im in the process of decapping/resizing about 1500. of these 1500 about 280 of them are once fired by me federal's. the were the 150 grain softies. the rest are rem's and L/c. problem is the dies's lee and hornady dont want to start going in on almost 3/4 of them the other 1/4 i can get about 3/4 down till the pressure is so great i feel im going to get them seriously stuck in the die. it isnt a lube problem. i dry lubed them then blotted the mouth on my lube pad. i also tried mica and lee resizind lube. has anyone elase had this issue. also i got 1 of them to resize but it cracked the case. thanks
308 fc headstamp resizing issue
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243winxb
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Dry lube is for inside the case neck. To size the outside of the case body you need a different lube like this>
Spread on a pad, roll brass thru it.gamestalker
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Since this is your first time, start from the begining and explain exactly what you are doing, what is written on the die, how the die is adjusted to the shell holder, and detail as to how you are lubing and what parts of the case.
I'll throw in some information that may be relevant to what is happening. First of all, the die you are using to resize the brass has some writting on it, what number's and words are on it? It should say something like " FL size die or neck die, and should have the cartridge indicated on it like " .308 "
Next, when you adjust the resizing die how far down is it threaded into the press? Without a case in the shell holder, the die should be adjusted down to where it contacts the shell holder when the handle is completely extended and should produce a little bit of resistence as the linkage pops over.
To properly lube the cases you should lube the inside and outside of the neck, and the outside of the case wall. Be sure to wipe off any lube that gets on the shoulder or it will cause some dents on the shoulder and the upper portion of the wall.
One more importantly detail before you go much further than resizing. You need at least one good reloading book that has some good instruction regarding basic reloading. My personal recomendation is a Speer reloading manual. Everything I learned about relaoding was from the Speer manual. It is very comprehensive and helps to translate termenology into layman's language. Although it is an excellent book to learn from, it doesn't provide much data outside of Speer components and also has limited loads to choose from. So in that respect I recomend you pick up a good data book. Since you are loading .308 I would consider buying the " One caliber, one book " reloading paper back. They are about $7-$8 and have nearly every load available for a given cartridge.
Keep us informed and we'll help you as you go. Don't get frustrated or start guessing. It's a great hobby and once you understand the basics the rest will become easier and begin to make sense.
I'll throw in some information that may be relevant to what is happening. First of all, the die you are using to resize the brass has some writting on it, what number's and words are on it? It should say something like " FL size die or neck die, and should have the cartridge indicated on it like " .308 "
Next, when you adjust the resizing die how far down is it threaded into the press? Without a case in the shell holder, the die should be adjusted down to where it contacts the shell holder when the handle is completely extended and should produce a little bit of resistence as the linkage pops over.
To properly lube the cases you should lube the inside and outside of the neck, and the outside of the case wall. Be sure to wipe off any lube that gets on the shoulder or it will cause some dents on the shoulder and the upper portion of the wall.
One more importantly detail before you go much further than resizing. You need at least one good reloading book that has some good instruction regarding basic reloading. My personal recomendation is a Speer reloading manual. Everything I learned about relaoding was from the Speer manual. It is very comprehensive and helps to translate termenology into layman's language. Although it is an excellent book to learn from, it doesn't provide much data outside of Speer components and also has limited loads to choose from. So in that respect I recomend you pick up a good data book. Since you are loading .308 I would consider buying the " One caliber, one book " reloading paper back. They are about $7-$8 and have nearly every load available for a given cartridge.
Keep us informed and we'll help you as you go. Don't get frustrated or start guessing. It's a great hobby and once you understand the basics the rest will become easier and begin to make sense.
i might have wrote this wrong. im not new to reloading the dies are lee and hornady full's, both sets. its just these fc's seem to suck.
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-551696.html
i have the same issue. but shiming it didnt work. just seeing if anyone else have had this happen before. guess ill trade the rest off for some 300 wins
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-551696.html
i have the same issue. but shiming it didnt work. just seeing if anyone else have had this happen before. guess ill trade the rest off for some 300 wins
There are times the press whips the case, there are times the case whips the press, I sent a new Mod 70 Winchester chambered in 300 Win Mag back to Winchester, it had the ugliest chamber I have ever seen, it was too long and too large in diameter, the scary part, they informed me they would hone, polish or ream the chamber, first locally, and if that did not work the rifle would be sent to where ever, and I ask:
"What is it about honing, polishing or reaming the chamber that is going to make it smaller", long story. Something foreign to reloaders/smiths is datums, I use datums, Winchester never ask me how I knew their Sammy chamber was junk, they assumed I did not have a clue, back to sizing, you did not say what press you are using. Mothering dies as in "I clean my dies with a de-greaser that is used to remove grease from brake parts", I do not do that, I clean my dies with a towel on a dowel, because I want grease and or lube in my dies so I ask myself, "Is there harm in removing that slick stuff from the inside of my dies" I had thought I had purchased my last set of dies but I got a deal on 4 very heavy barrels and I found a discount on a set of limited edition RCBS dies and that was all the excuse I needed, I cleaned the inside of the dies with a towel on a dowel, the finish inside the die is as good as it gets so I apply the 'leaver policy' I leaver the way I founder.
