Major Difference With Sizing 6.5 Creedmoor vs .308 Win Question

[Guitarman1]

I'm new to rifle cartridge reloading and am having a discrepancy sizing these 2 calibers. I'm using the same model Forester full length resizing dies on a Redding press & I've adjusted each die & mounted them on the press the same way. With new, 6.5 Creedmoor Starline, or Peterson brass, I just dip the necks into beads coated with graphite and size them with minimal effort. However, when doing the same procedure with with new .308 Norma and Lapua brass, it's next no impossible to size them using only graphite at the neck. I have to lube the entire case with some Lyman case lube, in order to get a case in & out of the die. Even with the case fully lubed, it requires much more effort with the .308 brass. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I always use case lube for rifle. 6.5 is easier to size vs 308. More area to push in the die with 308 than 6.5 CM

 

[stringnut]

Bottle neck cases must be lubed. If you don’t , sooner or later, you will stick one in the die. Without a stuck case remover you are hosed.

You are mentioning two different cartridges and four different brands of brass. It is almost impossible to say what the variable is that is making more difficult to size. Have loaded for both the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 308 and there is not any difference in sizing effort. Depending on how much you are working the brass makes the difference in effort.

 

[Shooterbob]

I believe the graphite is for neck sizing only. But I have been wrong before

 

[Hummer70]

Graphite is an abrasive which is why it is used in brake shoes. In the presence of moisture graphite is a lubricant which is why brakes fail if the brake shoes get wet.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S1TLETrec_rOPCnZ2aEtqqvsR_a690IA/view?usp=sharing

Molybdenum powder is much better. It comes in several sizes and the size you want is 1 to 1.5 microns.

https://a.co/d/0QFbkdy

The above is what I use. l lb size. I have been using same bottle for about 15 years.When I got mine it was like 36.00 a bottle.

 

[Varminterror]

@Hummer70 - welcome back, Mark! Been a long while, glad to see you made it back around!

 

[JFrank]

I'm new to rifle cartridge reloading and am having a discrepancy sizing these 2 calibers. I'm using the same model Forester full length resizing dies on a Redding press & I've adjusted each die & mounted them on the press the same way. With new, 6.5 Creedmoor Starline, or Peterson brass, I just dip the necks into beads coated with graphite and size them with minimal effort. However, when doing the same procedure with with new .308 Norma and Lapua brass, it's next no impossible to size them using only graphite at the neck. I have to lube the entire case with some Lyman case lube, in order to get a case in & out of the die. Even with the case fully lubed, it requires much more effort with the .308 brass. Has anyone else experienced this?

Yes lube the body but not the shoulder.
Sizing dies are cut from a sizing reamer that speced .002-.004 under a chamber reamer. Your 308 die is simply reducing the case body more than the creedmoor die. Have Forster hone it out or try a different brand.

 

[MrMagumba]

Your description of the problem reads like you didn't lube the 308 cases at first. The lube helped somewhat. I never tried to resize a rifle case without lube. I see you have been around for quite a while so you must know all this. Are they new dies? Is it possible they have some coating that needs to be cleaned? If it was me, I would start measuring the heck out of everything to try to find the culprit. It would not be the first time someone discovered their dies weren't cut the best. Will be interested to see what you find.
I thought of something else: South Prairie Jim is probably right- I once had some rust in a chamber and the case would not easily eject. I fixed it by putting a brass cleaning brush on a cleaning rod piece and put it in a hand drill and cleaned the chamber. Might work - or what Jim said.

 

[horsemen61]

Always lube the case

 

[AJC1]

Try adjusting the decaping pind down, the forester dies use a high expander ball and it could be to high... the lube situation is well discussed.

 

[Bfh_auto]

I've noticed differences in the amount of force needed to resize different brands of brass for the same rifle.