7-08 to 243 back to 7-08

bsdoyle

Got a chance to get some 7-08 brass that has been run thru a 243 die. Any way to get them back to original with fire form them with a lite load in my 7-08??????? Any experience with this issue or are they 243 cases now. Thanx

Mobuck

I'd say this would require annealing and still maybe not last too long. Best leave them as is and get some more 7mm08 brass.

BGHillbilly

+1 on leaving them as they are.
I would not try to go back up. I never was happy with the results of necking down 7mm-8 to 243. I had a 7mm-08 and a friend had a 243 and it just seemed to work the brass way too much. I expect if you tried going back up you might get to reload them once or twice after fire forming them. Figure a primer, powder, and bullet to fire form problably cost more than some once fired 308 brass.

Riomouse911

That's lotsa work on the brass...I'd just sell the remanufactured .243 brass and buy some 7-08 instead.

JustC

annealing would maybe make it OK,.but prolly not for long.

sandwarrior

bsdoyle,

There is more at issue here than just the necks. A rule I've made for myself is "Never resize brass to more than two different rifles." i.e. I pick up some once fired brass, re-load it and fire it in my rifle. That is two rifles. I won't re-size that to another rifle, even the original. I've had too many incipient case separations. And, I'm a bit leery of having any more.

That said, if all the brass had was necked from .284 to .243 and not trimmed, or turned, then anneal and re-size back to .284. If any of the above was done, such as firing, turning, or trimming, just go get some new 7mm-08 brass. It's much simpler and safer.