Tight shell in RCBS press

T

tim3

Guest
Hi everyone....im very new to loading and really dont have any experienced people to help me so i thought i’d ask in a forum & google pointed here so anyway , im here.

These are 243 herters shells & look to be in great condition but they are getting what i feel is way too tight down low thus im getting heavy scratching (all very well lubed). Time to throw them out ?

shell.jpg
 
It looks like you`ve a bit of a loose chamber and the web of the case is getting a work out from expanding when fired and then knocked back down when sized. It is not a uncommon event with factory chambers and regular dies.

The die may be a bit dirty and grit is causing the scratches, if the die iroughht inside, you can polish it out with a tuff of 0000 steel wool on a bore brush turn at slow speed in a drill. Don`t remove any metal just polish if you try it.
 
Looking at the picture it's hard to tell if it's actually scratching or just that the cases were fired in a large chamber and the sizing die is working hard to squeeze the body of the case back into shape. What lube are you using too? Some lubes aren't as good as others. I've used Imperial Sizing Die Wax that's now sold by Redding for a long time for general sizing and forming cases with no complaints.

Is the inside of your die clean? If it's got dirt of grit inside it that will scratch the cases as well as scratching the inside of the die. Unscrew the decapping rod from the die body, and clean the inside of the die with a patch wet with bore cleaner, then dry patches, then inspect the inside of the die with a good light. There should be no scratches inside the die body. Also if you didn't clean the insides of the dies before you used them that could cause scratching.

Can you feel the scratches on the cases with your fingernail? If they're truly scratches you'll be able to feel them, if it's just burnishing from the cases being overly large and needing to be squeezed down you won't feel it with a fingernail run over the area.

If the cases are Herter's they're likely fairly old, I'd say 20 years old anyway. If they're in good shape and haven't been fired a bunch of times they're likely good to go.
 
Thank you for your replies.

They are actually scratches. I really dont know why but can see some dark stripes inside the dye. Yes the shells would be from the mid 70’s but in good cond.

Im using a light smear of silicon grease on the shell.

I tried again after i did as suggested & removed the pin & really cleaned it well with some brake cleaner...re-lubed it lightly.

How far down over the shell should the dye go ? All the way until you cant see the shell ?

Inside the dye..(photo below)


shell2.jpg
 
It looks to me like you have brass inside the die. Normally, we use case lube, not just anything that is handy, unless someone else has demonstrated that it is good for lubing cases. No one that I am aware of uses silicone grease to lube cases, it may not be suitable for that task. You need to get the brass out of the die before proceeding. The trick will be doing it without changing the die's interior dimensions, or finish. If you have a reloading manual, you need to read the basic instructions fro reloading that are generally in the front of all of them. If you do not, invest in one or two and do the reading. Manuals are a good way to learn the basics, and that is what you need. Good luck.
 
Tks Boyd. I soaked some sweets inside the die for a while & then got an old brass brush in there & got quite a lot of it out. Also i have some factory rounds & i fired 3 of those & then checked them in it...pretty well perfect. The brass i have is just had it i believe. Ive inherited a truck load of rifles & all the reloading gear so im slowly teaching myself. Ive got a few books but sometimes i just need to show a photo as i really probably cant explain what im trying to say. Thanks again.
 
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OK, just to be clear, there is some terminology here that may be confusing IMO. To clarify, there are two areas "down low" that are directly related to sizing. The case HEAD and the case WEB. The actual casehead is the area of the case that contains the primer pocket. It's essentially a disc of solid brass. It cannot be resized with normal reloading equipment. Once your casehead has expanded you cannot fix it.

Now the case WEB, where the bulge occurs, is where the thin brass starts. This area resizes easily. If your die fits properly, (most easily ascertained by measuring with a mic or even a caliper) this shouldn't be a problem.

My GUESS is that you're experiencing stickiness due to casehead expansion. Try taking the die out of the press and inserting one of the sticky cases butt first. If it hangs up within 1/4 inch you've got caseheads that have expanded to larger than your die. In this case you will have to move on to other brass.

hth

al
 
Now the case WEB, where the bulge occurs, is where the thin brass starts. This area resizes easily. If your die fits properly, (most easily ascertained by measuring with a mic or even a caliper) this shouldn't be a problem.
Click to expand...
I, and most of the people I know, don't use the term this way. The "web" is that portion of the brass that has the flash hole. That's why it's a "web," it goes between the sidewalls of the case. Except for the flash hole, it is solid -- thus the most solid portion of the case.

Looking at the picture, I don't think the "web" is the problem.
 
Silicone grease is generally not an extreme pressure lube. There are case lubes that are made for the purpose and there can be
quite a difference. I am very fond of imperial die wax, but will tell you this can get mighty thin and loose some properties in
hot weather. For Heavy sizing use something like RCBS case lube. On another note, old brass such as Herters 20 years old ,can develope
age cracking which will show up as splits in the neck area. Annealing may prolong this, though without knowing the history of these
cases, you might be well advised to start with fresh cases
 
Bob Kingsbury said:
Silicone grease is generally not an extreme pressure lube. There are case lubes that are made for the purpose and there can be
quite a difference.
Click to expand...

Tks...i went & bought some Hornady case lube this morning. Everything i learn is another box ticked so im getting there.
 
OK tim3, let me try it another way :)

When you hang the sticky cases in your caliper jaws after resizing, where's the pivot? Where do they hang? Is the body of the resized case still several thousandths fatter than the casehead?

There ain't a lubricant on God's earth that will account for swelled caseheads.

al
 
Using some simple math, the expansion line is approx .300 above the case head, given a .243 case. This hardly shows
case head expansion , whereby the brushed finish left by the die would be much closer to the case head. just my opinion
 
I have had this same problem before. I have my grand fathers model 99 300 savage that has a horribly loose chamber. Is funntions flawlessly but resizing the brass can take 3 men and a boy and after just a few firings it looks like yours. Also compounding your problem is the older brass you are using its age has probably hardend it so the die has to work that much harder to size it down again. All this pressure to size is also proably causing the brass deposits in your die. With my rifle i have started neck sizing the brass for most reloadings only full lenghth sizing when it starts to chamber hard in the rifle. Lee makes an inexspensive neck sizing die that works very well and youll be supprised how little effork it takes to size the brass with it.

hope this helps
Will
 
williev18 said:
I have had this same problem before. I have my grand fathers model 99 300 savage that has a horribly loose chamber. Is funntions flawlessly but resizing the brass can take 3 men and a boy and after just a few firings it looks like yours. Also compounding your problem is the older brass you are using its age has probably hardend it so the die has to work that much harder to size it down again. All this pressure to size is also proably causing the brass deposits in your die. With my rifle i have started neck sizing the brass for most reloadings only full lenghth sizing when it starts to chamber hard in the rifle. Lee makes an inexspensive neck sizing die that works very well and youll be supprised how little effork it takes to size the brass with it.

hope this helps
Will
Click to expand...

Thanks Will...yep it appears as if it was the brass and as mentioned earlier, the brass build up inside the die. Ive done a pretty severe cull and bought some case lube & a good quality set of digital verniers.
 
alinwa said:
OK tim3, let me try it another way :)

When you hang the sticky cases in your caliper jaws after resizing, where's the pivot? Where do they hang? Is the body of the resized case still several thousandths fatter than the casehead?

There ain't a lubricant on God's earth that will account for swelled caseheads.

al
Click to expand...

Yep. My real problem was inexperience to see the brass was at end of life. All sorted now though. Thank you.
 
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