1st attempt

Nick Fahey

Well-Known Member
Have been reloading some used federal premium and lapua this arvo, my first effort for about 15 years. I am using a Redding full length sizing die in .243 and have got quite a few cases (fed premium) with dents on the shoulder.
I thought I was careful not to get Lube on the shoulder.
Muir said this was easy ;) but obviously I am still doing something wrong!
Can I fire form these cases to fix then or are they for the bin?
Also when seating the primers is it fine if they are just flat, I am using the RCBS hand primer tool I had a couple with noticeable dents in the primers so have been just trying to get them flat with the base of the cartridge.
Cheers
Nick
 
the dents in the shoulder sounds like you maybe havnt set up the die properly,

on your press put the lever in the down position so the ram is at its highest, then screw your die into the press all the way until the die touches the shell holder, then unscrew the die by 1/4 of a turn and tighten the lock ring, try this and then see if dents are still happening


dont know about the primer issue, i would have thought the primers shouldnt have any dents in after the seating,
have you checked the small metal rod in the priming tool is the right way round? im sure ive seen some that have a flat end and the other a rounded end, try the flat end.
 
I use the Lee hand priming tool and find that my primers look like they are just level with the case head but if you study them carefully you can see that they are actually seated a fraction deeper than the actual case head. When I run my finger over them I can feel, or at least I imagine I can feel, that the primer is slightly down on the case head. So, perhaps yours are OK but it just takes a good look? I also found that with the Lapua cases the primers felt very tight to seat the first time round. Maybe this was just because I had no experience with the Lee priming machine and so on as it was my first venture into reloading. However, now the cases have been fired a few times the primers go in nice and firmly but with no difficulty at all. It did take me a wee while to get the knack for it and I think that was more the problem than the cases.

I can't help much with the neck problems but have heard it said that some dies don't have a little hole for the air to escape so you need to operate them quite slowly. I don't know if that applies in your case but worth a thought.
 
can you reform them with fire forming or do I just chuck them
sorry for all the questions, but thanks fro all the info
 
Depends on how badly dented & where, if it's the usual small indent on the shoulder I would fireform it, & it should only be an IT & not THEM :lol:
 
finnbear270 said:
Depends on how badly dented & where, if it's the usual small indent on the shoulder I would fireform it, & it should only be an IT & not THEM :lol:

It is a small flattenning on the shoulder rather than a big dent, is this the small indent you refer too? What causes it?
 
Clean the sizing die as it sounds like you have a build up of case lube.

As for setting the Die I would back it out least 1 1/2 turns then try chambering the sized case if it chambers easily then leave it. If not turn the die in 1/4 turn and try again until it chambers smoothly.

Did you clean the primer pockets?
 
Did you de-grease your "new" dies?, you may have a blocked vent in the side of the die, (tiny pinhole), employ a cocktail stick or some other small diameter pick,( not steel!) As the case is moved into the die, the air may be trapped inside & consequently you will dent your case, this can also be the result of over lubing. the best is yet to come................ when you get your first stuck case :lol: :lol:
 
Brithunter said:
Did you clean the primer pockets?

I have stripped it down and cleaned the die, had some oil on it, probably to protect it from traveling/ storage as .

yes I have been cleaning the primer pockets

I think your idea about the shell holder is worth investigating.

The info says to screw down a 1/8 - 1/4 turn from when it meets the shell holder with the ram in its most upermost position, will try backing it off if there is no improvement after the cleaning.

Ta
 
finnbear270 said:
Did you de-grease your "new" dies?, you may have a blocked vent in the side of the die, (tiny pinhole), employ a cocktail stick or some other small diameter pick,( not steel!) As the case is moved into the die, the air may be trapped inside & consequently you will dent your case, this can also be the result of over lubing. the best is yet to come................ when you get your first stuck case :lol: :lol:

Thanks,have just cleaned the die. It did mention it but as they looked clean enough I sort of ignored it. :oops:

Hopefully this will sort it.
 
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