so i am sizing my brass and,,,,,

[dammitman]

i ran into a problem. i have this nifty new sheridan gauge which i know how it works and its usefulness but i have had several brass that after sizing seem to not want to fully seat into the gauge. its seems the case head is bigger and because it cannot go thru a sizer it cannot be sized down to it. is this whats called the beginning of case head separation? the funny part is its only lapua brass and the old style AA brass made by lapua. i have tried running them more than once but it made no difference. i dont see any cracking but i have not tried to load a dummy round just to see if it would chamber. any idea whats going on here? thanks!!!!!

[Drillboss]

I think you may need to thread your sizing die in a little further. Here's a recent post that sounds similar.

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?11222-Just-a-Heads-Up-on-Sizing-Cases

[NugginFutz]

I see basically two reasons why a sized case would not fit in a chamber gauge or actual chamber. Both should be correctable with a die adjustment.

1. Your die is not adjusted down far enough, and a chamber gauge with tight tolerances may not admit all of the case because the case was not completely sized full-length. Corrected by adjusting the die further down, and checked by measuring for proper shoulder setback (usually .003" - .005"). This is also where some folks prescribe the use of small base sizers, such as those that RCBS offers.

2. Your die is set to size too much (screwed down too far). This causes over compression and forces the case to swell at or just below the shoulder (ask me how I know). Corrected by adjusting the die further up, and checked by measuring for proper shoulder setback (again, usually .003" - .005").

[dammitman]

i appreciate both responces, the problem on one hand is i cannot tighten down the die anymore andit sizes hornady brass and most lapua brass correctly and even if i could it would never reach the part that sticks. i can turn my sized brass around and try to put it into the sheridan gauge and it wont even go in 1/16th of an inch. its the CASE HEAD that just has become oversized.

[ricsmall]

Maybe I missed it but which sizing die are you using? Also measure the case just above extractor groove and make sure its not oversized from early unlocking.

Richard

[VASCAR2]

I'm using Hornady 6.5 Grendel dies and if I set the die up according to Hornady's instructions I get a crease in the brass case just above the extractor groove/web. If I raise the die a few thousandths the crease goes away and the shoulder is still set back far enough to shoot in my two 6.5 Grendels. The cases with the crease will not fit in my Sheriden case gauge, a few will fit in my chamber but several would not. I gave about a dozen Lapua cases away because they still fit in a friends AA chamber.

I never encountered this problem reloading Hornady brass or fire formed 7.62 X 39 brass. I think the Lapua brass is just thicker than the Hornady or FF brass.

I have a few cases where the rim is to large in diameter to completely let the piece of brass seat into the Sheriden gauge but these brass still function in my two 6.5 Grendels.

[dammitman]

i am using hornady dies. i have maybe a dozen like this so i might try and load them and see if they will chamber without trouble. i would think that if it was an early unlocking problem i would have many many more than just this. all of these were from brand new brass once fired after handloading. i am just going to set tham aside till i have enough to do some more testing with them. just seems wierd though. the sizing die cannot get to where they are too large to go into the sheridan gauge, a sizing die cannot get to the rim of a brass no matter what.

[NugginFutz]

dm - which shell holder are you using? A few folks I know have had to dress theirs to allow the die to travel enough. How much are you setting the shoulder back by?

[dammitman]

i am using a lee single stage press and a lee shell holder. i have it tight as it can go without binding and it works right for hornady brass and i can tell when i have a piece of lapua or AA brass as it is a harder push. i sometimes run those twice. it sets the shoulder back just right but the problem is at the part that just cannot go as it is being held in the shell holder. i think i may be making something out of nothing. i need to try and make some dummies out of them and see if they chamber.

[Younger]

Just drop the resized brass in your chamber and let the bolt got closed. If the bolt is sticky on extraction then you have a problem. If your bolt opens and extracts the case easily you should be good to go. No need for a dummy round to check if your resized brass fits your chamber.

[LRRPF52]

Just drop the resized brass in your chamber and let the bolt got closed. If the bolt is sticky on extraction then you have a problem. If your bolt opens and extracts the case easily you should be good to go. No need for a dummy round to check if your resized brass fits your chamber.

My advice as well, however, I still then do the dummy cartridge because it will expand the neck diameter and allows me to see where the COL needs to be for ogive location. Since the SAAMI chamber has generous neck dia., I have never found it to be an issue.

[cory]

I'd suggest starting by getting a hornady shell holder to use with your hornady dies. It's been a while since this has come up, but others have experienced problems in the past with mix matching dies and shell holders.

[NugginFutz]

I'd suggest starting by getting a hornady shell holder to use with your hornady dies. It's been a while since this has come up, but others have experienced problems in the past with mix matching dies and shell holders.

+1

I experienced the opposite problem as the OP with my Hornady New Dimension sizing die. I used the RCBS #32, and when I set the dies IAW the directions, I crushed the first case I sized. There is a difference in thickness between the various makes of shell holders, so it's advisable to stay with the same vendor when choosing dies and shell holder.

[Klem]

This happened to me in .223. The reason for the case not fitting in the Sheridan gauge after sizing, when reverse-inserted is your loads are too hot.

The Sheridan gauges appear tighter than others because they are reamed to mimic a SAAMI chamber in both internal diameter and longitudinal headspace. Other manufacturer's rifle gauges including the Stoney Pt/Hornady headspace gauge only measure longitudinal headspace. When you overpressure a cartridge brass flows into places where it can. This means brass flows to fill the exact diameter of your bolt face. It might also flow into the cut in the bolt ring cut for the extractor. Extractor gap flow is felt when spinning the case and feeling a slight raised bump on the rim.

Brass flow in the base is fixed by full-length sizing the case as you normally would and then spinning the cases in a drill press while running a fine file against the rim and bottom of the case - the web. Shave the brass back until the reversed gauge fits the case base. The rest of the case that was fully supported during firing will be fine.

Obviously this is a pain and you don't want to do this every time you shoot so lower the pressure in your cases and if it persists source a new bolt head with a tighter ID.

[Z28SS]

A friend of mine and I both got Hornady Grendel dies at the same time. He uses a single stage press. I use the Dillon 550. I am far less experienced than he is, when it comes to reloading rifle ammo. We both had trouble getting proper sizing on Hornady brass with the Hornady dies. I am accustomed to the mass production method for reloading and no matter what I did, I couldn't feel comfortable with anything I produced. I had to change my reloading routine by checking each piece of brass after it was resized and deprimed. He tried various shell plates with no success. He wound up machining material off of the base of the die to get it to seat deeper. I didn't like the idea of doing that. Eventually, I bought a set of Lee reloading dies and now everything is great.