Captaingyro
Member
I just sat down to size some .308 brass. This is once-fired (by me) Winchester brass that has been deprimed and tumbled...in other words, decent, clean brass. I'm using RCBS dies in a Forster Co-Ax.
I ran the first case up into the FL die and felt the normal resistance as the case was sized down. However, as I ran the case back out of the die, there was no familiar drag as the expander was pulled out through the case mouth. Hmmm. I tried inserting a bullet, and, sure enough, it just slipped right in, as though no neck sizing had taken place. I tried again with four more cases, with the same result: no (or at least insufficient) neck sizing.
Measuring the outside neck diameter, I got .333". I had some cases on hand that had previously been sized in the same die, and measured the outside diameter: .330". I tried seating a bullet in the previously-sized cases and got the normal resistance.
I checked the lock ring on the die to make sure it hadn't slipped, and confirmed that the die is set to the correct depth, with the press handle just slightly camming over at the end of the stroke.
So, same die, same press, same adjustment, same cases, different result.
Just to make sure I wasn't in La-La Land, I installed an RCBS neck sizer set to the same depth, and tried again. Bingo: .330" and normal bullet seating resistance.
I disassembled the FL die and checked for internal cleanliness and damage. Everything looks good. I left the expander plug out and re-installed the die body in the press, tried another case, and got the same result: .333".
This should be so simple...it ain't rocket science. Am I nuts? What's going on here?
I ran the first case up into the FL die and felt the normal resistance as the case was sized down. However, as I ran the case back out of the die, there was no familiar drag as the expander was pulled out through the case mouth. Hmmm. I tried inserting a bullet, and, sure enough, it just slipped right in, as though no neck sizing had taken place. I tried again with four more cases, with the same result: no (or at least insufficient) neck sizing.
Measuring the outside neck diameter, I got .333". I had some cases on hand that had previously been sized in the same die, and measured the outside diameter: .330". I tried seating a bullet in the previously-sized cases and got the normal resistance.
I checked the lock ring on the die to make sure it hadn't slipped, and confirmed that the die is set to the correct depth, with the press handle just slightly camming over at the end of the stroke.
So, same die, same press, same adjustment, same cases, different result.
Just to make sure I wasn't in La-La Land, I installed an RCBS neck sizer set to the same depth, and tried again. Bingo: .330" and normal bullet seating resistance.
I disassembled the FL die and checked for internal cleanliness and damage. Everything looks good. I left the expander plug out and re-installed the die body in the press, tried another case, and got the same result: .333".
This should be so simple...it ain't rocket science. Am I nuts? What's going on here?