What on earth did I do to this case?

[bikemutt]

Let me first stipulate to being a handloading newbie, and perhaps an idiot, or worse. My embarrassment posting this question and picture is boundless, but I figure making mistakes is a part of this journey.

I used an RCBS neck sizing die on some 6.5 Grendel cases since I have a bolt rifle chambered for the cartridge.

Needless to say, none of them will chamber. The picture below shows a factory Hornady cartridge on the left, and my disaster on the right.

Any idea what I did wrong?

 

[TrickyDick]

Did you lube the shoulder?

 

[edwardware]

Without knowing when that happened. . .

I'd guess it happened during seating due to excessive neck tension or a really badly setup crimp die.

Or are you working on a wildcat. . . Sort of looks like a 6.5 Weatherby with that rounded shoulder junction.

 

[jmorris]

Kind of looks like you crimped the bullet as you were seating it deeper.

 

[kingmt]

I'm guessing shoved the case in to far. I don't use that die so I'm not sure.

 

[jmorris]

Pull the bullet and take a photo of it.

 

[kingmt]

Use that factory round as a standard to set up your die for loading.

 

[kingmt]

Also put about 4 grain of something like Bullseye with some corn mill in top of it to blow the case back out.

 

[horsey300]

Let me first stipulate to being a handloading newbie, and perhaps an idiot, or worse. My embarrassment posting this question and picture is boundless, but I figure making mistakes is a part of this journey.

I used an RCBS neck sizing die on some 6.5 Grendel cases since I have a bolt rifle chambered for the cartridge.

Needless to say, none of them will chamber. The picture below shows a factory Hornady cartridge on the left, and my disaster on the right.

Any idea what I did wrong?

You used the neck sizer with too much force, I did one like that without the mandrel and too much force (no charge or bullet) to show the boy what happens when you neck size too far wrong. See that ring where the neck meets the shoulder?

 

[horsey300]

Also put about 4 grain of something like Bullseye with some corn mill in top of it to blow the case back out.

How does that work? It won't chamber?

 

[witchhunter]

Looks like you set your seater die too deep. It is crimping the case mouth while the seater plug is trying to push the bullet down further. Adjust your seater die body to just touch the case mouth and then turn it out a full turn. Then adjust your seater plug to the depth you want to start at. Don't worry happens all the time. I recommend using a FL die for this round though. Adjust the die to just bump the shoulder so it will chamber, not as RCBS suggests to adjust it. This will make it fit YOUR chamber.

 

[Walkalong]

Excessive neck tension form the wrong expander all (Too small) in your die, or you had the body of the seater crimper down too far and the crimp ledge shoved the neck down, which is more likely.

Run the seater stem all the way up and screw the die body down over a sized case. When it hits the crimp ledge and stops, back it back up one turn, set the lock ring, and then reset the seater stem.

 

[FROGO207]

I would do as Walkalong says and concentrate on getting a round that is good to shoot without a crimp first. Then if you think you need to try crimping the bullet in after you can make good ammo otherwise try it. I have found best accuracy when using neck tension only on rifle rounds and skipping the crimp. If you run that brass back through the sizer after pulling the bullet and dumping the propellant it should fit back into the chamber and you can use the method kingmt explained to blow the case back to the correct size.

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

Excessive neck tension form the wrong expander all (Too small) in your die, or you had the body of the seater crimper down too far and the crimp ledge shoved the neck down, which is more likely.

Run the seater stem all the way up and screw the die body down over a sized case. When it hits the crimp ledge and stops, back it back up one turn, set the lock ring, and then reset the seater stem.

^^^^That there. Definitely crimped the case. Inside of the neck shouldn't be more than .002" under bullet diameter.

 

[bikemutt]

I hadn't considered a seating problem, I was more thinking a sizing problem. Sigh, so much to learn. Thank you all.

 

[higgite]

When in the process did the neck assume its unusual shape? Sizing? Charging? Seating? Crimping? That's would be a clue.

 

[FROGO207]

Well heck we all had to learn in the beginning. Sometimes the problem is un-learning some bad habits.

 

[Bush Pilot]

Maybe you can get a gunsmith to custom chamber a rifle in whatever cartridge you made by accident, you already have the dies adjusted.

 

[WestKentucky]

You made a 6.5AI from the looks of it. You probably crimped too low. No big deal, it happens.

Never forget this:
Experience comes through time, knowledge comes through failure. Don't waste your time, and don't neglect a failure. You can easily do both at the same time.

 

[hdwhit]

bikemutt wrote:
Sigh, so much to learn. Thank you all.

Don't get discouraged. Even those of us who have been handloading for nearly four decades are still learning.

I would suggest that it would be a good time to go back and get out the instructions that came with your dies and start from scratch setting them up again.

Also, like kingmt suggested, use a factory round in setting up your dies. I set up my .223 Remington seating die using a factory round in 1979 and I haven't adjusted the seating stem since.

 

[barnbwt]

Crimping a bullet with no cannelure groove will do that; I found my sized Grendel brass gripped well enough a crimp was not needed. The steeper shoulder angle simply can't carry as much crimping-die load, as with 223 or 308.

 

[Rule3]

Once you figure it out, forget that piece of brass. Why bother trying to blow it (fire form) it back to normal?. Not worth it IMHO.

 

[LoonWulf]

Did that recently by mixing up which hornady 6.5 die was fkr the grendel and which was for the creedmoor....i.squished the case worse than that.

 

[Big7]

Without knowing when that happened. . .

I'd guess it happened during seating due to excessive neck tension or a really badly setup crimp die.

Or are you working on a wildcat. . . Sort of looks like a 6.5 Weatherby with that rounded shoulder junction.

It's the die. (maybe the wrong die) Set to deep. NO WAY to tension a neck that hard. It would crush the neck, NOT the shoulder.

Send me the die and a few cases. I'll work it out for you. NEVER shoot something like that!

No such thing as as a "stupid question", that's what we are here for.
I'll set your die, give you all the dimensions and you can work up a minimum load until you LEARN to work up.

Won't charge you a cent, just pay the shipping. PM me and I'll give you my address..

 

[Havok7416]

If he sends you the die and brass how is he supposed to learn for himself?

I'm going to echo what others have said and say we have all made mistakes doing this stuff. Just learn from them and move forward.