.280 fireforming from .30-06 using cast boolits

[Newtire]

Just as a FYI,  I really couldn't find anyone fireforming .280 cases from .30-06 brass necked to have a false shoulder and then fired using a cast boolit, so I tried it. 

Using 33 grains of old Hi-Vel 2 that I wanted to get rid of and a 148 grain RCBS Silhouette made with wheelweights, water drop hardened, the shoulders blew out just fine. 

4895, 3031 or RX7 should work also-close to same burn rate for these starting loads.  I just didn't want to have to waste alot of expensive jacketted bullets so figured-why not. 

So, there it is, try it if you want, don't know about using any lighter charges of fast burning powder like Unique; I wouldn't try it.  I tried that to make some .257 AI cases out of factory .257 using that kind of a light load and it didn't work so great.

[twoshooter]

I have made quite a bit from 270 brass, using old shotgun surplus powder and whatever primers I had out, and then filled case with cream'0 wheat. Had two blown primers  so I backed up on the powder a bit and made sure I was using RIFLE primers and had no more problems. I would say your method should work just fine.

[D Fischer]

30-06 ton 280? Let's see, either the 280 or the 270 is slightly different than the 30-06 so a 30-06 case won't chamber in it, I don't remember which, maybe both? As I recall they are just a bit longer (?). I'd simply run the 30-06 case through a 280 FL die and check OAL length of the case and trim as necessary then load them and shoot them. If your really concerned about fire forming, Have the bullet's just touch the lands. Using cast bullet's would certainly work, if you have the bullet's. One problem I found with cast bullet's in my 30-06 was some of the loads were low pressure enough not to fully expand the cases. Sounds to me like your creating a job for yourself.

[rugerfan.64]

I have used 270 brass because its the correct length to make 280 out of , I necked them up to .338 and then fl sized them in the 280 die, lubing the neck helps with necking up. It will leave a perfect false shoulder and headspace on that. I tried just seating them long into the rifling and the strike from the firing pin just pushed the case forward and resulted in misfires. I went to the oversize and fl size method. Cast bullets and surplus powder would definitely be the way to go on this.

[D Fischer]

I have used 270 brass because its the correct length to make 280 out of , I necked them up to .338 and then fl sized them in the 280 die, lubing the neck helps with necking up. It will leave a perfect false shoulder and headspace on that. I tried just seating them long into the rifling and the strike from the firing pin just pushed the case forward and resulted in misfires. I went to the oversize and fl size method. Cast bullets and surplus powder would definitely be the way to go on this.

To make a 280 case from a 270 case, why would you neck up to 338 and then back down to 280?

[rugerfan.64]

A straight necking up from 270 to 280 didn't leave any of the false shoulder on the neck to headspace it correctly in my rifle. By necking up to 338 and then down to 280 I was left with a prominent shoulder at the correct location to headspace in my rifle. Works pretty good in a pinch when I couldn't find any 280 brass. I tried just seating my bullets long and it didn't work out very well, so I started tinkering. Necking down 30-06 to 280 will leave the false shoulder as it should be, but also leaves you with a very short neck. I suppose one could neck a 270 case up to 30 cal and then neck back down to 280. Seems that I had a 338 expander ball for some reason or another.