Reloading question...

[Dave_H]

My new Grendel build (posted in the Build-It-Yourself forum) was mashing the the case mouths on the shell deflector when ejected. I've resolved most of the issue it seems with a new ejector spring shortened by a couple of coils. Most of the fired cases now show no case mouth deformation and the few that still do are damaged only very lightly. I'm going to use a Redding Type-S bushing die to resize the cases and had planned to remove the expander from the die. My question is given the condition of my case mouths, should I go ahead and use the expander ball (polished) when resizing, or should I possibly buy a neck expanding mandel of the correct size such as I use to expand and uniform necks when neck turning? (I already have the die and would only need the correct size mandel.) I'm probably over-thinking this, but the Grendel brass is expensive and I want to treat the necks as gently as possible. Any thoughts or advice are welcome.

[Kilco]

Sounds cheesy, but my fix was a little black piece of Velcro on the shell deflector..

My gas is adjusted perfectly, neat little 4:00 ejection. The dented necks to some degree are just the nature of the best. If you look at most 5.56 brass it has a little ding 3/4 the way up the case. This happens to be where the neck is on the Grendel.

Even before I put the Velcro there, I was getting 10+ loadings with Hornady brass using a standard Hornady FL die, no special steps. Just letting the expander ball straighten out the necks.

[Dave_H]

The modification to the ejector spring changed my ejection angle from about 4 o'clock - 5 o'clock to straight out at 3o'clock. I can live with that. A lot of my 5.56 brass have the dented case mouths too, but I never worried much about it. I have tons of it. But, with the Grendel brass still being as costly as it is, I was trying to take care of it as much as possible. It was interesting to see just how much of a change in ejection pattern and lessening of case denting there was from that small modification to the spring.

I didn't adjust my gas after installing the modified spring and seeing the change in the ejection angle. I thought about it, but I'm about one click further open from the point where the bolt locks open on an empty mag. Didn't see the need to change anything. I've only fired factory Black ammo through the rifle so far.

I guess I should have added that all the rounds fired after the ejector spring change were suppressed. I probably need to take the can off and see how the rifle behaves. But, it will have a suppressor on it nearly all the time.