So I just got a bunch of brand new Lapua brass to load 175gr. SMK's using CCI 34's and 42gr. RE15.
All's fine but one thing: when seating, there's a lightly pressed ring left on the bullet about 1/3rd of the way up. Many also had scratches about 1/4" wide, 1/4" long just below the ring, always the same scratch, always in the same place. It was light too. The damage to the bullet wasn't significant enough to prohibit use, especially since I was just breaking in the barrel, getting chrono data and zeroing the flip up irons.
But in the future, I'd like to have the ammo looking like new ammo should. I sent back the Forster mic seating die and just ordered another just like it. I sent back the SB sizer because after checking it all out it seems the full length sizer would be sufficient. The mic die because the scratches aren't due to neck tension.
When I looked up the problem, it seems these rings point to neck tension, too much force necessary to seat the bullet. So how do I set the neck tension of new brass without resizing it? I saw neck tension dies and bushing dies, the bushing dies all seem designed to push back the neck and I don't need to do that. The neck tension dies didn't use bushings so how do I know I'm getting .002"? How would I know what bushings to order?
I really don't want to have to lube the brass if I don't have to and then clean it, though I could, it's only 1000 pieces.
I figure I'll call Forster on Monday, but wanted to get some advice from you guys too. I'll probably end up just sending them a new case and a fired case, with and/or without bullets as they desire, and go from there.
The rifle is a new 20" SR25, FWIW. So I can't get away with sizing fire formed brass here, I'll need the full length resizer after firing. But I don't want to use it on new brass, I heard that ruins good, new brass like this. I'm using a Dillon 650 press but don't think this is the issue --it works fine with everything else and so do the Forster dies I use. I also have some plain, cheap RCBS dies I can test out on the single stage press in the meantime while I wait for the new dies from Brownell's, and wait for a solution to the seating problem I'm having.
All's fine but one thing: when seating, there's a lightly pressed ring left on the bullet about 1/3rd of the way up. Many also had scratches about 1/4" wide, 1/4" long just below the ring, always the same scratch, always in the same place. It was light too. The damage to the bullet wasn't significant enough to prohibit use, especially since I was just breaking in the barrel, getting chrono data and zeroing the flip up irons.
But in the future, I'd like to have the ammo looking like new ammo should. I sent back the Forster mic seating die and just ordered another just like it. I sent back the SB sizer because after checking it all out it seems the full length sizer would be sufficient. The mic die because the scratches aren't due to neck tension.
When I looked up the problem, it seems these rings point to neck tension, too much force necessary to seat the bullet. So how do I set the neck tension of new brass without resizing it? I saw neck tension dies and bushing dies, the bushing dies all seem designed to push back the neck and I don't need to do that. The neck tension dies didn't use bushings so how do I know I'm getting .002"? How would I know what bushings to order?
I really don't want to have to lube the brass if I don't have to and then clean it, though I could, it's only 1000 pieces.
I figure I'll call Forster on Monday, but wanted to get some advice from you guys too. I'll probably end up just sending them a new case and a fired case, with and/or without bullets as they desire, and go from there.
The rifle is a new 20" SR25, FWIW. So I can't get away with sizing fire formed brass here, I'll need the full length resizer after firing. But I don't want to use it on new brass, I heard that ruins good, new brass like this. I'm using a Dillon 650 press but don't think this is the issue --it works fine with everything else and so do the Forster dies I use. I also have some plain, cheap RCBS dies I can test out on the single stage press in the meantime while I wait for the new dies from Brownell's, and wait for a solution to the seating problem I'm having.