Help please!!!

[Hunter300]

A friend of mine asked me this question but I don’t have the answer. Can anyone shed some light please….

The picture is taken of a reload 6.5x284 Norma. New Lapua brass, nosler 120gr ballistic tip. Ugly marks and crushing of the bullet. Redding S-type bushing die used.

He tried swift scirocco(130gr) and Norma bondstrike(143gr)bullets and they don’t do it, no marks. But for some reason the Nosler BT and 130gr Accubonds both seem to crush. And the load is lot compressed either so something is causing this and I can’t get my head around it. Tried both RCBS rockchucker and Lee hand press, both causing the crushing. Any help/advice would be appreciated.

 

[palmer_mike]

Was the brass sized before use (what was the neck tension like)?

 

[Smellydog]

Wrong bushing maybe....

 

[Hunter300]

Brand new brass apparently and the tention were wuit good upto the last few mil when it started to crush he said

 

[Hunter300]

Wrong bushing maybe....

Meaning what exactly please? As it’s the seating proses causing the problem

 

[Smellydog]

Meaning what exactly please? As it’s the seating proses causing the problem

I don't know really, never seen anything like it but it must be something obvious somewhere,!

 

[Smellydog]

Is it not a sizing die?

 

[Liveonce]

wrong shape nose punch it the seating die? however looks like a lot of force applied to deform the bullet like that.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Hmmm. Assuming you are using the correct for calibre/seating die are they crushed or is the (wrong) seating rod shaving the first few mil? Is there a noticeable difference in leverage required?

 

[johndeere]

I had something similar ( not as bad as that) with specific bullets which turned out to be the seating stem in the die, i sent a bullet -off to the die manufacturer (Hornady i think?) and received a new stem back it cured my problem

 

[Hunter300]

Hmmm. Assuming you are using the correct for calibre/seating die are they crushed or is the (wrong) seating rod shaving the first few mil? Is there a noticeable difference in leverage required?

On the last few mil yes. However the other 2 types of bullets are perfect, donit “seems” to be the correct caliber “equipment

 

[Hunter300]

I had something similar ( not as bad as that) with specific bullets which turned out to be the seating stem in the die, i sent a bullet -off to the die manufacturer (Hornady i think?) and received a new stem back it cured my problem

I was thinking in the lines of this thanks

 

[Selous]

Compressed charge? It can only be compressed so far after all which would explain the seating pressure suddenly increasing so that the bullet jacket is damaged

 

[Foxyboy43]

On the last few mil yes. However the other 2 types of bullets are perfect, donit “seems” to be the correct caliber “equipment

For that to happen there has to be substantial resistance to the bullet seating process which suggests something like a well overfilled (compressed) case or a chronically tight case neck which might cause the seating rod to shave the tip (there is nothing going on to squeeze it). That said the neck looks grand so check powder and seating rod (or maybe even an incorrect die?).

 

[Hunter300]

Thanks, it does it on an empty case, so compressed ruled out, it doesn’t do it on the other brand bullet heads so by that I am ruling wrong die out. I’ll tell him to replace the “stem”.

 

[Hunter300]

Many thanks for everyones input, it is MUCH appreciated

 

[Foxyboy43]

Thanks, it does it on an empty case, so compressed ruled out, it doesn’t do it on the other brand bullet heads so by that I am ruling wrong die out. I’ll tell him to replace the “stem”.

Love to hear the outcome…..

 

[Hunter300]

Will keep you posted

 

[75]

Ouch. That's some force there to deform a bullet. I've had a few slight ring marks when the seating die shape doesn't quite match long, pointy bullets but nothing even close to that! Some seaters you can get a different VLD stem but I think they offer marginal improvement rather than anything radical that would sort this!

 

[Border]

New lapua brass often has excessive neck tension. I was advised to run an expander mandrel through it first. (6mmBR, 6.5x55 &308w) this may resolve the issue.