remington brass wont resize

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In the part of Los Angeles I lived, there were very few stores that sold reloading supplies. I was looking for Imperial lube but when in a Walgreens I found Mink Oil Boot Dressing Cream in the shoe dept. Bought a tin and used that tin quite successfully as a case lube for many years (I think I lost the tin way before I emptied it). Very good as a case lube; available, inexpensive, went on and came off easily, and was wonderful on my hands...:p
 
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GeoDudeFlorida said:
Interesting thing here since it’s very likely @conan32120 is using NEW production Remington ammo. I haven’t bought Remington box ammo since the 90’s so my experiences are that it’s easier to resize than most. It’s possible the New Remington Arms is using a different kind of brass - the definition of “cartridge brass” is flexible, not static - and if it is now made in Europe, it might be a very different alloy than we’re used to. Without an assay or acid test, it’s not going to be easy to tell if it is higher in zinc than typical “cartridge brass” but the amount of zinc will make a difference in the elasticity of the allloy.
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They still produce it in renoke Arkansas. If the metal formula changed after acquisition from Vista or due to shortages world wide is likely....
 
AJC1 said:
They still produce it in renoke Arkansas. If the metal formula changed after acquisition from Vista or due to shortages world wide is likely....
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I don’t know but that’s the only thing I can think of: a change of material, probably supply-chain related. Vista seems pretty thoroughly committed to keeping the Remington brand so I doubt it would be “cheaping-out.” But, I guess everyone here already knows there’s a world-wide shortage of ready-for-foundry copper, plenty is in the ground but mining is being limited globally due to labor shortages and the high cost of safety/environmental processes, and other various reasons both economic and physical, so it stands to reason switching to a supplier that uses 76% Cu compared to 80% would get raw materials in the door vs. being on some foreign supplier’s “wait list.”
 
conan32120 said:
I shoot a .243, not alot as work and family get in the way. Bought federal and remington factory loads and sent them down range and saved the brass to reload. The federal brass went thru my lee die with no issues the remington brass not so well. One piece even got stuck so tight I had to destroy the brass to save the die. used one shot case lube on the case and in the die as I could feel it was gonna be tight. All this brass went thru the same chamber and fired just once. Anyone else having issues with remington brass?
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I've never been a fan of one shot on bottle neck cases. But if you're going to use it, make sure you're using it right. 1. More is not better 2. It MUST dry completely before using it. 3. If you've tried to use it wet, or tried to add more to make it size easier...check your die to make sure the vent isn't now plugged. Clean die up with some WD 40 or other solvent, dry it completely, and try again. Best suggestion, buy some raw lanolin and 99% alcohol, just mix your own lube...10:1 alcohol:lanolin for bottleneck rifle, 20:1 for pistol.
 
Charlie98 said:
That. Honestly, I stuck quite a few cases when I first started using OneShot... but then I read the directions, and now it works just fine. The key is to get it allllll the way down the case, not just on the necks (like I was doing at first,) and then let the brass set for a few minutes. Nothing super duper.
.
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With bottle neck cases, I only lubricate the body of the case with a rub from oily fingers on the neck. If I lube the case necks, I get too much lubricant on the necks and then get hydraulic dents in the neck.

I think my issues were not enough OneShot sprayed on the case body or as @Varminterror said, I did not shake the can enough before using.

I had other case sizing lubricants that I liked so I did not buy anymore OneShot.

As I said before, lots of folks have success with the lubricant.
 
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243winxb said:
Good point.
An over pressure factory loading, may have bulged the Remington brass? OP should measure the OD of fired brass in this area, compare to Federal.

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I agree. A slightly hotter loading might cause an issue like that. But the puzzle is the chamber will only allow the brass to expand so much, no matter what brand it is, and thats a constant here. I wonder if the Rem brass is that much harder? Either way, Id pull out the calipers and start measuring. If its the Rem is the same size as the Fed, then it has to be a hardness issue.
 
I switched from spray on lubes to imperial sizing wax years ago after having one case stick in a die. Never had a problem with the sizing wax. I recently watched a video from Gunblue490 on youtube and switched after he explained the case sizing process. I now have some of the Lee dry case lube that comes in a squeeze tube. I don’t bash users of spray lunes or any particular brand. Use what works for your needs.
 
Kaldor said:
Im more concerned about the OPs issue of why one manufacturers brass is way harder to size than the other manufacturer when it came out the same rifle.
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It is a little odd... and considering it RP, which I don't normally think of as 'hard' brass in the same way I think of CBC, Fiocchi, or some of the others that have that reputation.
 
Never had a pad, just used a piece of 4" X 7" X 3/8" foam with backing, smear on Lyman, RCBS, or STP for lube and keep the pad in a small Tupperware type container with a lid to keep it clean. Also used a small plastic tray 2" deep, wide enough for 30-06 case and 6 or 8 inches long. Spray PAM and rock the tray back and forth to get the cases rolling to coat.

