FL resizing question

[chola]

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I set up my die to FL resize some 300 win mag brass.....what I normally do is to adjust the die til it touches the shellholder,and then give it a quarter of a turn,worked great in the past.....

Tonight I did exactly the same thing,but when I was chambering the brass to see for a test fit,I noticed the bolt face was smearing the brass on the headstamp as ya closed the bolt handle down....I figured that it wasn't moving the shoulder back far enuff,am I correct possibly?

I adjusted the die bit by bit afterwards and got it to where the bolt would close without any noticeable resistance...the die is now set about a bit more than half of a turn down further once it makes contact with the shellholder..does this sound right?

I have never had this before and was curious as to what may be going on.....all brass is 1x fired Winchester

 

[rick smith]

With belted mags you want to set your FL die so that you headspace on the shoulder, not the belt. If you oversize, the bolt can also show resistance to closure. You probably don't need to FL once fired brass as long as it is only used in one rifle, it has not reached it's full size. Search this site for PFL sizing. This has been discussed before. Setting your dies as you described is not the best way for all dies. To properly set FL dies you can use your rifle but better would be one of the available tools to measure the headspace on the case. Set your die without the expander ball in place, return it when finished and try sizing again.Rick.

 

[chola]

I recieved the brass from a family member......my rifle is a new unfired 300 mag Ruger...same as my cousin's

Will my brass be any good,or is it garbage now that I have done it the way I described

I was resizing to build up a few loads to go and break the rifle in,but I can always get new brass to be on the safe side

I was always taught to resiz fulle lenght when the barss is either new or from another rifle,I am new to the reloading world,and have only been doing it for about a year.....any thoughts as to why the brass was getting scuffing/smearing on the headstamp?

Thanks again
Bob

 

[chola]

forgot to add,that as I truned the die down a bit more at a time,the bolt handle would lock down without hardly any noticeable resistance at all...this was why I figured I must have been going in the right direction,I only turned it a 16th at a time

 

[rick smith]

Turning it down 1/16 at a time is fine but depends on where you started and if the expander ball was in the die. If you started with the die turned out 1/2 turn from light contact with the shell holder, then you are probably fine. Also use a different case with each adjustment. Your cases probably grew longer when fired so be sure to measure case length, trim if the are at max or close to it, after sizing. The reason to remove the expander ball is that it can pull the shoulder forward after sizing. Once the die is set, return the expander ball and try another fired case. If that case is tight to closing the bolt, your expander ball needs to be polished and you might want to use a dry lube on the inside of the necks. No way for me to tell you for sure if the cases are still good to use since they were fired in another rifle and then sized. Did you try any fired cases in your rifle before sizing?
What you are concerned with is case head seperation for too much sizing and pushing the shoulder back farther than necessary. Do you have a neck die? If so, neck size some of the cases not fired in your rifle and try them in your chamber. Just because they were fired in another rifle doesn't mean they won't fit your rifle.
I never FL size new brass, neck size to uniform the neck. I see no purpose in FL sizing a piece of brass that is already smaller than the chamber.

 

[chola]

Turning it down 1/16 at a time is fine but depends on where you started and if the expander ball was in the die. If you started with the die turned out 1/2 turn from light contact with the shell holder, then you are probably fine. Also use a different case with each adjustment. Your cases probably grew longer when fired so be sure to measure case length, trim if the are at max or close to it, after sizing. The reason to remove the expander ball is that it can pull the shoulder forward after sizing. Once the die is set, return the expander ball and try another fired case. If that case is tight to closing the bolt, your expander ball needs to be polished and you might want to use a dry lube on the inside of the necks. No way for me to tell you for sure if the cases are still good to use since they were fired in another rifle and then sized. Did you try any fired cases in your rifle before sizing?
What you are concerned with is case head seperation for too much sizing and pushing the shoulder back farther than necessary. Do you have a neck die? If so, neck size some of the cases not fired in your rifle and try them in your chamber. Just because they were fired in another rifle doesn't mean they won't fit your rifle.
I never FL size new brass, neck size to uniform the neck. I see no purpose in FL sizing a piece of brass that is already smaller than the chamber.

The brass was 1 x fired fom my cousin's rifle...I always FL resize if they are going into another rifle.....

I used about 6 or 7 different brass each time I tried to resize without any tension on closing the bolt...1/2 a trun is where I finally ended up to get the bolt to close smoothly on the FL die

I use RCBS spray on case lube,then I use a cotton swab to dab inside the neck
I've laoded 10 different calibers and always use the method as described with the RCBS dies...has worked up until now when I noticed the brass being marked on the headstamp from the boltface

 

[rick smith]

If you are happy with your results, then there isn't a problem. I am just trying to tell you a little different method. You say you always FL size brass from another rifle. That may or may not be necessary. If you don't try the brass in the new rifle then you have no way of knowing. I would suggest you get one of the tools for measuring headspace on the case datum line such as the Stoney Point (now from Hornady) and learn to use the tool to measure the case headspace.
Belted mags headspace on the belt and you can have signifigent stretch at the shoulder. If you FL to it's original size the shoulder can be moved to far and case head seperation is in your future. You want to size the case so that you headspace on the shoulder, not the belt. Rather than camming over I would use a set of the Redding competition shell holders for mag cases. You can control the amount of sizing that takes place.
Cases can be tight in the chamber from the shoulder being moved forward by the expander ball, oversizing will usually fix that problem but at the cost of over worked brass.
Don't mean to imply you are doing anything wrong. Just presenting a different method that will give you more control of the sizing.Rick.

 

[chola]

OH,no worries at all Rick......I am greatful for the knowledge that you have supplied me with and I really appreciate it....I am definately gonna take your advice and get some more reloading goodies,and am just gonna go and nab some new brass tomorrow and headspace guage and possibly a necksize die

Thanks 8)