Collet or FL resizing leaves ring on top of case neck

[hokeyplyr48]

Whether I FL resize or Collet resize it leaves a ring on the top millimeter or 2 of the case. I don't see this on factory brass so I was just wondering if something was wrong.

 

[rcmodel]

What caliber are we talking about?

Are you crimping?

Sounds like a Lee FCD crimp leftover to me.

rc

 

[hokeyplyr48]

My apologies, I shouldve included more information in the OP.

The caliber is .223 and I'm using a Lee classic cast turret press with the deluxe lee die set. It is once fired brass and I have screwed the die to the shellholder + one turn like I've read online and in the instructions.

And the brass doesn't have this ring before and this is just a sizing die. Not crimping

 

[rcmodel]

Millimeter? We don't do metric in reloading measurements.

SO, you are saying with the ram all the way up, you screwed the die down until it touched the shell holder, and then screwed it down another full turn?

That right there is impossible without breaking the press at full ram travel!

It sounds like you only have the die screwed in the press one thread and are only sizing about the first .078" of the neck, which leaves the ring.

To adjust the FL die:
Run the ram up.
Screw the die down until it contacts the shell holder.
Lower the ram and screw the die down anothe 1/8 - 1/4 turn.
Raise the ram and see if you still get full travel with a "bump" at full extension.

If so, you should be good to go.

rc

 

[Husker_Fan]

RC,
I think he is referring to the instructions that have you screw the die in until it contacts the raised ram with the shellholder. You then lower the ram and rotate one more full turn.

I think.

 

[hokeyplyr48]

Ok let me try and explain this. All my brass has a very faint outline at the top where like you said is the left over crimp. Whether I full or collet resize the brass it makes the ring extremely pronounced.

And wth regard to the collet die, I have screwed it down to the shell holder with the ram up and then lowered the ram and given it another turn then tightened the locking bolt. Is this incorrect? Because when I use the collet die I feel absolutely no resistance whatsoever so it doesn't feel like it's doing anything. And the collet die is weird because there's like a sleeve that springs back into the die. So do I screw the die down to the sleeve or keep screwing till the sleeve has retracted into the die? As usual the lee directions provide absolutely nothing.

 

[Ol` Joe]

If the mark is the remainder of the old factory crimp it probably won`t go away with sizeing. The crease likely is "ironed" in the case mouth and there for good.
If it isn`t there prior to resizing I`d check the COL of the case and make sure it hasn`t exceeded the max. I`ve never seen a case so long it shows on the mouth when sized, but ...........

 

[hokeyplyr48]

hmm I'm really having problems with the sizing. When I full length resize theres a line .27 inches from the bottom which looks like it stopped resizing there. my over all case length is 1.759 on average. Shouldn't it be sizing the whole case?

Also I've been comparing diameters before/after the case sizing and nothing is changing. Maybe they shouldn't be since the brass is relatively new. I've measured the inside diameter of the brass to be .224 which sounds correct. But thats before sizing, so does the sizing die not really do much most of the time?

 

[Walkalong]

A full length sizer does more with old work hardened brass fired in a generous chamber than it does with newer brass in a tighter chamber. Lots of variables. I am surprised you measure NO difference. Maybe you need to work on your technique, if indeed you are full length sizing.


That said....

You say you are using a collet die. (I am assuming Lee then) It will leave marks on the case, and is a neck sizing die, not a full length die. It won't change the case measurements, except at the neck.

I would also suggest you trim all your sized brass to 1.750.

Doesn't sound as if you have the collet die set up right either.

And I agree with the others about the mark at the very top of the brass. Leftover crimp mark.

 

[hokeyplyr48]

Well I've been using both full and collet to see if I have them setup wrong/to compare results. What sort of technique? And yes they are Lee. Are there any other dimensions I can check before/after? And is that inside diameter correct? The case trimmer will be coming shortly

 

[Walkalong]

What sort of technique?

If you are full length sizing correctly, there will be a small difference, and small differences are sometimes hard to measure when you don't have an exact spot to measure. Hard to measure one case somewhere along the case, size it, and then get a measurement at exactly the same spot.

 

[hokeyplyr48]

With regard to the line at the bottom, is this correct? Common sense tells me it's not full length sizing the whole case...

 

[Walkalong]

Part of the case is down in the shell holder or shell plate. It can't physically be sized, but the case head should not be expanded anyway. It is normal to see where the sizer stopped on the brass just short of the case head.

 

[hokeyplyr48]

It's above the top of the shell holder though. So does this mean the case isn't going high enough into the sizing die?

 

[Ol` Joe]

It's above the top of the shell holder though. So does this mean the case isn't going high enough into the sizing die?

Maybe.
The case needs to be reduced in diameter where expanded, and the shoulder "possibly" bumped back. If the die appears to leave a ring just above the neck shoulder juction it is possible the chamber is "tight" and the shoulder isn`t being touched. If the case enters the chamber after sizing freely then no further sizing is needed. If you feel a bit of pressure or binding when you close the bolt on a sized case you might want to size it a bit farther down. This can be done by screwing the die in the press with the ram at TDC and when it contcts the shellholder drop the ram and add 1/8-1/4 more turn to the die. If which, with a case in the shellholder there is normally a bit of spring in the press that will show as "light" between the die and shell holder (a gap) when sizing. When you attempt to size your brass more, turn the die in until this just disapears.


edited to add; this is just meant to be done with a full lgt sizer or neck die only, NOT a Collet die.
The Collet die has a littler extra tolerance built in that stops the sizing process a bit above the shoulder. This is to prevent the possibility of a cartridge with the shoulder at max headspace from jamming in the collet if it contacts the neck/shoulder This is a normal event with these dies and does no harm. The die isn`t designed to size the shoulder and no contact is needed nor desired.