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Posted: 10/16/2013 5:14:19 AM EDT
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One of my favorite rifles is a TC Contender carbine. One of its several barrels is a 21" custom job chambered for the .256 Win Mag cartridge. Very accurate with jacketed bullets, less so with cast bullets. As you can imagine, its been many years since Winchester produced any ammunition or unprimed cases, so they must be formed from .357 brass. You can buy already formed brass from several sources, but the quality is spotty. The one lot I got from EABCO developed cracks below the shoulder due to inadequate annealing. Case forming dies from RCBS cost $250 per set, which is prohibitive for me. Later, I read that using a .30 Mauser sizing die as an intermediate step eases the forming process. I checked the Lee Precision web site and found that the .30 Mauser sizer die body alone (which is all you need), only cost $12, so I ordered one. Much later, due to shortages, I finally secured 100 Starline unprimed .357 mag cases at Midway. With that I'm ready to make my own .256 Win cases.
See link below to a photobucket series that illustrates the process. Its real simple, first anneal cases using a homemade case holder and a propane torch. You hold the spinning upper half inch of the case to the tip of the flame for about 3.5 seconds, then immediately dump the hot case into a pan of water. Then dry over a heating vent for a day or so. Then size in the .30 Mauser sizer, without a neck expander stem. With a light coat of lube (I use castor oil) they size down to .30 caliber easily. Push the shoulder back almost as far as needed for the final step. Then size again in your regular .256 Win FL sizer die, this time with the expander stem installed. Push the shoulder back enough that it will chamber easily. I use the Hornady headspace gage to get this setting right. Again, with a thin coat of oil, they size down to .25 caliber easily, no crushed cases. The shoulder corners end up a little rounded, the first firing fixes that, but its so close that accuracy is not affected. So if you are interested in buying or building a .256 Win rifle, have at it and don't worry about an adequate supply of high quality brass. If you can find good .357 brass (not so easy these days), you are in business. This cartridge is a modern day equivalent to the old .25 WCF (aka .25-20). I get about 2250 fps with 75 gr Sierra jacketed bullets and about 1500 fps with 100 gr cast bullets. Very accurate in my barrel, an ideal round for small game at shorter ranges. Muzzle blast is quite a bit less than my 5.56 AR with its 20" barrel. - CW http://s1012.photobucket.com/user/chasw44/media/256Win-formingcases/1-Starline357brass_zpsc52b943c.jpg.html?sort=6&o=0 |
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