make .308 from '06 brass, but also any of the '06 & .308 families, plus most of the Mauser calibers, .45 ACP, .44 Auto Mag & host of others. But as carl said, why bother in this case? The only time it pays to make another caliber from the original is when the desired round is not available or significantly more expensive. For the tools & and time involved, you could literally throw away your '06 brass and buy more .308s than you will ever use. You can buy processed 1xF GI brass here: http://www.scharch.com/catalog.htm for an excellent price. I've used them for many calibers and can recommend them highly.
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  • XracerXracer Member Posts: 1,990 ✭
    edited November -1
    .308 from .45ACP brass? I'd like to see that!Guess you just trim it an inch or so longer.
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Xracer, you parsed too quickly, amigo - I said that it same head size as the '06 family and that one could make the other calibers from that brass; with enormous time & effort, this would include .45 ACP, although why anyone would do such a thing is beyond me.
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  • 11echo11echo Member Posts: 1,007 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The .308 brass is exactly 0.500 shorter than the 06 brass. The .308 is a military master mind, developed after WWII. They like the .30 cal. round, but the longer 06 cartridges were "awkward" in function with machine guns. SO the federal arsenal thought ...lets make it shorter! "WALLA"!!! ...the .308!!!Hope this helps. ...Mark
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  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The brass thickens progressively from the neck to the base so if you shorten the case, be prepared to thin the neck by either an external neck turning tool or by reaming the neck i.d.. If you dont, the neck may be too large in diameter to fit into the chamber.
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    11echo, respectfully, you are misinformed. The 7.62 grew *up* from the .300 Savage, rather than *down* from the '06. First prototype batch, circa 1945, was made using commercial brass & even had the .300 Savage h/s. First military cases were 7.62x47. Next was an intermediate case of 7.62x49 and finally the 7.62x51. Ironically, the chronology closely parallels that of the M .30-01, M .30-03 and M .30-06, as does the relative rarity of the variations.
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  • 11echo11echo Member Posts: 1,007 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    "ONCONTRAY MY DEAR ICONOCLAST!" The .308 is a PURE military development. AND I susgest you look at this links to "enlight" yourself! http://www.user.fast.net/~jasmine/308.htm and http://www.netside.com/~lcoble/dir7/308hx.txt ENJOY!!! ....Mark (*G*)
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Mark, again, respectfully, the sources you referenced provide a non-technical overview of the situation. The first one is inaccurate - the work originated during WW2 (although it was 1944, not 'circa 1945' as I posted originally . . . but close enough, eh?), not after the war. The Speer reference speaks only to the final result, not the various prototypes & developmental variations. Rather than waste bandwidth here for folks not interested, send me your eml & I will provide the data from research done from Frankford Arsenal records. The first "Cal. 30 Light Rifle" did have a longer neck than the .300 Savage, but empty cases were procured from Winchester and reformed to that end. You are correct that the need & design was purely a military project - even though the commercial version of the final design was on the market before the cartridge was accepted by the military . . . talk about sharp marketing people in the Winchester organization! If you would like the references or a scan of the material mentioned, contact me here: tcg25@hotmail.com
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