I did a little searching and found a couple references to useing 308 brass in a 307. I just got my 307 and it ejects 308 brass fine. My question is are you guys useing 308 brass and just loading it down a touch? I've got a ton of Lake City 308 I could use. I just want to hear it go bang before I can find some proper brass.

I bought several hundred 307 cases when I picked up a winchester big bore in 307. I have never tried to use a 308 cases for it. There are some posts saying that individual rifles feed 308 cases well, some feed it on occassion and some not at all. Frankly, with 307 cases available I prefer to use what the gun was set up for. As far as load data goes, I started with minimum loads for a 308 and worked until I found a combination that shot accurately with no pressure signs.

I hear ya, and of coarse thats the smart way to go. If you don't mind could you pass on what you're shooting. Would just like an idea of where to start. Thanks.

Given the availability of 308 Win/7.62 NATO cases, if my 307 would function with it, I see no reason not to use such brass. Military brass holds about 2 grains less powder, so proceed accordingly.

mtm. I'm shooting 44.5 grains of Varget in a winchester case with a winchester large rifle primer behind a 150 grain hornady rn. Starting load was 43 grains, please work up from there to be safe. I have no pressure signs in my gun, but safe is good! I have not chronoed this load but can tell you I get 1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards using a williams peep from a bench. My guess is that it would be better with a scope or younger eyes!

Great to hear you gun shoots so well. Thanks for passing on the data. I'm going to get serious about finding some brass.

I don't have a 307 W but I do have a 356 W and a couple of big coffe cans full of LC 308 brass that I used, IN EXPERIMENTS, to develop loads...

The key thing to keep in your mind when using ANY brass is to be SURE of the ACTUAL H2O capacity of the cases...I also used 7mm and 8mm x 57, brass, at least two different brands of 6(243) and 7mm brass and some LC, Rem, Win and Lapua brass.

I guarantee each resized case and brand had a different capacity...DON'T believe the statements about the cc of LC brass being only 2 gr difference. My LC brass was from different years and while the brass was very consistent within years, it WASN'T consistent as to case capacity between years. I came up with about 10 gr H2O difference in case capacities overall throughout all the different brands and resized calibers.

In actuality the 307 case is slightly heavier than say a 308 due to slightly thicker case walls down near the base. The case was designed that way for a reason.

The best way to find out all the "stuff" is to forget about asking questions and do some extensive searching on the different forums and online. You will find the "true" answers to most all your questions for the most part I will garontee. This subject has been thrashed within an inch of total destruction many times on many forums.

Externally, there is no dimentional difference between the 307 and 308 except for the rim. A set of Lee reloading dies for my 356 W is marked 356/358.

Internally there IS a difference.

As to what effect the difference makes as far as reloading is concerned is due to mfg and SAAMI specs. but...BOTH the 307 and 308 are loaded to the same SAAMI specs...52KCUP. You don't have to "load down" a 308 case for use in the levergun...just DON'T "load up" over SAAMI specs.

I load my 356 to roughly 50KCUP as that is the pressure the 220 Speer FP is most accurate in my shooter.

START LOW AND WORK UP SLOW when you do your reloading.

The thing to remember is dropping the pressure 10% only loses 5% velocity and usually results in a 100% increase in accuracy...every rifle has it's own idea of what is accurate and so does the shooter...there are a ton of things to think about when it comes to which components to use and what loads are "best".

My advice is to follow the loads in the manuals and NOT what gets posted on the net...I'm not calling anyone a lier...except what can be confirmed as safe through a reloading manual...what is safe in one persons rifle may be maxed out in another rifle for all the reasons most reloaders never think about.

There IS a difference in cartridge OAL...the 307 is listed at 2.56" and the 308 is 2.81". Thats roughly 0.245" and about 4.5 gr H2O in case volume...and that in itself means you need to adjust any powder amount due to the difference is bullet seating.

Accurate Arms manuals has a nice section on the 307 and on the next page a section on the 308 so you can compare directly. There are several sites with information on the 307 including loads so do your homework and you will be surprised just how much information if available.

The 307 W in a levergun is NOT a 308, mostly due the the bullet seating and barrel lengths, but it is an excellent shooter fully capable of taking game up to elk size by using the right bullet, keeping the shots within about 150 yds and putting the bullet where it belongs. I know one hunter that regularly takes moose, but she is a very good shooter, knows her rifles and her limits and doesn't go beyond them.

Enjoy your new toy.

I would be hesitant to use the 308 brass, the 307 headspaces on the rim. Also 307 brass is slightly thicker than 308 reducing capacity by about 5-10%, I shoot 44.0 gr of 748 pushing 150 gr rem rn corlokts.

Actually...the case capacity for the 307, as listed in one of my software programs, is about 0.5gr MORE than for the 308. You can get more variance between case brands as I stated. To be sure you should check the case capacity of the brand you are shooting and reload accordingly. The range I found with all the different cases I tested went up to 10 gr H20 difference, which is closer to roughly 20%, but for all intents and purposes there isn't enough difference between the 307 and the 308 to worry about as long as you "start low and work up slow".

Playing with all the variables, i.e., all the various reloading components - bullet shape, powder burn rates, primers, cases and case length, seating dept, barrel lengths and tightness are some ways to increase performance without necessarily increasing pressure. Most re-loaders never get very deep into those waters.

Rimmed cases do head-space on the rims, but in this case you don't head-space on the rim but on the shoulder if you set up your sizing die right.

I've been shooting rimmed and rimless cases for several years in my 356 w caliber Marlin 336 without any problems...mixed in the tube. I also have a several other rifles that can shoot both rimmed and rimless cases by knowing how to setup the head-space.

The NEF platform is excellent for doing just that little bit of discombobulation. Not for the beginner to mess with, but very satisfying to know how to do and I have several one-offs, with all the bragging rights that go along with having something no one else has or is likely to have. Just like Quigly..."an experimental rifle with experimental ammo..." still shoots the heck out of anything I point it at. LOL

But as with any reloading, wildcatting or experimenting you have to keep your head screwed on right and do lots of thinking BEFORE doing anything you might feel is unsafe or don't have any experience with.

Enjoy your toys