Novice reloader question

[Superdog]

I have a potential solution to your problem as I experienced the same thing. However, I'm not willing to chance the tongue lashing so carry on.

Lay it on me. Curious?
Also, being a very beginner as I've said, when it comes to the deprime/resize die, I just set it with the rough directions that came with the dieset. I need to research and read up on the shoulder bump, etc stuff. Maybe I'm just lucky, but my hand loads out perform the match factory ammo I've bought though? Figured I must at least have a half-assed handle on it?

Hate to go on and on, but I'd like to compete sometime. Never been to a contest, don't know how good ya gotta be to compete? Quarter inch groups all day? What? Wanna go look sometime.

 

[Ocean_Dweller]

Superdog, just like you, I learned how to reload mostly by myself. I bought this book called the ABC's of Reloading and it literally takes you from beginner to benchrest for the most part. Highly suggest you get it and a lot of questions will be answered.

The ABCs of Reloading: The Definitive Guide for Novice to Expert: C. Rodney James: 9781440213960: Amazon.com: Books

The ABCs of Reloading: The Definitive Guide for Novice to Expert [C. Rodney James] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The ABCs of Reloading: The Definitive Guide for Novice to Expert

www.amazon.com

One of the problems that was causing my "flyers" is that since I was using RCBS dies in my Forster Co-Ax, even with the FL die turned all the way down, it wasn't bumping the shoulder consistently. Causing loaded rounds to head space differently and pretty much affecting everything else. My guess is that since the Co-Ax uses a universal shell holder, it's not allowing the case to come up enough to size it correctly. It's when you run into those situations that you realize the importance of being able to measure every aspect of a case or loaded round so you can detect problems.

Reloading is a rabbit hole, you just need to figure out how deep you want to go!

 

[Sprayed99]

In the precision game you want all your equipment in tip top shape. Some guys will let their stuff go a bit, but I clean my dies often and keep covers on my other equipment. It is very easy to introduce varibles into reloading and a real bastard to locate issues. Keep those dies squeaky clean in the future. I normally blow em out with some carb cleaner then a compressed air dry off after I use them. As far as lock rings, you want to clean them flat as you can. If one gets boogered up I just replace em.

 

[nn8734]

Superdog, just like you, I learned how to reload mostly by myself. I bought this book called the ABC's of Reloading and it literally takes you from beginner to benchrest for the most part. Highly suggest you get it and a lot of questions will be answered.

The ABCs of Reloading: The Definitive Guide for Novice to Expert: C. Rodney James: 9781440213960: Amazon.com: Books

The ABCs of Reloading: The Definitive Guide for Novice to Expert [C. Rodney James] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The ABCs of Reloading: The Definitive Guide for Novice to Expert

www.amazon.com

One of the problems that was causing my "flyers" is that since I was using RCBS dies in my Forster Co-Ax, even with the FL die turned all the way down, it wasn't bumping the shoulder consistently. Causing loaded rounds to head space differently and pretty much affecting everything else. My guess is that since the Co-Ax uses a universal shell holder, it's not allowing the case to come up enough to size it correctly. It's when you run into those situations that you realize the importance of being able to measure every aspect of a case or loaded round so you can detect problems.

Reloading is a rabbit hole, you just need to figure out how deep you want to go!

Do you use the Forster lock rings w/your Co-Ax?

I switched over to those years ago in mine and all my dies are solid when in the Co-Ax. But prior to that, the dies would have a little bit of vertical play when used with non-Forster lock rings and I noticed some inconsistencies in sizing and seating that I couldn't trace to anything else.

Never heard of the Co-Ax's shell holder itself causing problems...What did you do to isolate/trace the cause back to the Co-Ax shell holder?

When I F/L size Federal 308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor brass (usually in batches of 200-300 or so), I see an occasional deviation from my target case head-to-shoulder length but its relatively rare...I attribute it to differences in the individual pieces of brass and it doesn't seem to impact load performance down range. I accept a tolerance of +- .001 from my target case head-to-shoulder length for all my rifle reloads. Anything beyond that, I either try sizing it back or in very rare cases, put the case aside. I hardly ever see these type of sizing anomalies in Lapua or Lake City LR brass.

 

[Leland T]

Maybe I missed it, but were you getting flyers before the stuck case issuse?

