• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Loose Projectiles

Devlin

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 1, 2012
52
165
49
Ontario, Canada
Hey Gang,

Loading Setup
  • Lapua Small Rifle Primer twice fired 6.5 Creedmoor brass annealed and full length sized after each use
  • Whidden Full Length Size Die with .290 bushing
  • Forester micrometer adjustable bullet seating die
  • Prior loading was H4350 with BR4 primers pushing 2850 fps so not crazy I don't think
  • Henderson Precision Trimmer <-- NEW Variable
  • Dillon 550C press
  • Berger 140 Grain Hybrid projectiles


Been scratching my head on this one all afternoon and thought I'd post here to see if anyone can help determine if I'm an idiot. I picked up a Henderson Trimmer recently and used it on a couple of batches of brass last night.

The brass (twice fired Lapua Small Rifle Primer 6.5 Creed) had been cleaned, de-primed, annealed, and then full length sized, it was then put through the trimmer from Henderson. This trimmer is the only new variable in my reloading steps and it seems like a great machine. Measuring the mandrel on the trimmer it's .260" in diameter so I don't think that is flaring the case neck out too much. I don't think it's the trimmer but its the only new variable in my setup.

I'm running a Whidden full length sizing die with a .290" bushing in it and a Forester micrometer adjustable bullet seating die. When I seat the projectile it is loose, like I can pull it out by hand loose. I took a few of these cases that wouldn't hold the projectile and ran them through the full length size die again and they improved and I can't easily pull the projectile out now. When I measure the newly loaded case with Mituyuo calipers it's .295"

I'm tempted to throw a slight crimp on them with a Lee crimp die but was hoping to get some opinions here on whether I've completely had a brain fart and am missing something obvious.
 
Soooooo sometimes people are just dumb and sometimes that means you are dumb, today I was dumb.

My bushing in the sizing die had a glob of wax on it and it was stuck up too high, so wasn’t touching the case neck to actually size it. To add to the stupidity I accidentally backed out the seating stem while messing around with it trying to figure things out.

Time for a drink or three.
 
RUI ... (Reloading Under the Influence) ... shame on you !!! 🤮

I have the Henderson Electric Case Trimmer too ... love it ... not a single issue with it - one of the finest machines I've ever owned.
 
My bushing in the sizing die had a glob of wax on it and it was stuck up too high, so wasn’t touching the case neck to actually size it.

The bushing needs to have something holding it down, otherwise it will ride up when the case is getting sized. Sounds your die is missing parts.

Second, you should feel resistance when seating bullets. You need to get some hands on training from someone who knows what he’s doing because you don’t even know how a round is held together.
 
The bushing needs to have something holding it down, otherwise it will ride up when the case is getting sized. Sounds your die is missing parts.

Second, you should feel resistance when seating bullets. You need to get some hands on training from someone who knows what he’s doing because you don’t even know how a round is held together.
I bet your a pile of fun at parties and never make mistakes or have the occasional brain fart.

Thanks for stopping by.
 
I bet your a pile of fun at parties and never make mistakes or have the occasional brain fart.

Thanks for stopping by.

Lookit, this isn’t cooking food. Reloading is dangerous, deadly if your stupid. Get some help before you hurt yourself or somebody close to you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yondering
I bet your a pile of fun at parties and never make mistakes or have the occasional brain fart.

Thanks for stopping by.
He’s not wrong. Lots of what you typed doesn’t make sense.

Can’t you just measure your brass neck diameter before and after trimming and then seat a bullet in an untrimmed piece to see if it’s changing the brass? Measuring the collet alone, while should it should clear, doesn’t provide any substantive data.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yondering
I bet your a pile of fun at parties and never make mistakes or have the occasional brain fart.

Thanks for stopping by.

You posted about something that's more than just a brain fart, and then continued to demonstrate that you don't understand what's going on enough to troubleshoot a basic thing like this. And commented about drinking enough to mess up at the reloading bench. But then get offended when someone points it out?

918v is 100% right on this one. It's not that you screwed up, but how, and why, and the fact that you didn't understand the basics.
 
Fair enough, no one's offended to be clear I had a drink after I was done at the bench and everything put away till I figured out the mistake I was making. Drinking and reloading not a chance I would ever take.

What I didn't see at first was two things one that the bushing had a glob of wax built up on it, and two that when I had adjusted the die I had inadvertently backed out the stem and the bushing was no longer being held down correctly.

I had measured the mandrel on the trimmer not the collet in case it was the wrong size or out of spec to the point that it was causing an issue with the case necks being widened from it's use. The measurement ruled that out.

My post was made in frustration of not catching something obvious right away. I stopped after making three rounds and encountering this problem in order to figure out what was going on and where I was making the mistake.