New to Reloading but having some problems

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  • shifter268

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    Feb 14, 2021
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    This stuff is much easier to explain in person. I'd call Brain at LA Gun in Baton Rouge and see when their next class is. Brain is great at pistol calibers, but Lanny is a damn near a wizard with rifle loading
    Can you send a link to who you mean. i looked some up but i am not sure it is the right link. i would love to take a reloading class if that is offered.
     

    audioshooter

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    Can you send a link to who you mean. i looked some up but i am not sure it is the right link. i would love to take a reloading class if that is offered.
    Louisiana Gun and Reloading. The owner Bryan is a member here under the screen name beauxdog. Shop phone number is 225-389-6152. Ask for Bryan or Lanny.
     

    BSGA

    BSGA
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    as others have stated, small base dies for this type of firearm. Also, are you screwing the die down as far as possible? I like to bring the ram fully upward, then screw the die down until it kisses the top of the shell holder. Maybe back off 1/4 turn after that. That being said, I have seen some shell holders that are too tall, and won't let the die fully size the brass completely. May want to try and find a shell holder that's shorter and try that also. Just my 2 cents.
     
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    farmerjim

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    I have bought several thousand once fired 223-556 brass. I have found that 90 % of the cases are too long after sizing. You need to trim them to the proper length with a case trimmer. Bottleneck cases grow in length every time they are fired. Trim to minimum length and you can get several firings before they need trimming again.
     

    Xeon64

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    as others have stated, small base dies for this type of firearm. Also, are you screwing the die down as far as possible? I like to bring the ram fully upward, then screw the die down until it kisses the top of the shell holder. Maybe back off 1/4 turn after that. That being said, I have seen some shell holders that are too tall, and won't let the die fully size the brass completely. May want to try and find a shell holder that's shorter and try that also. Just my 2 cents.
    I have. I also notice that these redding dies are a SOB to press down and pull up on my reloader handle. Even with lubed cases.
     

    BSGA

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    I have. I also notice that these redding dies are a SOB to press down and pull up on my reloader handle. Even with lubed cases.
    That sure doesn't sound right. As long as you're not camming the ram over and your lubing correctly, you should never have a problem withdrawing the brass from the die with a couple of exceptions. 1. dirty brass. Grit on the brass can contribute to poor sizing and sticking a case in the die. It can also damage the inside of the die permanently 2. rough die internals. Dies should be shiny smooth from the manufacturer. Most are actually diamond lapped to an almost mirror finish inside, at least the quality made ones. Redding is usually quite good. Of course you're probably already aware of all of this. hhhhmmmmmm...
     

    Xeon64

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    That sure doesn't sound right. As long as you're not camming the ram over and your lubing correctly, you should never have a problem withdrawing the brass from the die with a couple of exceptions. 1. dirty brass. Grit on the brass can contribute to poor sizing and sticking a case in the die. It can also damage the inside of the die permanently 2. rough die internals. Dies should be shiny smooth from the manufacturer. Most are actually diamond lapped to an almost mirror finish inside, at least the quality made ones. Redding is usually quite good. Of course you're probably already aware of all of this. hhhhmmmmmm...
    Yeah. I polish and clean all brass before reloading. Also I use lube sparingly and have none of these issues with my other dies.
    These are the Redding Dies.
     

    BSGA

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    Without getting into the whole bad die thing, I would make one suggestion. Try a different lube for sh*ts an giggles. Believe it or not, one of the finest lubes out there is the Lee cream lube that comes in a tube. It's a pain in the butt to use, and messy, but will never fail. Most lubes are lanolin based, and water soluble by the way. In the many thousands of rounds of reloads I've done over many years, while I absolutely love the Hornaday One Shot, I have experienced some issues with not adequately lubing the cases. To be honest, most of those issues were my fault, so not knocking the product by any means, just saying that it's not the most forgiving lube in the world. If the can is not mixed right, or the case is not completely covered, once the carrier dries off leaving the lanolin behind, you may not have adequate lube on the case.
     

    twinin

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    Without getting into the whole bad die thing, I would make one suggestion. Try a different lube for sh*ts an giggles. Believe it or not, one of the finest lubes out there is the Lee cream lube that comes in a tube. It's a pain in the butt to use, and messy, but will never fail. Most lubes are lanolin based, and water soluble by the way. In the many thousands of rounds of reloads I've done over many years, while I absolutely love the Hornaday One Shot, I have experienced some issues with not adequately lubing the cases. To be honest, most of those issues were my fault, so not knocking the product by any means, just saying that it's not the most forgiving lube in the world. If the can is not mixed right, or the case is not completely covered, once the carrier dries off leaving the lanolin behind, you may not have adequate lube on the case.
    I agree. This is another good thing to try
     

    shifter268

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    Feb 14, 2021
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    Without getting into the whole bad die thing, I would make one suggestion. Try a different lube for sh*ts an giggles. Believe it or not, one of the finest lubes out there is the Lee cream lube that comes in a tube. It's a pain in the butt to use, and messy, but will never fail. Most lubes are lanolin based, and water soluble by the way. In the many thousands of rounds of reloads I've done over many years, while I absolutely love the Hornaday One Shot, I have experienced some issues with not adequately lubing the cases. To be honest, most of those issues were my fault, so not knocking the product by any means, just saying that it's not the most forgiving lube in the world. If the can is not mixed right, or the case is not completely covered, once the carrier dries off leaving the lanolin behind, you may not have adequate lube on the case.
    is imperial redding sizing wax good? some experience loaders i know keep recommending it.
     

