Seating Issue with .30-06 Reload

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AndrewH

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I did the loads pictured below earlier and came across this issue, which I have never encountered. I am using Redding dies, and these were done with the neck sizer on brand new Winchester brass. The bullets, after seating, have the crease indicated with the arrows, and as you can see, is showing up on each one of them. I have never used Redding dies before, and have not loaded this particular caliber before. The bullets are not over-sized, and are measured 0.308" at the widest point on the ogive. When seated, according to my Barnes handloading manual, the brass is of proper dimensions within the neck.

Also, the coated bullets do not budge, but some of the copper ones will rotate within the neck, but do not pull out/fall in.

I'm not quite sure what to think, and I would appreciate any help.

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Looks as if the base of the bullet is visable , sorta like revolver rounds .

Some look (second pic far left &3rd arrowed bullet)as if the case is starting to collapse ????

Will they chamber ????

Maybe a flaring die will help , I see some scraping of the blue coating in 1st pic ???

May be time to anneal the necks looks like .

Milsurp brass or ????

Also you said ya neck sized em , does the die have the expander in place ???? size of expander ????
 
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You have (the Redding die has) sized the neck too small for the given bullet diamater/neck-thickness combination. The bullet then bulges the neck when seated.

Are these bushing dies? (And if so, what brass make/bushing-size/final-neck-diameter-with-bullet is at work here?)
 
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As MEHavey asked, "Are these bushing dies"? Assuming you are using bushing dies, what size bushing are you using? My guess is you are using bushing dies and are sizing too far down the neck into the shoulder (your creases are all at the neck/shoulder junction).

Don
 
Bushing dies normally will size all the way down to shoulder.
The key is the diameter of the bushing die.

What is the combined seated bullet/case neck diameter?
(The bushing diameter should be no more than 0.001-0.002" less than that.)
 
Bushing dies normally will size all the way down to shoulder.
Click to expand...

My Redding necksizing bushing die is fully adjustable for the amount of neck resized. For target loads in a boltgun, I will typically only resize the necks down .3" for a .30 caliber cartridge. If I adjust them to resize the entire neck, then I have to be careful not to have it adjusted too far down, or the bushing will cause problems at the neck/shoulder junction of the case.

Don
 
I can't help you with the bushing die.

But chamfering the case necks before seating bullets will go far in preventing the blue stuff from scraping off.

rc
 
My Redding necksizing bushing die is fully adjustable for the amount of neck resized.
Click to expand...

That really doesn't affect the issue. (Besides, you would normally size the whole neck anyway.) The key issue is the diameter of the bushing, as compared to the diameter of the fully-seated bullet/case neck combination.

Can you tell us:

- Seated bullet + case neck diameter?
- Bushing diameter?
 
The key issue is the diameter of the bushing, as compared to the diameter of the fully-seated bullet/case neck combination.
Click to expand...

MEHavey,

Note, he is using Winchester brass. Being that it is the lightest and thinnest .30-06 brass, after Norma, it is extremely unlikely that he is using too small of a bushing. Also, he said "the copper ones will rotate within the neck". This would not be the case with the high neck tension caused by using too small of a bushing. In looking more closely at the necks, it almost looks to me like a crimp is being applied, and if this is the case with the bullet seater continuing to seat the bullet, this could be causing the crease, and the crimp itself could be causing the loose bullet situation.

Don
 
looks like you are over crimping the bullets while seating them. 1st, dont crimp. 2nd, seat the bullet to the needed OAL and be done. Unless these are going into a tubular mag, don't need a crimp. IMHO
 
Your necks look very well reamed and chamfered from what I can tell. Is this the first time you've necked brand new brass? I don't know why but, I necked some new brass for the first time, rather than a FL sizing for the first cycle and some of my cases looked very simular to what your showing. I've been reloading for almost 30 yrs. and never had that happen to a case until I necked some new brass?
Also, have you used these dies before and had expected results?
 
Another Variable

I had similiar problems with untrimmed brass of different lengths (1-2 thousandths or so difference), with the longer ones touching the crimp shoulder in the die (lesson: 1, don't crimp jacketed bullets with no crimp groove, and 2, run the die up far enough to keep it away from the necks). I always trim, chamfer & de-bur new brass after running them all through the sizer. Lots of guys don't and don't acknowledge problems, but I like to start with every variable zeroed out. Brass gets dented and bent in handling and I had enough problems in the distant past to cause me to avoid it by sizing them.
 
I took a second look at the pics and in all honesty that brass looks really strange, kind of beat up. Some of the cases look like there is a buldge just below the shoulder? I'm now thinking your seating die is adjusted to far down as was suggested by Maj Dad and is causing the case to buckle because the mouth may be contacting deep enough into the die to attempt to effect a crimp.
Try this, put an empty case in the shell holder and run it to full stroke. Now thread your seating die in until you feel it make contact with the mouth and then back the die out 1 or 1 1/2 turns and lock it in place. Re-adjust your seating plug to what depth your using and I'll bet the problem goes away.
 
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