need some advice on a issue with my brass.

[Hawk Gunner]

I've ran into an issue with some .308 brass and need to know if it can be fixed but more importantly what caused it.
I'm finding despite my reading and researching im still a dumb ass newbie when it comes to reloading esp prepping brass. I was donated a set of Lee dies with the Collat sizing die and did several thousand rounds of .308 with no issues. I just switched to some Hornady Match dies i was given for Christmas and have ran into a problem. After using a Neck sizing die with a .338 bushing there is a bulge maybe a pinch right where the shoulder and the main part of the brass meet along that edge. Its on every piece of brass but occurs on 1 half of the shoulder and varies between about a 1/4 and 1/2 of the diameter of the brass along the shoulder. I noticed it when i went to check the seating depth in the rifle and the bolt wouldnt close. After putting the sharpie on it, the shoulder is where it was rubbing. You really cant see it well but you can definitely feel it. I tried putting the brass in a full length sizing die but there is still a small ridge left there that catches just before the bolt handle with go down.

Is there something else i can do to fix this? Its on 4x fired federal brass so its not going to break my heart to toss the brass but i have winchester and lapua brass to use next and wanted to try and find out what i did wrong and see if there is a fix if it happens again.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but thanks in advance for any advise you can give.

Ty

 

[buckythebrewer]

Re: need some advice on a issue with my brass.

I don't think youve asked a stupid question but I sure can give you a stupid answer if you want

.
It sounds like to me you've crushed your cases in a way that will make them UNUSABLE.
If you stand your cases upon a table,your saying the lowest point of the shoulder(closest to the table) is buckled correct?
I don't see how you could salvage them but I'm no expert either.
Ihave done this before with my collet die(223) when it is was improperly adjusted.I believe youneed to back off on your die if I remember correctly(its been a while).
Its always good to use some type of case gauge(I like the Wilson headspace gauges) for double checking stuff like this before sizing a bunch of brass(as in wasting a bunch of brass

).
JMO

 

[Top Cat]

Re: need some advice on a issue with my brass.

If I understand the problem correctly, it should be a simple fix...

A properly adjusted FL sizing die will restore the overall dimensions of the brass to a minimum dimension and enable it to chamber. It has to be a true FL sizer. Try a single case adjusting the die to completely touch the shell holder, then trim to proper length and test that one in your rifle and see if it will chamber ok...if it is set up correctly, it should.

If that case is small enough on complete sizing, the next adjustment is to back the die off the shell holder a little and size another case and test it...try chambering that one. If it feeds ok, repeat the procedure until a case will just chamber with a slight resistance on the bolt handle. The goal here is to set the sizing die to bump the shoulder back just enough to chamber reliably. You can smoke the cases with a match to get a visual on what the sizer is actually doing, and make sure you check OAL.

Next time you set up your dies, test the sized case in your chamber and adjust the dies as necessary before running the whole batch.

TC

 

[Hawk Gunner]

Re: need some advice on a issue with my brass.

Thanks guys! The first 3 i tested were good to go so i ran the whole batch of 300 after that.

I'll try going back and readjusting my fl sizing die in small increments and see if i can get some to chamber again. Right now its really close, the bolt hand with start about 1/4 of the way down before it stops.

 

[buckythebrewer]

Re: need some advice on a issue with my brass.

Ohh ,I see I mis-read your post(see I can give a stupid answer

).
I thought you were having this issue with a collet die,My bad..
I have buckled cases sharply at the shoulder and I didn't bother to salvage them.
It was a bad buckle almost like a flaring tool would do.
Anyways nice to see someone come along who is capable of helping

..

 

[Innovative]

Re: need some advice on a issue with my brass.

This will give you the answers you're looking for. It's our <span style="font-weight: bold">Digital Headspace Gauge</span>.

This gauge easily measures the clearance that <span style="font-weight: bold">YOUR</span> handloads will have in <span style="font-weight: bold">YOUR</span> particular chamber. I've helped a lot of shooters discover how and why this type of problem happens. Getting your dies set "perfectly" can extend the life of your brass and improve accuracy.

- Innovative