Detail Detail Just a reminder

[300WSM]

Just wanted to remind you all the importance of detail when loading our own ammo. I know....I know some folks are going to look at this cross eyed as if that should never be lax...and it shouldn't but it is the little things that can get looked past or taken for granted...and no matter how careful one claims to be or no matter how much someone claims to know what he is doing...things can get missed.

I say this because the other day I was chasing my tail on why some cases would not chamber in a certain rifle. The case was all within specs...sized and trimmed..would chamber in one rifle but not the other. After a while of pulling my hair out and right before I started to work on my arm hair...I went back and slowed down a sec....reviewed and figured it out. :idea:

I normally set my size die against the shell holder plus a little bit. Well the plus a little bit was the problem. One of the little details that got looked past was I didn't have it set low enough for the ram to cam over enough and work the shoulders back to where they needed to be. It cammed over just not enough. I used to always make sure I had the die set atleast 1/4 turn past bottoming out against the shell holder. That is where I got lax. By just turning it a little and feeling for the ram to cam over was a habit I got into. If you are going to size for multiple rifles on the same cases...get that 1/4 turn in atleast!

So I typed this up just as a courtesy and a reminder to all you reloaders that even when you aren't trying to take a shortcut...sometimes the short cut happens and things get missed.

 

[DrMike]

We've all done similar things. It is good to be reminded to pay attention to detail.

 

[SJB358]

300WSM, do you size cases for all different rifles or specifically for one rifle/cartridge? Just wondering as I set my dies for one specific rifle/cartridge to just bump the shoulders everytime. I am lazy in that I would rather buy a new sizing die than keep messing with the adjustments. Once I get them set, I like to lock them down and know they are correct for that rifle/cartridge? Are you setting up for a specific set back? Meaning, do you try to bump .002" or .004? Or just resize so they fit?

Again, not shooting at your methods a bit, just wondering how you do it?

 

[Guest]

Scotty, I'm with you. With new sizing dies being only $20-30 for my favorite brand (Hornady) it's easy to set up a set of dies for a particular rifle. Heck, I've toyed with the idea of buying extra die sets when they're on sale or I have a coupon, so I could set up the seating dies for different bullets! I'm afraid I'd still have some adjustment each time, so I just make reference notes and dummy rounds to speed setup. If I were loading for multiple rifles in the same chambering, I'd sure have a separate sizing die for each, though. Good advice.

 

[300WSM]

300WSM, do you size cases for all different rifles or specifically for one rifle/cartridge? Just wondering as I set my dies for one specific rifle/cartridge to just bump the shoulders everytime. I am lazy in that I would rather buy a new sizing die than keep messing with the adjustments. Once I get them set, I like to lock them down and know they are correct for that rifle/cartridge? Are you setting up for a specific set back? Meaning, do you try to bump .002" or .004? Or just resize so they fit?

Again, not shooting at your methods a bit, just wondering how you do it?

In the 300 wsm I load for about 8 different rifles :roll:. Four of them are mine. So between the brass mess and OAL's ...and all of that stuff....I just size them up to fit. Re-sizing the case for use in any rifle is no problem as long as the proper procedure is done the first time and every time. Once the case has been shot several times in rifle "a" and it has NOT been properly full length re-sized ever in its life...I can no longer get the case back in the tolerance to use in rifle "b" or "c" or "d" etc etc. Possibly it could by shaving some off the shell holder to get the case in the die even further but even then I'm not too certain. It seems that after about 3 firings...if the case has not been properly re-sized from the start it can't be sized back to fit any rifle other than the one it has been fired from.

Hence the reason I have been trying to track down more nickel plated brass for this as my supply is getting low. Not because it is magical in any way other than it helps the reloader...me...keep track of certain things. :lol:

 

[AzDak42]

I created a load workup form that I use that includes a checklist with all sorts of minutia on it. Forces me to follow a logical / clean process so I reduce the chance of a mistake.

 

[Guest]

If you're loading for different rifles in the same chambering, it's always helpful to have an easy way to tell the brass apart, one rifle to the next. I've got an old set of instructions for coloring brass using various household and industrial chemicals. I've never tried any of these, but I'd be happy to share the recipes if anyone is interested. PM me and I'll send you the pdf.