You say the FC cases are crushing, to me that sounds like the press is winning, I would be hard pressed to find a set of cute dies in my possession, my dies are straight forward 'versatile' full length sizer dies, my full length sizer dies size cases for short chambers, .012 thousands shorter than a full length sized case (minimum length) to infinity beyond a go-gage length chamber, or a more practical neck sizing without case body sizing, there again If I could bump??? I could do it with case body support, but that is a concept that is foreign to reloaders. Bump sounds like an accident so I choose case forming, until the definition of bump allows a reloader to go from 'bump' to form as in 'Forming begins after the shoulder has been bumped back .005 thousands'.
Crushing cases, I do that to determine the cases ability to be sized, I turn a forming die upside down in the press, as in screwing it into the press from the bottom, I install a case in the shell holder and raise the ram, the neck of the case inters the die and the case is crushed between the shell holder and and die, a good case will fold like an accordion/bellows with out folding or splitting.
Back to the 300 Win Mag, it would have been mindless to size the case with a full length sizer die, when I purchased the rifle I wanted a rifle with a chamber that would fit my dies, after I determined the chamber was too large for my dies I wanted the next best thing, I wanted a set of dies that would size cases to fit Winchester new creation (a chamber that did not fit my dies), so I took the rifle to their warranty shop, sure enough he reamed, polished and honed, guess what, the chamber got bigger, and he said "They made me do it".
F. Guffey
"What is it about honing, polishing or reaming the chamber that is going to make it smaller", long story. Something foreign to reloaders/smiths is datums, I use datums, Winchester never ask me how I knew their Sammy chamber was junk, they assumed I did not have a clue, back to sizing, you did not say what press you are using. Mothering dies as in "I clean my dies with a de-greaser that is used to remove grease from brake parts", I do not do that, I clean my dies with a towel on a dowel, because I want grease and or lube in my dies so I ask myself, "Is there harm in removing that slick stuff from the inside of my dies" I had thought I had purchased my last set of dies but I got a deal on 4 very heavy barrels and I found a discount on a set of limited edition RCBS dies and that was all the excuse I needed, I cleaned the inside of the dies with a towel on a dowel, the finish inside the die is as good as it gets so I apply the 'leaver policy' I leaver the way I founder.
You say the FC cases are crushing, to me that sounds like the press is winning, I would be hard pressed to find a set of cute dies in my possession, my dies are straight forward 'versatile' full length sizer dies, my full length sizer dies size cases for short chambers, .012 thousands shorter than a full length sized case (minimum length) to infinity beyond a go-gage length chamber, or a more practical neck sizing without case body sizing, there again If I could bump??? I could do it with case body support, but that is a concept that is foreign to reloaders. Bump sounds like an accident so I choose case forming, until the definition of bump allows a reloader to go from 'bump' to form as in 'Forming begins after the shoulder has been bumped back .005 thousands'.
Crushing cases, I do that to determine the cases ability to be sized, I turn a forming die upside down in the press, as in screwing it into the press from the bottom, I install a case in the shell holder and raise the ram, the neck of the case inters the die and the case is crushed between the shell holder and and die, a good case will fold like an accordion/bellows with out folding or splitting.
Back to the 300 Win Mag, it would have been mindless to size the case with a full length sizer die, when I purchased the rifle I wanted a rifle with a chamber that would fit my dies, after I determined the chamber was too large for my dies I wanted the next best thing, I wanted a set of dies that would size cases to fit Winchester new creation (a chamber that did not fit my dies), so I took the rifle to their warranty shop, sure enough he reamed, polished and honed, guess what, the chamber got bigger, and he said "They made me do it".
F. Guffey
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If you have been reloading pistol and, are just starting with rifle, the larger brass takes a lot more pressure to size then a 357 mag case. There is a slight taper to the case body and the die doesn`t really size much if at all until the case is almost totally in it. The brass may have been fired in a chamber on the large side of tolerance and the die may be on the smaller side making it take a bit more work to get them sized.
I`d get a good lube, the RCBS shown already is OK, but something like Imperial wax is prefered. Lube the case well and expect to have to put some pressure on the press. A single stage with compond linkage such as the RockChucker or Lee Cast Iron Classic will take a lot less to use then a small press like the RCBS Jr, or some turrets will.
There is nothing wrong with Federal brass. I have used a lot of it in the past and know quite a few that still prefer it when possible...
I`d get a good lube, the RCBS shown already is OK, but something like Imperial wax is prefered. Lube the case well and expect to have to put some pressure on the press. A single stage with compond linkage such as the RockChucker or Lee Cast Iron Classic will take a lot less to use then a small press like the RCBS Jr, or some turrets will.
There is nothing wrong with Federal brass. I have used a lot of it in the past and know quite a few that still prefer it when possible...
243winxb
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Then the web area might be expanded from someones over load.
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