Need 25-06 Brass... can I size down 30-06 brass?

[petrey10]

Ok I can get 30-06 brass locally but I have 25-06... I know the 25-06 Rem came from the 30-06 cases so is there going to be any real problem with doing this? If its a problem I will just have some shipped to me but if I can just use 30-06 brass I would prefer to buy local.

[thirty06]

You can neck down the 30-06, but you may end up needing to turn the necks down thinner.

[Blue Avenger]

I did some a while back and had no problems.

[flashhole]

I do it all the time. The link below may help explain things albeit a re-sizing from a 270 case. I find HXB headstamp (the Greek brass) works better for me than L-C brass. A re-sizing tip would be to anneal the necks on the 30-06 brass before down sizing to 25-06.


http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=43210&highlight=flashhole

[kslefty]

Ideal situation would be to run 30-06 brass into a .270 or even .280 die just far enough to neck it down in steps.

[pdawg.shooter]

Sure you can. Of my 2000+ 25.06s at least 1500 are sized down 30.06s. Run them through the die, trim to length and load.

[keeki]

+1 on what pdawg said. i neck them down in one stroke with a Lee body die and trim them, never had a problem

[snowgetter1]

Same. I full length resize and trim. Just lube them well. Then shoot them.

[Kawabuggy]

On the plus side, doing this MAY result in thicker necks which is a good thing, as long as they are not too thick. Think of it as a "tight-necked" chamber.

I always go the extra step and neck turn them after this process just to clean them up a little bit. Also, as I recall, you will have to trim like 1/8" of brass off once they come out of the 25-06 die.. Be prepared for a lot of trimming unless you have a motorized trimmer.

I used to do that when I first got my 25-06, but now I have an ample supply of the correct brass to use at will.

[lomfs24]

When my dad loaded for his 25-06 he used a lot of 30-06 brass necked down with no problems. He would lose about one case in a hundred from the shoulder collapsing as he was doing the sizing. But that was really the only problem encountered.

[Rocca]

I see you have your answer but just adding my .02 to it. I cant tell a difference between my 25-05 brass and my necked down 30-06 brass.

[jm22250]

I've been doing it for years. The reason was to obtain a thicker neck to reduce the neck clearance in my old ruger 77. With normal brass it is .0075 By necking down nickel plated 30-06 brass I brought that down to about .005 Here's the #s Fired neck dimension .2905... Loaded 25-06 rem brass .283.. Loaded fed nickel plated 30-06 brass necked down .285

[Uncle Jack]

I usually start with .270 Win brass when necking down to either .264 (6.5-06) or .257 (25-06). That way you work the brass less and have less to remove if you neck turn. You will have to trim a bit more as the .270 brass will be longer.

Just lube well and go to it. One pass in a FL die. No hay problemo!

uj