Using 30-06 brass to start with, what steps do you go through to end up with 25-06 brass.
I tried to just put one in a 25-06 fl sizer and that didn't work. Can't close down with the press.

I've not done it w/ 25-06 but I can tell you that going down to 6.5 from 308 isn't done in one pass, at least I couldn't do it w/o creasing the neck.
I would size down to 270 first then go to 25-06. You are likely going to have to ream the inside of the necks as they will thicken (the extra metal goes somewhere).

I have formed 30/06 into 25/06 using a 270neck die and a 25/06neck die. then fl resize. anneil the neck for they will be work hardened.
you will form a donut at the case neck junction. when you seat a bullet make sure it stays above the donut or you will have high pressure spikes. if the donut is on the outside you can neck turn it almost off if it on the inside you will need a reamer, check the wall thickness of the neck you may need to turn them down.

I got my first .25-06 in 1959. At the same time I bought 1,000 rounds of used GI '06 brass for a penny a piece. Until 1997 I never bought a round of factory .25-06 headstamped brass. I necked it from .30-06 to .25-06 simply by sizing it in my full-length sizing die (which I still have).

It IS very difficult to push the press handle all the way down, IF you don't have an adequate amount of a good lube on the case body. With a proper amount of a good lube, though, it is relatively easy. It also helps to use a Q-tip or similar swab to wipe the inside of the sizing die with a small amount of lube before you start.

I am still using many cases from that original batch of G.I. brass and have had no problems with them.

Why are you making it? Are you just awash in .30-06 like Alberta Canuck? Given the diameter reduction and attendant issues (two steps, neck thickness, et. cet.), it hardly seems worth the effort. Rem and Winchester both are available for $.35 a piece.

LWD

LWD
The thicker neck will fit the chamber better on the rifle I'm using.

I necked down 308 cases to 243 in the 243 sizing dies with no intermediate step.

quote:

The thicker neck will fit the chamber better on the rifle I'm using.

Makes sense.

What brand of brass are you looking to use? I have found recent manufacture Remington to be very soft.

Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
I necked down 308 cases to 243 in the 243 sizing dies with no intermediate step.

As do I. Properly lubricated .30-06 brass should not be much of a challenge to resize to .25-06 in a single pass (assuming you're not using an old-fashioned Lee Loader with a sizer that you hammer on the table top )

You might try running 30-06 through your seating die before sizing die. (with seating plug removed) The seating die is a bit larger than the sizing die and can work as an intermediate step.

Use Imperial sizing wax to lubricate your cases when you are re-forming brass. It's harder to get off the brass than the spray lubes before you load it, but it really helps reduce the effort required.

quote:

Use Imperial sizing wax to lubricate your cases when you are re-forming brass. It's harder to get off the brass than the spray lubes before you load it, but it really helps reduce the effort required.

That's a big "You Betcha"! Best sizing lube ever.

quote:

Originally posted by LWD:
Why are you making it? Are you just awash in .30-06 like Alberta Canuck? Given the diameter reduction and attendant issues (two steps, neck thickness, et. cet.), it hardly seems worth the effort. Rem and Winchester both are available for $.35 a piece.

LWD

LWD - Funny you chose the expression "awash in .30-06"...that describes my circumstance perfectly. For the last 4 or 5 years, I have been salvaging any/all '06 brass I see fired and discarded at the range, IF I also observe that the shooter was shooting brand new factory loaded ammo.

As a result, I now have about 4 bushels of definitely once-fired commercial '06 brass. My guess is that I've gotten well over 5,000 rounds of it, maybe a lot more.

Now let's see, the brass is free, I already have the loading dies for all of my rifles. Imperial sizing die wax(or alternatively, if really wanting to be frugal, 30-wt. motor oil) is quite inexpensive.

So, I make 8 m/m Mauser, 9 m/m Mauser, .375 x 2-1/2" rimless NE, .257 Roberts, .25-06, 7x57, and various other cartridges from it.

At $0.35 apiece for store bought new stuff, I can make up to $1,750 worth of brass out of 5,000 of those '06 hulls. With that money I can buy a couple of new rifles and scopes. That's why I do it...plus I enjoy the hobby of making my own stuff wherever possible.

Best wishes,

AC

To make 25-06 brass, I remove the expander button from a full length 270 Win die and run the 30-06 brass into the die after lubeing the case. I then run the cases into a 25-06 full length die and punch out the primer. I had a bunch of M N cases so I dident have to remove the primer crimp found on military ammo cases.

Thanks gents.
I was trying to use once fired 30-06 brass straight into the 25-06 die. What I ended up doing was resizing the 30-06 first with fl, and then lubing that up good and running it through the 25-06 fl die . . . and it worked. With 2 presses, just go from one to the other. I noticed the cartridge length needed to be trimmed back though. Was hoping I could just get a fatter neck out of it, but some of the brass moved into added length. Somewhat thicker though. Like AC said, 30-06 once fired is pretty abundant. Will try it out.

If you want thicker necked 25-06 use military brass.
I have a lot that I made out of 1966 match brass.