Best way to fire form brass?

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

My brother just finished his 7-08ai build and we are trying to find the most efficient way to fire form brass. I have read about the Malto meal/oat meal way and also just shooting live rounds to fire form, but that sounds like a loss of barrel life for no reason if there is a better way. Any help from yall seasons AI guys would be great.

[Slick8]

Barrel life shouldn't be an issue with the powder burned and velocities ran in a 7-08.

I fire formed brass in my 22-250AI by loading this .005" into the lands with a stiff load. It was not a max load, about 3/4 of charge range in the book for the parent round but giving me 3K from a 75 grain bullet. You want the bullet touching or just into the lands to center the case in the chamber and ensure its forces hard against the bolt.

I tried different bullets while fire forming, shot long range and even hunted with fire forming loads this year killing a Javi and Doe. Mine shot 1 inch groups at 300 yards while fire forming.

Before and after.

[Artos]

Just shoot live rounds...I like to load them in the lands, but if chambered correctly there should already be a slight crush fit on the shoulder.

Keep those lugs clean & greased!!

Bbl life on ff is negligible...not like you are loading for a prairie dog hunt

[Cajun Blake]

Buy a Hydro forming die from Hornady , problem solved

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

So if I understand correctly you want to have your bullet seated far enough out to ensure contact with the lands while fire forming?

[trophy8]

Buy a cheap rifle like a savage and have your smith hit it with your reamer the same as the other rifle. Fire form in it. Done.

[M16]

So if I understand correctly you want to have your bullet seated far enough out to ensure contact with the lands while fire forming?

Maybe. Depends on how the chamber is cut. Most AI chambers are cut to reliably fire the parent cartridge. You should be able to fire factory 7mm08 and they will fireform. Simple as that.

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Maybe. Depends on how the chamber is cut. Most AI chambers are cut to reliably fire the parent cartridge. You should be able to fire factory 7mm08 and they will fireform. Simple as that.

My brother has shot about 20 rounds of his reloads out of it they were standard 7-08 and of course they are fire formed, we were just curious if that's the best way. I guess it sounds like it is. Thanks guys

[Seacoal]

Shoot it. Your fireform loads are your most accurate loads

[Artos]

Shoot it. Your fireform loads are your most accurate loads

?????

[M16]

My brother has shot about 20 rounds of his reloads out of it they were standard 7-08 and of course they are fire formed, we were just curious if that's the best way. I guess it sounds like it is. Thanks guys

Excellent! It is an inherent trait for reloaders to make things more complicated then they need to be. Complication does not always result in greater accuracy or results.

[Seacoal]

?????

I don't know why, but in the 3 AI's I've been around the fireforming loads we're more accurate than the loads out of AI brass.