I have about 500 30-30 once fired brass. I would like to re-form this brass to straight wall .375 Winchester. What steps do I take to make this change? I have .338 and .357 dies, and of course a .375 die. Can I neck up progressively, or will I have to anneal the brass?
30-30 to .375?
- Thread starter Fyrstyk
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milsurpguy
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I turn 30-06 into 8mm mauser and I always anneal them before 1 step forming them.
Jumping up to 375 might need 2 steps but at least try one step.
Jumping up to 375 might need 2 steps but at least try one step.
WestKentucky
Member
Expanding isn’t nearly as hard on brass as sizing down. Annealing would help but probably isn’t necessary. Annealing will increase case life though. The concern would be neck thickness and tension on the bullet. With a thinner than normal neck you could expect cracks or loss of tension earlier.
As far as sizing up, if your expander ball fits and the shoulder doesn’t crush then you can do it in one step. Lube it well and give it a try. I would take a brush and manually lube the necks of each case.
As far as sizing up, if your expander ball fits and the shoulder doesn’t crush then you can do it in one step. Lube it well and give it a try. I would take a brush and manually lube the necks of each case.
garandsrus
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A tapered expander can convert cases in one pass of your press.
In the “old days” I used to fire form them with 6-8gr Red Dot and then filled with Cream Of Wheat. A piece of TP or paper towel stuffed in the case mouth finishes the charge.
In the “old days” I used to fire form them with 6-8gr Red Dot and then filled with Cream Of Wheat. A piece of TP or paper towel stuffed in the case mouth finishes the charge.
FROGO207
Member
Yeah I would convert 20 or so and fire them several cycles to see if the thinner brass necks survive OK. If not you may be able to swap or sell the brass and get what you want. That is when this craziness is over anyway.
The gun I have for this round is a wildcat chambering called the .375 WinHy. The gun has a tight chamber specifically made for re-formed 30-30 brass, (although I can shoot standard 375 Winchester rounds) It has a long throat to seat the bullets out to get more powder capacity. The barrel has the old 38-55 Ballard type rifling. My supply of brass has been reloaded several times now and some are beginning to crack, that is why I would like to make some more. My original brass came from the manufacturer of the barrel.
milsurpguy
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If you have shot them enough to split them have you tried annealing to get them to last longer?
DocRock
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Anneal and fire form 15 grs of IMR 4227 or 10 -12 grs of shotgun powder and a wax plug for best results.
Swampman
Old Fart
I've had better luck expanding brass in several steps when that much increase is needed.
I'd probably go .338 > .358 > .375 if it was me, but that's because I have the expanders for that already.
Make sure to clean and lube the necks thoroughly before you start. I usually use Imperial, but STP works great, it's just harder to remove.
I'd probably go .338 > .358 > .375 if it was me, but that's because I have the expanders for that already.
Make sure to clean and lube the necks thoroughly before you start. I usually use Imperial, but STP works great, it's just harder to remove.
I received an expander made by Garandsrus that takes the 30-30 case to .375 in one pass thru the die. Works great, no fire forming, step expanding or annealing involved. I can now make brass for my custom .375 T/C barrel with tight chamber, long throat and ballard twist rifling out of the many once fired 30-30 rounds I have been saving up.
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