As an aside: a couple of years ago I was in Sportsman's Whse looking at reloading stuff and a guy said he was getting back in reloading and wanted to know how "they" lube cases now; he said he used to use the pad. I'm the wrong guy to ask, I said if it worked before why change, and that I too use my own DIY pad.
 
As I small base size everything or which I can find a small base die, I have learned that some lubes are not as lubricative as others. Yes, there are differences in lubes. The absolute best for small base sizing was Imperial Sizing Wax, as mentioned before, and RCBS water soluble. And, I have used the aforementioned Mink Oil, and it worked great! Except it was very hard to wash off, which is why I used RCBS water soluble.

I sized my cases, washed them in hot water, and used my toaster oven set on low, to dry.

As mentioned, just use enough, shoulder dents happen.
 
I like One Shot. It MUST be allowed to "dry" before sizing.

I quit using One Shot on bottlenecks cases, though and went back to lube pad. No waiting.

To the OP: my guess is the Rem brass is a harder alloy. I don't remember the brand, but I had some brass that was more difficult to resize than other manufacturers of the same caliber. I ended up resizing in 3 partial strokes and after firing in my rifle, no other trouble.
 
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I found something similar this weekend resizing mixed 38 special brass. I was using an original pacific c-press and dies (lever pulls up not down like newer pressed). This means you can really feel every piece through the old steel dies. I use unique lube but the R-P brass was notably harder than others (brass ranged from 90 year old WRA to 10 year old R-P). I had 2 range pickups that wouldn’t size. Those must have been fired from a giant chamber 357 magnum. I suspect alloy is part of the story, but I’d also guess the lube had a lot to do with the sticking. I don’t have any experience with one shot. I just don’t like spray lubes since I feel like you end up wasting it with overspray and I like the chance to inspect cases when lubing. I like to roll bottleneck cases in unique and dip necks in graphite. Makes a real mess, but a quick run in the dry tumbler makes it all good again.
 
My main prairie dog rifle is a long, heavy barrel 204 Ruger AR-15. At 12 plus pounds empty it is quite the “crew served” varmint rifle.

Any way. I have been experimenting with lanolin/alcohol lubricant for resizing with good success.

I’m planning to expand the experiment to other cartridges, 223 Rem based cartridges at first then on to 30-06 and 308 Win based cartridges next.

Imperial sizing wax or RCBS Case Lubricant II are the case sizing lubricants I judge other lubricants against.

As an aside, I have been lubricating handgun cases of late, particularly the large diameter cases. Even with carbide sizing dies, adding lubrication makes the process go more smoothly.

It just depends on what you want.
 
conan32120 said:
I shoot a .243, not alot as work and family get in the way. Bought federal and remington factory loads and sent them down range and saved the brass to reload. The federal brass went thru my lee die with no issues the remington brass not so well. One piece even got stuck so tight I had to destroy the brass to save the die. used one shot case lube on the case and in the die as I could feel it was gonna be tight. All this brass went thru the same chamber and fired just once. Anyone else having issues with remington brass?
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This sounds like your Lee die is sizing a bit more than needed, take some fired and after sizing brass measurements at the base and case shoulder junction to be sure. If your die is reducing the brass beyond .004 you’ll need very good lube and a strong arm.
 
Soonerpesek said:
What would be the explanation why one brand of case sized rather easily, while a different brand was harder to size.....?
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• Thinner brass which expanded more in the chamber and was physically larger when it approached sizing

• Higher pressure load which expanded more in the chamber and was physically larger when it approached sizing

• Thicker brass which resisted sizing more

• Harder brass which resisted sizing more

• Softer brass which expanded more in firing and didn’t spring back as far after firing, hence it was larger when it approached sizing

Don’t overthink this - it’s really a mountain out of a molehill.
 
AJC1 said:
I would expect a die to perform equally on all cases.
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Dies will not perform equally on all cases, because not all cases will respond the same to sizing. Harder or softer, thicker or thinner, physically larger or smaller, the die doesn’t change how it interacts with the brass, but the brass does change in how it responds to the die by springing back more or less based on how much it is being moved by the fixed dimension hole, and how much it wants to resist that movement.
 
Varminterror said:
• Thinner brass which expanded more in the chamber and was physically larger when it approached sizing

• Higher pressure load which expanded more in the chamber and was physically larger when it approached sizing

• Thicker brass which resisted sizing more

• Harder brass which resisted sizing more

• Softer brass which expanded more in firing and didn’t spring back as far after firing, hence it was larger when it approached sizing

Don’t overthink this - it’s really a mountain out of a molehill.
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Reloading was so much more fun before I began to see everyone talking about the science of it.
 
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