Shoulder bumping FFS

ALLHONE hunting knives designed and made in NZ
Tikkat1x

Tikkat1x

Well-Known Member
Supporter
So, of recent times things have not been going as they should, a while ago i was having problems with seating depths, even though i knew it wasnt my dies or press, i got new dies and a forster co ax press,
seating depths now fine, (who knows)
now the shoulders are playing silly beggers, so today on some 243 brass they were 1.626" which is normal, there were a few that were 1.6222, so set my die on one that was 1.624" to bump it back 0.002"
next one i did was fine, 3rd it bumped it back 0.004" then 0.005", the the one that was 1.624" to start with, which is what i wanted them all at, so with this i was thinking it should resize it and not touch the shoulder, wrong, it came out at 1.618", whats with all the variation, and my lyman trimmer measures from the shoulder so if there out it trims my brass wrong, please held before i burn my garage down :lol:
 
Couple of things -

Are you using enough lube, or too much? Try not to put any on the shoulder.

How much cam over are you getting? Sometimes if the die is not screwed down enough it’s not properly contacting the shoulder but squeezes the base pushing the shoulder up. Are you running the co-ax down to the stops on the press?

Thirdly annealing can help if the cases have been loaded and shot a few times.
 
Very helpful response - what do you give the chances are that any moment now there will be a very skoolboyish reference to your first question.
One thousand, two thousand…..
🦊🦊
 
i use a the mix of lanolin and whatever else it is, off Dr strange love, brass in a bag, couple of pumps, id like to think its not to much, but i will try doing it a different way as to not get any on the shoulder,
original set up of the redding die was touch shell holder, back off 1/4 turn, iv heard of cam over but have no knowledge of it to be honest, im mindful of the pressure i use i do try for the same every time, but then im thinking if its set correctly then it should preform the same every time.
and i anneal my brass after every firing, 👍
 
just reset my die to be sure, i dint turn it out a 1/4 turn, that was my seating die,
so with the die in it was a good hard stop, by the time id worked it down to bump the shoulder it was a a stop, then a bit more, which was needed to get the desired bump, but its still not consistent,
did one at 1.624" which went down to 1.619" after doing 2 perfect from 1.626" to 1.624", no lube on the neck
 
Is the expander ball part of the operation smooth? I find a little lube inside the neck helps. You could be pulling the shoulder back up when the expander ball is resizing the inside of the neck. Easy to check….. remove the centre section (rod and expander ball) and the resize a few and see if your shoulders remain consistent.
 
Forgot to add…. Reset that sizing die to give you a little cam over…. Not much but it will eliminate the different forces you might be using during the process…..
 
Screw your die down untill it contacts the top of your shell holder. Then give it another half or quarter turn down. When you close your press you should feel it contact and then go slack again at the end of the stroke.
 
All my dies are Redding… find it works well for me. Might sound stupid but are you using the same die for de priming? Reason I ask is I have seen folks having the expander ball set so high that it snags the case neck. If your are reprising with it then this is not the case. Remove that centre section… resize a few and get back to us.
 
So to set my die initially:

Lower the press handle so it’s at the stops as per the pic.
Thread in your die until it contacts the shell plate.
Lift up the press, turn the die a 1/4 turn in
Close the press again, you should feel the press pressing against the die and see the die move up in its housing. In this position tighten the lock ring.
Try and case and measure. Adjust, it’ll probably need turning down some more.
Regardless, the press should bottom out on its stops as per the pic in my previous post.
 
Make sure the die is traveling fully up and stopping in its slide holder . Then give it another quarter turn tighter. But deffo remove that centre part of the die and forget about sizing the necks for now. My initial thoughts are that the return stroke which normally pulls the expander through the neck is pulling the shoulders on your soft brass. Easy cured but let’s confirm it’s the problem first.
 
nocturnaldave said:
Make sure the die is traveling fully up and stopping in its slide holder . Then give it another quarter turn tighter. But deffo remove that centre part of the die and forget about sizing the necks for now. My initial thoughts are that the return stroke which normally pulls the expander through the neck is pulling the shoulders on your soft brass. Easy cured but let’s confirm it’s the problem first.
Click to expand...
I think the expander ball theory has got some merit.
I’ve used the lanolin / alcohol mix in a bag and find it’s not enough to get inside the necks. They need to be well lubed to avoid stretching the brass after annealing. Would recommend imperial wax but the OP can poor the lanolin liquid into a bottle top and dip the necks in.
 
I use the Redding dry neck lube… it’s effectively crushed graphite. Clean and easy used. Comes in a kit of two small black jars. One for topping up and one with the media for applying. Saves the dreaded waxy cotton bud! Lol
 
nocturnaldave said:
I use the Redding dry neck lube… it’s effectively crushed graphite. Clean and easy used. Comes in a kit of two small black jars. One for topping up and one with the media for applying. Saves the dreaded waxy cotton bud! Lol
Click to expand...
I’ve got that too but found it doesn’t leave a good enough coating after stainless steel media wet cleaning. When it works it is very good though.
 
Just redone my did as suggested. Set the first one to where it needed to be. Second one fine. 3rd bumped it down 0.006” when technically is shouldn’t have bumped it at all as it started at 1.624” expander ball is out. I’m getting a pile of spazzy brass🙈
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Sizing brass advice
2
Replies
38
Views
1K
NP435
N
F/L Resizing problems
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
Tikkat1x
Tikkat1x
Yew Tree 243 Reloading
2
Replies
34
Views
1K
20-250
2
First attempt !
Replies
7
Views
436
deeangeo
deeangeo
My first reloading kit
2
Replies
37
Views
1K
Bavarianbrit
B
BRACES of Bristol - Sauer 100 XTA Stainless Package
Back
Top