I have just started reloading rifle cartridges. I have loaded pistol in the past. I have a Remington .308 5r rifle. I bought the Redding s comp die set and. For the decapping and sizing I'm using a RCBS Rock Chucker and I will use a Lee cast press for the seating process. I'm going to dedicate each press to the die so I don't have to mess with it a lot.
To measure I have Sinclair inserts for my Hornady comparitor and a Franford Caliper.
I unpacked my new decapping die (I will not be using a bushing with it), and I tried to get it set up. I intend only to bump the should back .003
For a little information, I clean my rifle every 200 rounds or so but I clean the bolt more often to keep the action crisp.
I cleaned my rifle and shot about 80 round through it and maarked the cases the last time I shot. ( I thought about this after I resised about 40 cases).
I measured the length of the fired cases and four of them were between 1.5664-1.5665 inches. I then cleaned the cases and attempted to get the die set up to produce a case 1.562 inches in length.
As I started this process of sizing I measured the case before I sized it and realized most of the other cases I had were between 1.56625 and 1.56635. I thought about this and think this may be because the chamber was dirty which caused the cases to expand less. What do you think?
It took a long time for me to get consistent results with the die. It seemed like I would adjust the die out, but still would get the sames results(1/4 turn). The final length of the cases are 1.5660-1.5661 inches. The die is only screwed into the press about 3/4 of the way and there is very little resistance when throwing the lever to size the case.
I don't want to overwork the brass (Federal gold metal) and I will be buying laupa when I'm done learning on the Federal brass.
In closing we are talking about a total difference of about .003 in fired case length. All the cases have been shot in my gun. If my math is right, there is a total spread of .005 of an inch which seems large. Should I spilt the difference and size the to 1.5662? Any help or thoughts would be great.
To measure I have Sinclair inserts for my Hornady comparitor and a Franford Caliper.
I unpacked my new decapping die (I will not be using a bushing with it), and I tried to get it set up. I intend only to bump the should back .003
For a little information, I clean my rifle every 200 rounds or so but I clean the bolt more often to keep the action crisp.
I cleaned my rifle and shot about 80 round through it and maarked the cases the last time I shot. ( I thought about this after I resised about 40 cases).
I measured the length of the fired cases and four of them were between 1.5664-1.5665 inches. I then cleaned the cases and attempted to get the die set up to produce a case 1.562 inches in length.
As I started this process of sizing I measured the case before I sized it and realized most of the other cases I had were between 1.56625 and 1.56635. I thought about this and think this may be because the chamber was dirty which caused the cases to expand less. What do you think?
It took a long time for me to get consistent results with the die. It seemed like I would adjust the die out, but still would get the sames results(1/4 turn). The final length of the cases are 1.5660-1.5661 inches. The die is only screwed into the press about 3/4 of the way and there is very little resistance when throwing the lever to size the case.
I don't want to overwork the brass (Federal gold metal) and I will be buying laupa when I'm done learning on the Federal brass.
In closing we are talking about a total difference of about .003 in fired case length. All the cases have been shot in my gun. If my math is right, there is a total spread of .005 of an inch which seems large. Should I spilt the difference and size the to 1.5662? Any help or thoughts would be great.
