reloading help

[s12.aaxtell]

So I just started reloading this past summer and have only had 1 true batch of handmade rounds. I reload .303 british for my enfield and just recently got a neck die so I dont wear my brass out too fast. I was using it and I primed all my cases, put in the powder, and attempted to seat the bullets. I guess I did not adjust the die down enough so the neck is not tight enough for the bullets. Now I have 25 cases that are primed but I cannot resize them because the de-capper will punch the live primers. My inexperienced idea was to take the bad rounds to the range and just fire the cases in my rifle with no powder or bullet. Then I can just start the process over and only lose a handful of primers in the process. Will this work?

 

[Lost Sheep]

So I just started reloading this past summer and have only had 1 true batch of handmade rounds. I reload .303 british for my enfield and just recently got a neck die so I dont wear my brass out too fast. I was using it and I primed all my cases, put in the powder, and attempted to seat the bullets. I guess I did not adjust the die down enough so the neck is not tight enough for the bullets. Now I have 25 cases that are primed but I cannot resize them because the de-capper will punch the live primers. My inexperienced idea was to take the bad rounds to the range and just fire the cases in my rifle with no powder or bullet. Then I can just start the process over and only lose a handful of primers in the process. Will this work?

That will work. But it wastes the primers

You can remove the depriming pin from your die and proceed that way.

ALWAYS wear eye protection, especially when working with primers (priming, depriming live primers -which some people do and others do not- or just working with primed empty ammo).

I only load for straight-walled cases, so my experience is limited in this area, but I believe you can use a collet-type neck sizer which will not only simplify your process, but is reputed to give better accuracy, too.

Good luck.

Lost Sheep

 

[res7s]

Move the decapper up into the die body so it doesn't knock the primers out, then resize the cases. If there is no way to do this, your idea will work, or you can carefully(slow and gentle) push the primers back out.

 

[s12.aaxtell]

Thank you for the quick responses, I think I will adjust the decapper. And the new die I am using is a collet-type neck sizer, I just couldnt remember the name.

 

[kingmt]

Two waysull the mandreal & run them up in the collet but not far enough for the collet to squeeze then put the mandreal back & open the necks back without pushing the primer out.

Push the primer back out & reuse.

 

[35 Whelen]

I've knocked out LOTS of live primers and never had one go off (did one just today, in fact). If it worries you, put on some safety glasses and proceed slowly. Primer ignition requires percussion, slowly pushing one out with a decapping pin will not ignite it.
If you don't believe this, put a primer in a bench vise and try to pop it by squeezing it in the jaws. Won't happen.

35W

 

[Lost Sheep]

I've knocked out LOTS of live primers and never had one go off (did one just today, in fact). If it worries you, put on some safety glasses and proceed slowly. Primer ignition requires percussion, slowly pushing one out with a decapping pin will not ignite it.
If you don't believe this, put a primer in a bench vise and try to pop it by squeezing it in the jaws. Won't happen.

35W

ALWAYS wear safety glasses when reloading, especially when working with live primers. No matter what you are doing with them.

I have a pair in my reloading toolbox (this in addition to my regular shooting glasses, which you can use if you don't have enough cash to have a dedicated pair just for reloading).

Call me paranoid, call me cautions, call me binocular vision. A 0.00001 percent chance of a primer going off inadvertently multiplied by a .001 percent chance of a piece hitting my eye and a .001 percent chance of it damaging my eye is too much risk for a $20 pair of safety glasses.

ALWAYS, when working with live primers, even when only loading a flipper tray.

Lost Sheep

 

[kingmt]

A .0000000001% change I think there is better odds of being hit with a airplane. I ware glasses so no safety glasses but there a good idea. I've had maybe 2 primers pop & there no big deal but they could get themselves moveing fast enough to cut your eye.

 

[FROGO207]

The original problem with the loose necks could be that you are not using enough pressure to form the neck properly. This happens to a lot of users with Lee dies at first. If you can not get it to size correctly you can order a smaller size mandrel or put yours in a drill and use fine sand paper to make the thing smaller. Check yours with your calipers and that will tell you a lot. FWIW there have been a couple threads of how to do this in the recent past on here also.

 

[flashhole]

s12 - keep a bullet on your bench to check for proper neck sizing. If you can push it in with your fingers you don't have the neck sized down far enough. You can also measure the ID of the case neck. You need between .002" - .003" smaller neck ID (smaller than bullet OD) to ensure proper neck tension on the bullet. The Lee Collet Neck Die just takes a bit of getting used to. Once you figure it out it works great.