    BSGA

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    is imperial redding sizing wax good? some experience loaders i know keep recommending it.
    I stand by my original suggestion. That, or find a good lanolin based lube. There are a bunch of them out there. My second choice would be some of the ludes from Corbin. Pure lanolin and made for bullet swaging which is much more demanding that case resizing.
     

    sg1911

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    Make sure when seating your bullets that the case is chamfered enough that seating the bullet does not cause the case shoulder to deform and spread. Also you can use some case lube on the bullet. Hornaday case lube is not suppose to effect the powder. I have had both 6.5 Grendel and .223 cases do this. It is hard to tell unless you use a caliper to check the case diameter. Some of the 6.5 Grendel will drop into my Lyman bullet checker but stick in the rifle.
     

    jkingrph

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    Iteresting. I am having similar issues reloading 6.5 grendel. Full Length Die. The round will chamber and fire but if I try to unload it is stuck in the chamber and will not eject.


    I am starting to suspect some dies are much tighter than others or factory ammo. I am using Redding Dies. Also I had someone tell me that reloading for semi autos is much harder than other types of weapons. So far this seems to be true for me but 6.5 grendel is the only semi auto round I have ever attempted reloading.
    Several years back when I started with the 6.5Grendel I was having problems also. Most often the rifle would not go into battery, or if it did the case would stick in the chamber. I was also using Redding dies. My final solution was to take the case holder and honed the top surface off a little at a time so the case could go into the die a little further. No idea how much was removed off the case holder but it was in the thousands of an inch. Made a world of difference.
     

    Xeon64

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    Several years back when I started with the 6.5Grendel I was having problems also. Most often the rifle would not go into battery, or if it did the case would stick in the chamber. I was also using Redding dies. My final solution was to take the case holder and honed the top surface off a little at a time so the case could go into the die a little further. No idea how much was removed off the case holder but it was in the thousands of an inch. Made a world of difference.
    Interesting. Well I got a new set of Small Base Dies today so I am going to give them a go. If they work I will probably sell the Redding Dies.
     

    highstandard40

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    Several years back when I started with the 6.5Grendel I was having problems also. Most often the rifle would not go into battery, or if it did the case would stick in the chamber. I was also using Redding dies. My final solution was to take the case holder and honed the top surface off a little at a time so the case could go into the die a little further. No idea how much was removed off the case holder but it was in the thousands of an inch. Made a world of difference.
    I believe Redding makes a set of shell holders of varying thicknesses to address just this issue.
     

    MattD

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    The title states it but I am basically brand new to reloading sticking to manuals and everything. I am having trouble with 223 reloads. Every round I resize does not go to proper measurements. I bought the lee brass headspace gauge and it is sticking over the maximum by a very small amount but still over and I don't want to take any chances. I have tried moving the die up and down as that is the only adjustment I can do. I am using a lee reloader with lee dies. I cut the brass to 1.75 and I chamfer and deburr them. I reloaded 308 and 30-06 both worked flawlessly and shot just fine but 223 won't even chamber. I will say one brass did get stuck in the die and I have to unscrew the top and use the de primer to remove it as it says to do in the instructions. I took the firing pin out of the BCG to test chambering and the bolt locks but won't unlock. Is the die messed up or am I missing something unique to 223? I have tried looking this up online and on other forums but it's all just how to reload and I'm doing the same steps.

    shifter268,​


    First, please assume I know nothing about your issue because of terminology concerns.

    I have headspace gauges for testing a new build, barrel/bolt combination and I have case gauges for checking reloads.

    What I have had success with is using a RCBS X-FL Die Set .223 REM.

    My notes show that I did the initial case trim to 1.74, resized them for the first time without the mandrel. Then, deprime them with the mandrel.

    After all that, I could just resize them without needing to trim again. A problem is keeping the X-FL die resized cases separate from your non-X-FL die resized cases.

    All I am suggesting is you look at the RCBS X-Die documentation to see if that seems it could address your problem.

    Of course, any other RCBS X-Die experience is welcome.

    WIth regard,

    Matt
     

    frankinola

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    OP. here are the instructions from the RCBS sheet with RCBS sheel holder and press:

    With the correct Shell Holder in the press ram and the ram at its uppermost
    position (handle all the way down), screw the Sizer Die into the press until
    the die touches the top of the Shell Holder. To ensure all play is removed
    from the press leverage system, raise the handle slightly, lowering the
    Shell Holder, and set the die one-eighth to one-quarter of a turn lower into

    the press frame. Return the handle to the lowest position and you will feel
    resistance as the Shell Holder contacts the bottom of the die. The handle
    will “pop” as the compound linkage of the press cams over. Set the large
    7/8”-14 die Lock Ring and tighten the brass setscrew. Return the handle
    to the “up” position, and you are ready to size your lubricated cases

     

    shifter268

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    Feb 14, 2021
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    OP. here are the instructions from the RCBS sheet with RCBS sheel holder and press:

    With the correct Shell Holder in the press ram and the ram at its uppermost
    position (handle all the way down), screw the Sizer Die into the press until
    the die touches the top of the Shell Holder. To ensure all play is removed
    from the press leverage system, raise the handle slightly, lowering the
    Shell Holder, and set the die one-eighth to one-quarter of a turn lower into

    the press frame. Return the handle to the lowest position and you will feel
    resistance as the Shell Holder contacts the bottom of the die. The handle
    will “pop” as the compound linkage of the press cams over. Set the large
    7/8”-14 die Lock Ring and tighten the brass setscrew. Return the handle
    to the “up” position, and you are ready to size your lubricated cases

    i will redo the process again to be sure but that's how i set it up. i will be sure to check that the shell holder is making complete contact with the die.
     

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