I was preparing 308 brass today, and made the mistake of not checking my die setting and just running it where it was set from the last time I reloaded. I usually check it every time. I dawned on me after sizing several pieces and the shoulders were being pushed 0.005-0.006. I cleaned and adjusted the die to size to the 0.002-0.003 I usually size to. This brass is twice fired Peterson SRP 308 brass. I use a Forster co-ax and Hornady match bushing FL die. Y’all think it’s safe use these brass pieces one more or am I risking head case separation from over sizing?
- Thread starter Jcaplinger199
- Start date
It’s probably still bigger than it was when it was new. It’s fine. A lot of ppl make a big deal about shoulder bump and say it’s dangerous but unless you’ve got a weird chamber or a weird die you can’t size it small enough to be dangerous. You might shorten brass life or decrease accuracy but that’s about it.
This happens occasionally, and at only .006 is a non issue with the load safety. It can however effect accuracy slightly, as the ojive to lands ( aka jump) will change the amount of difference in shoulder bump. I.E. your normally bumping shoulders .002, and these are at .006 so you have .004 difference. When the pin strikes the primer it will push the cartridge forward until the shoulder stops the round in the chamber, and then proceeds to indent into the primer causing ignition. There for your jump has decreased by .004 inches. Small amount, but can throw you out of your preferred seating depth window. This can be somewhat remedied by seating those rounds .004 shorter than your normal OAL. YMMV
Agreed with others. Shoot it and always check going forward. I learned that lesson by ruining some good brass. You're lucky.
Probably already a done deal, but if you haven't shot the brass yet you could load a starting load and hard jam a bullet. It would hold the case head against the bolt face if you are worried about it affecting case life.
If you are really ocd you could neck up and false shoulder.
If it was my brass and my mistake I would just shoot them. There is no danger and probably not a huge effect on brass life to only do it once.
If you are really ocd you could neck up and false shoulder.
If it was my brass and my mistake I would just shoot them. There is no danger and probably not a huge effect on brass life to only do it once.
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