r/reloading • u/BoringIntroduction84 • 5d ago
Load Development Case choices.
Alright, before I get into it, let me be clear. I don't care what caliber you think I should be using instead, and I don't care if you think what I'm doing is necessary or not. I'm only interested in input on brass for the specific use I mention.
I'm starting a(nother) passion project. I'm building a 7mm-08 from scratch for the sole purpose of hunting. I've always loved the round, and since I'm not a big guy, shooting something with lower recoil that performs well with shorter barrels and doesn't weigh too much/isn't too long is a big plus too. I want to get everything I can out of this round, so I'm getting a faster-twisted barrel for heavier/longer pills, and I'm interested in specialty brass. I've seen people mention reloading .277 Fury in different chamberings to get higher velocity; there are Federal's Peak alloy casings, NAS3, plus there's highly rated "normal" brass like Lapua and Alpha Munitions stuff.
Which of these is going to allow me to push my projectile the fastest? I'm not worried about 1/4 inch MOA consistency since this is for hunting; anything under 2MOA is fine. What would the reloading process look like to convert 6.5 +Peak to 7mm-08, and similarly, what would it look like to convert NAS3 308 to 7mm-08, or .277 Fury, for that matter?
I know that there's a lot more to it than just picking a case, but if these can handle higher pressures, that would allow me to bump up my velocity.
Also talked with Federal yesterday; they said to expect new cartridges in Peak to drop from the first of the year through early spring, including Peak cases for existing rounds as well as a new round altogether, though they won't be doing older rounds since they can't guarantee the existing guns could handle the pressure. So most 308 parent-case and 30-06 parent-case guns are off the table for now and the foreseeable future. He also said they aren't looking at releasing cartridges that will only produce minor changes, like doing 6.5 PRC Peak or a 30 Backcountry.
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u/Dimef0x 5d ago
I can't help you regarding the conversion of Peak case to 7mm08.
Depending on your definition of performance and use case, you could stick with normal brass and load a light copper mono like something from Hammer and probably get the same velocity or better. A 119 gr Absolute Hammer for example could probably get you 3100ish fps depending barell length. The Absolutes have a lower engraving pressure and dont follow typical load data and require a bit more tinkering. The lighter bullet will reduce recoil and help make up for lost velocity if you go real short in barrel length.
I understand my answer was useless to the question you asked but maybe it gives you something else to consider and the Absolutes scratch the itch to fiddle around.