 

[Deleted member 113831]

There are about 100 videos on youtube about how to remove a stuck case that don't involve a vice.

Just sayin'

 

[Ocean_Dweller]

Do you use the Forster lock rings w/your Co-Ax?

I switched over to those years ago in mine and all my dies are solid when in the Co-Ax. But prior to that, the dies would have a little bit of vertical play when used with non-Forster lock rings and I noticed some inconsistencies in sizing and seating that I couldn't trace to anything else.

Never heard of the Co-Ax's shell holder itself causing problems...What did you do to isolate/trace the cause back to the Co-Ax shell holder?

When I F/L size Federal 308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor brass (usually in batches of 200-300 or so), I see an occasional deviation from my target case head-to-shoulder length but its relatively rare...I attribute it to differences in the individual pieces of brass and it doesn't seem to impact load performance down range. I accept a tolerance of +- .001 from my target case head-to-shoulder length for all my rifle reloads. Anything beyond that, I either try sizing it back or in very rare cases, put the case aside. I hardly ever see these type of sizing anomalies in Lapua or Lake City LR brass.

Nn8734, yes I'm using the Forster lock rings but the problem is with the universal shell holder while using RCBS dies. The Forster has a bevel on the shell holder and even when the dies are lowered to make full contact, they sit on the flat part of the universal shell holder and do not go into the bevel. So this prevented the cases from going up far enough into the RCBS dies for proper sizing. I'm pretty much noticing this across the board with all my RCBS dies in the Forster just not to the extent I do with my .308 X-Die. With the .308 Win die, I was fully cranked down and not bumping the shoulder consistently if at all. The cases still fed for the first few firings but accuracy went down hill big time until I figured out why. Mind you, I have not tried any Forster sizing dies and my Reddings are not showing this problem.

 

[nn8734]

Nn8734, yes I'm using the Forster lock rings but the problem is with the universal shell holder while using RCBS dies. The Forster has a bevel on the shell holder and even when the dies are lowered to make full contact, they sit on the flat part of the universal shell holder and do not go into the bevel. So this prevented the cases from going up far enough into the RCBS dies for proper sizing. I'm pretty much noticing this across the board with all my RCBS dies in the Forster just not to the extent I do with my .308 X-Die. With the .308 Win die, I was fully cranked down and not bumping the shoulder consistently if at all. The cases still fed for the first few firings but accuracy went down hill big time until I figured out why. Mind you, I have not tried any Forster sizing dies and my Reddings are not showing this problem.

Interesting, I’ll scrutinize my brass that I size using RCBS dies on the CoAx a little close to see if I notice anything unusual. I use a mix of Forster, Redding and RCBS for the rifles I reload on that press...Will disclose that of those three, I prefer Forsters and have been planning to phase out the other dies move to them for everything.

 

[RTH1800]

Going Quiggly Ford rather quickly ..

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

Wow that escalated quickly.

 

[greg1147]

Wow that escalated quickly.

Good thing no guns were involved, think I'll stay clear of Ohio, just kidding, btw I am 72 the short fuse thing will pass, just sayin'

 

[Superdog]

Good thing no guns were involved, think I'll stay clear of Ohio, just kidding, btw I am 72 the short fuse thing will pass, just sayin'

Lol. I apologized to the best of my ability. I got another reloading phenomenon, but I'm gonna research a lil elsewhere before I ask here!!! Lol.

 

[TheFasterRabbit]

Using a soft vice grip like this in your vice will be much easier on your equipment

Soft Vice Grips

I pictured nerf jawed "ViceGrip".
I ve been using some scrap leather to line most of my plyers/channel locks/vice grips that my daughter gave me, the real thick vegetabletanned stuff, same thing they make ring polishing vices out of (wooden things with a wedge). It doesn't crack like plastic can. Works ok in a bench vice as well. Used to have some hard rubber vice jaw inserts, but that was a long time ago, looks like midway has a similar rubber one, brand is otis.

I'm a new reloader as well, new to doing it properly anyway. I'm blown away by how much technique goes into it. I really like doing trigger work and tinker gunsmithing in general, pretty stoked to find out all these little tricks.

 

[Superdog]

Shooting session with the Savage 6.5cm today. Nice day in Ohio. 5shot group