Anyone tried the new ADI .308 cases?

[wilson85]

Hi Everyone,
Has anyone tried the new ADI .308 cases that a few gunshops have been advertising? If you have, what do you reckon so far? Was thinking of buying 100 and giving them a go.
Cheers

[williada]

Haven’t tried them, but there is no reason that fully batched they would work just fine. The competition is getting so good now in other classes through better load development, that even the best cases such as Lapua are batched with no stone unturned. That means by volume, by weight is an interim measure in my view, by neck thickness and case length; and primer pocket seating depth. Flash holes can be drilled to size and the internal side bevelled. (While some say good cases have clean holes, they miss the point that the bevel angle directs the flash to the junction of the case body and shoulder). The neck entrance maybe reamed at an angle to allow projectiles to seat in alignment but it is more important the outer edge of the neck rim is chamfered (bevelled) a whisker. People have also wised up to in breaking any new case using a lower node and trimming it to dimension after two firings; and there is plenty of knowledge about, with regards to annealing, and one of our own making annealers.

If you are going to all this trouble anyway, you may as well sort good Aussie stuff but beware - match the neck with your chamber by turning the neck to the right thickness.

QUIZ: Check the pic below, for those that don’t know, you might ask yourself, what the pattern of carbon means? You might ask yourself how much clearance gives a good gas seal for a full powder burn? Is it enough in a long string if carbon builds up? You might ask yourself what would a bad neck look like? Can you feel it in bolt lift?
Experienced people might like to discuss these issues as they relate to ADI brass or other brass.
[URL=http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/sierra39/media/DSCN0047_zpsswjtvbi1.jpg.html][/URL

[bsouthernau]

Are the "new" ADI cases any different from those that they've been churning out for years? Having started off shooting factory ammo for a few years I now have a lifetime supply of AFF91 and ADI92. As David points out - you just go through all the standard obsessive steps and they're fine. That said, I only use them for TR and F Std. For the heavier .30 cal bullets I prefer Winchester because you can get more powder in.

Barry

[DMC]

Probably dosnt apply here, but i just noticed that they have increased the flash hole size on there 223 cases from the small BR size to 2mm

[scott/r]

I've been using the adi cases in the 223 the mrs uses for a while. I can't fault them. They weigh consistently, they size and chamfer well, the flash holes are good and centered , but I didn't get the amount of reuses out of them on the first ba5ch as I did from lapua brass. If the 308 are as good and consistent as the 223 brass, I'd give them a go. The only down side is that I haven't seen them on a shelf anywhere to get some to try.

[Josh Cox]

Will,

I do not claim to be an expert, but to me, it looks as though the case were not annealed after manufacture, hence the pseudo elliptical powder pattern. i.e. the brass forming the case neck does not expand evenly when the big bang happens.

I have seen these same patterns with new Winchester brass, but not new Lapua.

[wilson85]

Thanks for the replies gents. I am going to give them a go once I can get some. I just like the idea of buying and using Australian made as much as I can. Will have a yarn to my local gunshop and see if they can find out when they are available.

[williada]

Josh, at least you're game enough to have a crack. The cases are in fact Lapua, shot out of the wife's .308 and they are on their second firing but from a chamber that is not ultra polished. Seeing the carbon wave on a case is in fact a very good thing and indicates that just enough gas is getting out to seal beautifully as it relates to your neck clearance. I do trim and turn on the second firing and would take the neck thickness down a half a whisker on the marks indicated by the cases. Then use an appropriate collet to size the neck for correct tension

The rounded marks reveal the moment the bolt lugs fully contact. Notice the depth of the waves. One is not as deep. This could indicate less than full lug contact, which will increase shot dispersion.

May be time for a lap? But a few cases need to be inspected and a bluing of the lugs also. The carbon tells you what is happening under pressure where it counts. The source of uneven bolt lugs maybe from a sloppy bolt race or upward pressure on the cocking piece. So beware and don't rush into the lap job. This lug wear can occur overtime from not bumping the shoulder back to the correct headspace, or creating banana cases by not forming cases properly in the first firing by not centring the case by having the projectile jammed into the lands. Subsequent firings not jammed into the lands (which may be optimal for group depending on the barrel), where you have not setup the case memory develop thin walls on top because the case lies at six o'clock in the chamber. When loaded without the correct shoulder bump they don't sit squarely in the bolt head causing the pressure on one lug which will wear if there is grit about over time.

Notice the ring all the way around on the last case. If this ring is about the middle and extends to the top of the neck in a thicker presentation or worse is sooty, it generally indicates the neck is too thick and you will get pressure spikes and flyers.

You may notice a heavier sooting with heavier projectiles generating more pressure and having a longer dwell time before they move. This can be associated with slower, dirtier powders and a need to find the optimum throat length

The other thing I like to see as do many, is that after the second firing, before re-sizing if you are checking for uneven neck tension which will give flyers, is see to if a projectile will slide into the neck. If it jams, then neck thickness has to be reduced. Larger neck clearance is not so much an issue, but I would max at .003" otherwise you tend to overwork the brass and develop other issues. David.

[Chris S]

Will,

I do not claim to be an expert, but to me, it looks as though the case were not annealed after manufacture, hence the pseudo elliptical powder pattern. i.e. the brass forming the case neck does not expand evenly when the big bang happens.

I have seen these same patterns with new Winchester brass, but not new Lapua.

I have a mate that worked at the ADI ammo assembly plant as a maintenance tech and told me all
their brass was annealed at the neck/shoulder area as the last step in manufacture.
Maybe the new stuff they are selling to the public is washed or tumbled or whatever so it
looks pretty. Also said ADI were very particular about their QC and if a batch of brass did not
meet the tight standards, 9 out of 10 times it was the annealing that was out of spec. I think
he said a batch was 200,000 or 250,000 so that is a lot of brass to scrap

cheers,
Chris