case over flaring

[MoreIsLess]

I have some cases that are apparently flared too much. When I go to seat the bullet, before I even seat it, I can push the bullet in with my finger to the point it is way under the minimum oal. Can anything be done for these cases or should I just toss them

 

[USSR]

You don't have a flaring problem, you have a sizing problem.

Don

 

[Drail]

And possibly also an expander button problem. Or some mis-marked bullets. Measure your bullets and your expander button. The expander button needs to be 4 or 5 thous. smaller than bullet dia. It should take some force to seat a bullet fully into a case. Once seated you shouldn't be able to push the bullet any deeper by pressing the bullet against the edge of your bench...hard. If you can move that bullet you are overexpanding. Remember, the amount of expansion and the amount of flare are two separate items, though they are performed by the same die. Get the case neck tension right first.

 

[gamestalker]

There isn't anything wrong with any dies, you just started belling with the die adjusted too far down, right? I accidentally did the same thing a long time back with some .357 brass using an RCBS mouth belling die. You can try to close them up with the seater die but then the mouths and obviously part of the brass wall is going to be too thin to use. If that doesn't work, you'll probably have to toss them. And if the mouths have been excessively stretched as it seems, the brass is probably not going to want to come back to spec no matter what you do.
So next time you bell the mouths your going to want to start with a round of empty brass in the shell holder and the press handle fully extended. Then take the belling die and start threading it into the the press until you feel it make contact with the brass. Then lower the press handle and begin making small adjustments to the die until it is expanding the mouth just enough to allow for easy bullet seating. If your using the Lee powder die the process will be the same except you'll be charging the case while belling the mouth, a nice feature of the Lee die. When you back the handle down after belling you'll feel a slight click if it's a Lee die, another Lee feature made to help prevent powder jams.

 

[Walkalong]

Sizer is too small, or expander is too big, or both, or you belled to the point of looking like the Liberty Bell.

 

[HOWARD J]

Are these rifle or pistol cases ????????????
What caliber are you reloading?

Tell us the steps you do in your reloading---resize,etc.
What mfr's dies are you using for each step?

 

[GLOOB]

I've flared my .357 cases so much that some of them wouldn't even fit into the seater die without some outside chamfering. Still, neck tension was fine. I'd suspect your brass or a problem with you dies.

 

[rcmodel]

Can anything be done for these cases or should I just toss them

Resize them again, and start over.

I agree that excess flaring should not cause loose bullet fit though.
Unless you really really over-flared them, and drove the expander plug in past the flaring step.

rc

 

[MEHavey]

Resize them again, then start the expander into the case only about 1/8". If you can start the bullet w/o shaving, and the bullet is thereafter gripped tightly on full seating, you're done.

If bullet won't start, screw the expander in deeper until it will -- or until just the slightest hint of flare can be felt. Try the bullet the again and you're (probably) done.

Crimp ( .357 ?) normally at that point.

 

[Strykervet]

Resize them again, then start the expander into the case only about 1/8". If you can start the bullet w/o shaving, and the bullet is thereafter gripped tightly on full seating, you're done.

If bullet won't start, screw the expander in deeper until it will -- or until just the slightest hint of flare can be felt. Try the bullet the again and you're (probably) done.

Crimp ( .357 ?) normally at that point.

What he said.

Next time don't flare them so much. You need very, very little. Don't know about the case strength though. Flaring them too much weakens the brass over time.

 

[Hondo 60]

If you've flared them too much to fit in the sizing die, you may have to run them through the seating & crimping die(s).

Then resize them.

 

[gregj]

I've run into the same thing with mixed headstamp on 45ACP. Just some brass is thinner and affords less tension. This brass is relagated to range/target so it doesnt matter. My match brass is sorted and I dont have this problem with it.