F/L Resizing problems

Leica Geovid Pro - Green
Tikkat1x

Tikkat1x

Well-Known Member
Supporter
So today i was full length sizing some 223 sako brass, the brass measurement on the shoulder was 1.460" so set the die to bump it back to 1.458", measured the first few and they were all fine,
20 rounds in i measured a few more and they were going down to 1.454", so altered my die, back to 1.458" but from there on in i was just getting inconsistencies ranging from 1.453" 1.459"
then for no apparent reason they became a lot harder to resize and ended up being stretched and coming out at 1.461"- 1.462" then when i ran them back through they were easier and all went back down to around where they should of been, but "around" is not much good, never had this before, press is a RCBS summit, dies are redding, any ideas on WTF is going on,
Thanks.

Lee
 
i use the 2 part stuff Dr strangelove on here sells, Liquid Lanolin and Isopropyl alcohol. Lube did cross my mind but id like to think i do it the same all the time,
 
Insufficient lube causing drag on the case.
Why do people bother looking to measure and push back O.002?
Factory ammo not always consistent.
Ken.
 
kenbro said:
Insufficient lube causing drag on the case.
Why do people bother looking to measure and push back O.002?
Factory ammo not always consistent.
Ken.
Click to expand...
Because repeatedly resizing brass with excessive headspace can lead to case/head separation.
The less you work the brass, the longer it lives. That and annealing if you're down that road.
And because one of the benefits of reloading is making ammo more consistent ?
 
Tikkat1x said:
brass in a bag and a couple of sprays and a good rummage around, same as iv always done,
Click to expand...
That sounds a bit haphazard to me. For consistency of shoulder bump to 2thou every case should be lubed the same. Definitely not on the shoulders or in the primer pocket - which your method runs the risk of doing. Try it and see if it makes a difference. ;)
 
Malxwal said:
Because repeatedly resizing brass with excessive headspace can lead to case/head separation.
The less you work the brass, the longer it lives. That and annealing if you're down that road.
And because one of the benefits of reloading is making ammo more consistent ?
Click to expand...
Who said anything about resizing with excessive head space?
Get real.
Do you not know how to size cases to fit your chamber without tools and measuring?
Kb.
 
Jelen said:
That sounds a bit haphazard to me. For consistency of shoulder bump to 2thou every case should be lubed the same. Definitely not on the shoulders or in the primer pocket - which your method runs the risk of doing. Try it and see if it makes a difference. ;)
Click to expand...
i started off using a pad and lube, that worked fine, then moved to doing each one separately with imperial, that to worked well, been doing it this way for over a year npw and till now has always been fine, and its a bit easier when your doing 300 cases, 👍
 
I have always used that cheap Lee lube and just put a couple of dabs inside a plastic bag and then rub the sides together to coat the internal surfaces and then chuck 100 pieces of brass in and rattle them around for 20 seconds, then inspect/touch them to ensure consistent coating and then I resize. Done thousands like that and never had an issue, so don't think that would be a problem.

Are your dies clean? They can get a buildup of lube in them and it can sort of do weird things under compression sometimes. Do you dies have vent holes in them? This is to allow pressure/lube to escape. If they are present, could they be blocked up or covered by the locking nut or something like that? I soak a clean rag in Acetone (the proper stuff not the moody weak nail cleaner stuff) and twist it up so it just fits in the die and then twist it round under pressure in there. It gets everything out and the acetone then just evaporates to leave a virgin internal surface again. Could you have any other foreign object in the die? Any corrosion or weirdness?

I always work on the basis that is less is more when it comes to lube. You obviously want enough to not get stuck cases but deffo not too much. To be honest, I am not a fan of most Lee stuff but I do like their lube. It has always worked well, lasts ages and is properly cheap. I think I have only started recently on my third tube ever and reload a lot of rounds each year. A little goes a long way.

Good luck finding the issue. It will be something basic. It always is. There is always something to try the old grey matter.
 
kenbro said:
Who said anything about resizing with excessive head space?
Get real.
Do you not know how to size cases to fit your chamber without tools and measuring?
Kb.
Click to expand...
A tad aggressive don't you think ? Merely pointing out the benefits of minimizing shoulder bump.
 
Cottis said:
I have always used that cheap Lee lube and just put a couple of dabs inside a plastic bag and then rub the sides together to coat the internal surfaces and then chuck 100 pieces of brass in and rattle them around for 20 seconds, then inspect/touch them to ensure consistent coating and then I resize. Done thousands like that and never had an issue, so don't think that would be a problem.

Are your dies clean? They can get a buildup of lube in them and it can sort of do weird things under compression sometimes. Do you dies have vent holes in them? This is to allow pressure/lube to escape. If they are present, could they be blocked up or covered by the locking nut or something like that? I soak a clean rag in Acetone (the proper stuff not the moody weak nail cleaner stuff) and twist it up so it just fits in the die and then twist it round under pressure in there. It gets everything out and the acetone then just evaporates to leave a virgin internal surface again. Could you have any other foreign object in the die? Any corrosion or weirdness?

I always work on the basis that is less is more when it comes to lube. You obviously want enough to not get stuck cases but deffo not too much. To be honest, I am not a fan of most Lee stuff but I do like their lube. It has always worked well, lasts ages and is properly cheap. I think I have only started recently on my third tube ever and reload a lot of rounds each year. A little goes a long way.

Good luck finding the issue. It will be something basic. It always is. There is always something to try the old grey matter.
Click to expand...
i cleaned the bloody things twice when the problems started, and yes thats how i lube my brass 👍 i will check for drain holes in the dies, i dont think they have them though,and yes, it will be something simple,
 
Tikkat1x said:
im lost, doesnt take much mind :D
so your case no longer fits your chamber and the bolt wont close,
what you doing next??
Click to expand...
Piece of electrical tape and a fired case is all you need to set your bump. Stick tape on head of case, try to chamber and the bolt shouldn't close. Bump it back till it does and it will be fine as that
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Shoulder bumping FFS
2 3
Replies
45
Views
2K
Tikkat1x
Tikkat1x
Ugly Annealer first run
Replies
7
Views
446
paul o'
paul o'
Large Batch Reloading - How Many Do You Load At A Time?
Replies
11
Views
216
UpNorthMI
UpNorthMI
Hornady Superformance .243 problems in chambering
Replies
7
Views
497
MTheaded but happy
MTheaded but happy
Reloading Fox 80g copper in an old .243 rifle
Replies
7
Views
748
Bowland blades
Bowland blades
Shooting Supplies : Ammo - Reloading - Firearms - Optics - Accessories
Back
Top