308 subsonic

[mosigdude]

Ok, after posting that, I couldn't take the suspense. In the last 10 minutes, I made 5 reduced capacity 308 Cases. I changed direction just a bit, here's what I did:

I filled one 308 case full with #9 shot (smaller would be better to reduce the air space between pellets, but #9 was the smallest I had) I then poured the shot out of the 308 case into a 300 whisper case. The remaining shot that did not fit was the approximate difference in volume between the two cases. I weighed the difference and it was approximately 220 grains of shot.

I then drilled the flash hole of the 308 cases to 1/8 (.125) inch. I noticed that a 10-penny finishing nail was nearly the same size as this hole.
I lightly oiled several of these nails and inserted then into the flash hole with the head in the primer pocket. I then weighed and placed 220 grains of lead shot in each case.

I used a pair of vice grips to snugly hold the portion of the nail that protruded from the neck of the case. I held the nail centered in the mouth and snug against the primer hole, snug enough to form a seal. I then used a standard propane torch to heat the base of the case until the lead melted (less than a minute each)

I then let the cases cool naturally (instead of quenching, which would cause them to be brittle) and lightly tapped out the nails. (if you do this, make sure the sharp portion of the nail isn't mashed out larger than the shaft before you insert it, otherwise it will get stuck as you tap it out). This eliminated the need to re-drill the flash hole.

The way it looks:
Each case appears to have the same volume. The flash hole appears as uniform as can be expected, it isn't "machine" accurate, but appears as good as any factory case. I'm guessing and hoping that the taper of the case will hold the lead "plug" in place firmly, or at least solid enough to prevent powder from getting between the case head and the plug. Finally, the case capacity is approximately the same as the 300 Whisper, giving me a good idea on approximate start loads.

I think I'll grind the point off of one of the same nails and use it as a manual decapping rod, then disassemble my 308 sizing die to size only the outer dimensions of the case first, then reinsert the expander only deep enough to pass through the neck for reloading. This should allow me to load without buying a neck-sizer only (only since I don't currently have one).

No doubt, if this works, the cases will degrade faster than those of solid brass or aluminum since the lead is much softer, but I'm hoping I can get somewhere between 5 and 10 loadings each before much degradation is noticed.

I'll keep posting after I get some loads tested... chrono reports will be slower to come since I shot the chrono while testing whisper loads a few weeks ago (read "Anyone had this problem" if you're curious).