Pulling factory bullets and replacing

[RememberBaker]

I have an Encore chambered in 30 T/C and when I bought it I also bought the 10 boxes of Hornady ammo that the guy had. That was fortunate since the ammo was $10 a box and brass doesn’t seem to be available any longer. The ammo is mostly 150’s and a couple boxes of 165’s and all the bullets are SST’s which I don’t really care for. I’d like to pull the bullets and then just seat a Partition bullet of the same weight in its place.
Is there any reason that I shouldn’t do this?
I could also dump the powder and just start with primed brass if there’s a reason to go that route instead?

 

[JMRhino]

I think that it may be prudent to compare the BTO distance between the two to make sure you don't get into the lands with the Partition. I suspect the ogive might be a little different. Just a thought...

 

[JD338]

Do you have dies? You should resize the cases to square things up and have proper neck tension.
If it were me, I would just shoot it and load 1x fired cases with your bullet of choice.

JD338

 

[RememberBaker]

Do you have dies? You should resize the cases to square things up and have proper neck tension.
If it were me, I would just shoot it and load 1x fired cases with your bullet of choice.

JD338

I have dies. I’d pull the bullets and dump the powder before shooting it all.

 

[TackDriver284]

I could choose both options, shoot all the ammo and have it fireformed in one go, then anneal, resize it and tune up a few loads to see what the rifle likes or just pull all the bullets, remove the decapping pin and size all the brass carefully , and find a load using virgin brass using the same primer or just leave the decapping pin in and remove the primers, anneal the brass, resize it, prime it with new primers of your choice and find a load since you have 200 pieces of virgin brass.
Changing to a different bullet brand or type, even with the same weight, requires adjusting seating depth because the ogive profile affects how close the bullet sits to the lands.

 

[Dr. Vette]

Don't forget, the 30 TC is really the 30 Creedmoor. I believe that you can resize 6.5 CM brass to 30 caliber and shoot away. That gives you a lot of options regarding brass, as long as you don't mind the headstamp variance.

 

[SJB358]

Don't forget, the 30 TC is really the 30 Creedmoor. I believe that you can resize 6.5 CM brass to 30 caliber and shoot away. That gives you a lot of options regarding brass, as long as you don't mind the headstamp variance.

Beat me to it. Easy enough to get excellent 30 TC brass doing it that way.

 

[JD338]

Don't forget, the 30 TC is really the 30 Creedmoor. I believe that you can resize 6.5 CM brass to 30 caliber and shoot away. That gives you a lot of options regarding brass, as long as you don't mind the headstamp variance.

You might want to aneal brass before sizing and necking up to 30 cal.

JD338

 

[NYDAN]

You guys are a wealth of information. One can gleam some great info on this forum.

 

[Charlie-NY]

I have an Encore chambered in 30 T/C and when I bought it I also bought the 10 boxes of Hornady ammo that the guy had. That was fortunate since the ammo was $10 a box and brass doesn’t seem to be available any longer. The ammo is mostly 150’s and a couple boxes of 165’s and all the bullets are SST’s which I don’t really care for. I’d like to pull the bullets and then just seat a Partition bullet of the same weight in its place.
Is there any reason that I shouldn’t do this?
I could also dump the powder and just start with primed brass if there’s a reason to go that route instead?

I'd suspect that a Partition bullet, of the same weight, would have a lot more bearing surface and less compressibility. For those reasons, you will need to run a lighter load. I'd remove a few grains and then work up one round at a time.

You should also check the distance from the lands with a different bullet.

 

[RL338]

I'd suspect that a Partition bullet, of the same weight, would have a lot more bearing surface and less compressibility. For those reasons, you will need to run a lighter load. I'd remove a few grains and then work up one round at a time.

You should also check the distance from the lands with a different bullet.

For this reason I would just fire them as is , then work on a load development with the Partitions.

 

[Wolfshead]

If it were me personally, I would get all the measurements, (COAL, CBTO, and even weigh them) from all the cartridges, and then shoot them.
In a day where components are increasingly more expensive, why waste the bullets, powder, and primers, when you can enjoy a day or so at the range.
Plus it would eliminate some of the PITA of pulling all of them.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

In the past there were some match shooters who would take mil-surplus loads, pull the bullets, dump powder than use same powder, same weight then replace the bullets with match bullets. Mexican match was what it was called. Somewhat quick fix but not always stellar results. Up to you but as others have said check c.o.l. with the bullet you want to use. If you use the powder in the case now weight it to see how much for the given bullet weight. Curious as to how it works out for you.

 

[salmonchaser]

It is very easy to neglect our field shooting skills in deference to load developement. You have the perfect opportunity to change that for yourself. Like you, I don’t care much for SSTs. While I completely understand the bullet design and would agree that when put between the slats, in the crease, they will kill stuff pretty damn dead, when things don’t go perfect they are less than ideal.
It has been a long time since I’ve seen a modern rifle shooting modern ammunition shoot over about 2moa. I’m betting that ammunition you have will do better than that. Plenty good enough to ring a steel plate at 100 or even much farther.
Go buy yourself a steel plate if you dont have one, pack a lunch, some water, a method to wash your hands, your hunting pack, sticks, perhaps a shooting mat and go to the range. Spend a day or two learning the rifle. How the rifle fits will not change with load developement. Natural point of aim will not change with load developement. Those aspects will be different with this rifle compared to any other in your safe. One of my favorite drills with folks is to get into position, almost; then just before mounting the rifle close your eyes. When the shooter thinks they are good to go, so to speak, eyes open.
Can you see the sights or through the scope? Any where close to being on target? Can the problem, if any, be resolved by adjusting the scope posistion or stance alignment? Pay attention to that little bit of wiggle you make when you open your eyes. It will tell you much. You’ll learn a lot about that rifle doing some drills like this from four basic positions.
Shoot those crappy ssts up and reload to your hearts content.
When I’m doing load developement the first thing I set up is my shooting mat next to the bench. If a load makes the grade, sub moa, at 100 I let the rifle cool and go out to 300. If it doesn’t work at 300 I get off the bench and shoot the rest of it up on plates, almost every time.
I have it on good authority God does not subtract from your time on earth that what you spend fishing. I think he must take a very favorable view of the time you spend with Grand kids also. I don’t think he gives bonuses for pulling bullets.
Good luck with your new encore I always enjoy reading of folks success getting them dialed in.

 

[Blkram]

I have dies. I’d pull the bullets and dump the powder before shooting it all.

Glad you clarified this point.
Hard to say for certain what powder and primers Hdy is using in that ammo, so if you do get good results with the Partition, how do you duplicate it afterwards?
As stated above, best to shoot it and you have fireformed brass to your chamber for neck sizing your reloads for practice, and load development with the Partitions. Plus, you have the fun and experience with your new firearm and its trigger pull.
Best of luck in your quest!