Cross loading cross reference?

[Bullshot]

I’m a novice at reloading but have been nervous about resizing brass across different head stamps as I own a number of similar rifles and want to minimize opportunity for mistakes. Has anyone ever created a cross reference for which cartridges will chamber and fire in another gun? Many people probably have examples of this off-hand in their head for at least a few calibers, but I am saying, has anyone attempted a true cross-reference of popular calibers?

And now for a second question, has anyone ever (that they would admit) actually fired the wrong round? And what happened?

I once cross docked a 6.5 CM into a 7mm 08 (did not fire) and a 7mm 08 into a creed (did not chamber) on the same day after slipping a round each into the wrong boxes. Scared the pants off me when I caught it and still does.

 

[grizzly63]

Manufacturers have tried to make most cartridges some what idiot proof. They cannot stop everything. Many cases will fit in other chambers. I think this is why it is highly suggestible to only have one gun and one box of ammo on the bench at a time. I often time take two guns to the range so one can cool while I shoot the other one. I tried to load a 257 wby in a 300 wm. Just about to force it when the "you idiot" sensor went off. Unlike the common saying "if it doesn't fit, do not force it" Nothing beats paying attention. Mistakes in reloading can be very serious. Buy separate cases for each caliber and label them appropriately. I read in a Ron Spomer article that he had shot the wrong round through a tighter bore and luckily didn't have a catastrophe.

 

[turbobrick]

There aren't too many I'd worry about, the big one is 300blk into .223/5.56, that can easily close into battery and be set off really making a big mess.

 

[D4570]

The only one that I may mix up is a 243 into my 6mm rem.
It would not hurt anything other than mess up a good brass.
It could happen to a lot like a 3006 in a Whelen or a 25/06 in a 30/06
or a 7mm STM in to my 8mmrem mag. ext.

 

[std7mag]

I also take several different rifles to the range.
The advice of one gun & ammo at a time are good.
I have different colored plastic ammo boxes for each different rifle i load for.
Example would be blue for my 250 Savage, red for my 257 Roberts, and green for my 257 Roberts AI.
Also have different colored masking tape accross the top labeled in marker for the cartridge.

And yeah, i've seen a guy trying to shoot 270 Win from his 300 Win Mag before.

 

[Jbotto]

I also take several different rifles to the range.
The advice of one gun & ammo at a time are good.
I have different colored plastic ammo boxes for each different rifle i load for.
Example would be blue for my 250 Savage, red for my 257 Roberts, and green for my 257 Roberts AI.
Also have different colored masking tape accross the top labeled in marker for the cartridge.

Been doing exactly this since I started reloading. Nice and simple to organize!

 

[Don Fischer]

I’m a novice at reloading but have been nervous about resizing brass across different head stamps as I own a number of similar rifles and want to minimize opportunity for mistakes. Has anyone ever created a cross reference for which cartridges will chamber and fire in another gun? Many people probably have examples of this off-hand in their head for at least a few calibers, but I am saying, has anyone attempted a true cross-reference of popular calibers?

And now for a second question, has anyone ever (that they would admit) actually fired the wrong round? And what happened?

I once cross docked a 6.5 CM into a 7mm 08 (did not fire) and a 7mm 08 into a creed (did not chamber) on the same day after slipping a round each into the wrong boxes. Scared the pants off me when I caught it and still does.

If you set up the dies the way manuals tell you to you won't have a problem with the loads fitting in any rifle chambered for that round. What the set up does is returns the case to SAMMI min spec, fit's all rifle min spec or otherwise! If on the other hand you set up the die to match that case to a particular rifle then you run the risk of having a load that will not chamber in another rifle chambered for the same cartridge. I have two 243's both have different size chamber's and what will chamber in one will chamber in booth but what chambers in the other will only chamber in it. One appears to be a min spec chamber and the other larger. I have the box marked with which rifle each load is for, which is not a bad idea anyway. You may find that a load you worked up for one rifle is actually to hot for the other causing pressure problem's.

So that load you worked up for one rifle even if it fit's the chamber of another may be to hot for the the other. Mark each box with the rifle it is loaded to work in! I think that is important! Something you'll notice when using American factory ammo is that the stuff will chamber and fire in any rifle chambered for that load. and the reason is that factory ammo is all designed to work in min spec chamber's. Where the larger chamber comes from is the reamer used to cut chambers is used several times. As it's used it wears some and actually gets smaller. It start's life at SAMMI max spec and when it get down to min spec it is them discarded. You can cut a number of chamber's with one reamer that way! My understanding in many custom match rifles is that the reamer starts out at min spec and used twice. It is used to cut both the chamber of the rifle and the sizing die used to load for that rifle!

For the time being set your dies up the way the manufacturer say's to and you should have no trouble. Of course every now and then a manufacturer does screw up. Lot of people never set the dies anyway other than how the directions say to and they still make very good ammo. Tweaking is a head game many of us get involved it. If your a competition shooter it probably helps to tweak but simply not necessary for the hunter. I'm a hunter and I tweak, I tweak mostly because I can!

 

[Bullshot]

I’ll be FL resizing for everything. I would definitley segregate ammo by rifle. Though annoying, I’ll probably also only use factory headstamped brass for each caliber, rather than, say, resize 7mm08 to .260 rem. I just fear mixups too much. So it costs me a few more bucks….

I’ve also considered significantly paring my assortment of rifles back, only to realize how silly that sounds…. like of COURSE I need both a 450 marlin and a 45/70. And of course I need both a 260 rem and a 6.5 cm.

What I really need to contemplate is a good reason NOT to go after a 264 Win mag…. all of a sudden I am interested, seems like it would be fun to reload for it.

 

[grizzly63]

Get a 6.5 x 300 and join the mens club!