 

[steve4102]

OK, lets back up to the beginning.

You are using a Lee Collet die. Unlike other neck sizing dies it squeezes the case neck around a mandrel. You cannot adjust the mandrel up to keep the decapping pin from knocking out the primer, the mandrel/decapping pin is in a fixed position and not adjustable. It is also not possible to remove the mandrel completely, the die will not function without it.

If you are going to use your Lee Collet neck die to re-size your case necks then you have two options. Fire the primers off by themselves, or punch them out as you re-size your necks. BTW, no need to go to the range to pop primers, put on hearing/eye protection and close your garage doors and pop away.

Now you need to find out what happened. The Lee Collet die is designed for .001 neck tension. That ain't much and if you do not set the die up correctly and use enough force it's almost nothing.

I have several Lee Collet dies and I was never satisfied with the neck tension using the supplied mandrel. I fixed the problem two was, one is to order a "Reduced Mandrel" from Lee, $5. Two, chuck the mandrel into a drill and polish it down to desired size. It's relatively soft metal and polished quite easily.

 

[flashhole]

"Now you need to find out what happened. The Lee Collet die is designed for .001 neck tension. That ain't much and if you do not set the die up correctly and use enough force it's almost nothing."

Curious where you got this piece of information. It's easy to measure the mandrel and compare it to the bullet to determine the amount of neck tension. I've checked all mine and they are all over .001" neck tension. You can size the mandrel down with fine emory paper and a drill. You can also polish the inernal mating surfaces of the die. This is a better idea than making the mandrel smaller, has the same effect.

 

[Winchester101]

+1 on CAREFULLY removing live primers. I've done it hundreds, maybe thousands of time (for various reasons). Just go slow and easy on the press handle, and as stated above, wear your safety glasses.

By the way, if a primer DOES pop during the process, the only damage will be to your skivvies (don't ask me how I know).

W101

 

[steve4102]

Curious where you got this piece of information. It's easy to measure the mandrel and compare it to the bullet to determine the amount of neck tension.

Nope, not really. You have to take into account "Spring Back" . Take a sized case and measure the OD. Seat a bullet and measure again, subtract, that is your Neck Tension. Measuring the Mandrel and comparing it to the bullet means very little, in fact almost nothing.

 

[flashhole]

That's why you anneal cases. To minimize spring back when the brass becomes work hardened. Still curious where the information is published.

 

[kingmt]

Neck tention would be measured in press fit & you are not going to measure the inside of the neck correctly without a pin gauge. Doesn't matter tho because if the ID & OD are the same you will still have a press fit.

You can use the collet die without the mandreal I do it when NS for pellets in 223.

 

[AABEN]

On the die that you have unscrew the top and remove the primer pin put the top back on then run your brass this way you well keep the primers in the brass. GOOD LUCK

 

[osprey176]

Did you use a full-length sizing die before the neck sizer? If not,check your bullets.The .303 uses .311 caliber,not the much more available ,308.It would be an easy mistake for a new reloader to make.I'm not trying to insult your intelligence,but I've never had this problem in over 30 years of handloading. I've had plenty of others,but not that one.

 

[steve4102]

Still curious where the information is published.

This is straight from Lee Precision.

The Mandrels for the Collet Dies are made to .002" to .003" under nominal bullet diameter as there is about .001" to .002" of spring back. When the case neck is finished being sized, we want the case neck to be .001" under nominal bullet diameter.

Link.
http://leeprecision.net/support/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/117/14/collet-mandrel

 

[fguffey]

Neck tension and pin gages? A reloader should have the/a minimum of tools, beyond that? They can pile them up, but pin gages? Sounds like a (set) tool someone purchases once and spends the rest of their life talking about it, anyhow, my cases have the ability to hold a bullet, I call the ability of the case to hold a bullet ‘bullet hold’, I can measure bullet hold, I can not measure neck tension because neck tension is determined by an interference/crush fit, but, if I had to, I could measure the outside diameter of the neck, seat a bullet and measure again with the minimum availability of tools.

However: do not worry about me, I have an In-line, angle and butt grinder, the tool is designed to make pilots, tapered gages (throat/muzzle erosion gages) head space gages, tapered pins, pin gages with varying diameters with or without a taper (one shaft with two diameters) in the old days they were called go/not.

F. Guffey

 

[fguffey]

forgive, as in go/will not go.

F. Guffey