Sizing Question

Ducimus

Ducimus

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The rifle is my Stevens 22-250. An empty twice fired case fits into the chamber fine. After FL sizing it is very difficult to close the bolt on the same piece of brass.

I've tried turning in the die 1/8, 1/4 and not turning it in at all...same problem. I've even tried backing the die out and they still are still tight. I have some factory ammo on hand that chamber just fine. I've tried trimming the brass back to length and that doesn't solve the problem.

When I fired these rounds I did notice some heavy bolt lift on 2 rounds out of about 20 fired.

I'm using an Lee die and Lee shell holder.
 
Is it possible that the expander ball is pulling the shoulder foreward? Are lubing the inside of the neck so that the case can be withdrawn easily?
 
tiriaq said:
Is it possible that the expander ball is pulling the shoulder foreward? Are lubing the inside of the neck so that the case can be withdrawn easily?
Click to expand...

good point. is it squeeking when you remove the shell from the die? and bump for the lube question
 
I just ran another one through...tried to put a little extra lube on the inside of the neck...still the same problem....very tight to close the bolt. And no squeeking when removing the case from the die...just the usual sizing noise.

Problem with the die? But I've used it before without an issue :confused:
 
Ducimus said:
The rifle is my Stevens 22-250. An empty twice fired case fits into the chamber fine. After FL sizing it is very difficult to close the bolt on the same piece of brass.
Click to expand...

Get a neck sizing die and resize only the case necks. Your brass will last longer, stretch less, and you will have fewer problems like you're having now.I only neck size for all my bolt actions any more.
 
savage112 said:
Get a neck sizing die and resize only the case necks. Your brass will last longer, stretch less, and you will have fewer problems like you're having now.I only neck size for all my bolt actions any more.
Click to expand...

I have a neck sizer and they have been fine with that. I have the FL sizer because need to bump back the shoulders from time to time right ?
 
Are you trimming to length after F/L sizing? If your die is stretching the case (which it will) you may be over max length. I always trim to minimum length and have never had a problem with stretching beyond when neck sizing even if reloaded 10 times. But I also don't load to max pressures either.
 
Could the expander ball be too large for minimum chamber? Some rifles have dimensions that are on the small side of normal and it could be yours might be small in the neck section. I had a Rem 788 with this problem and had to turn the necks to get a good fit.
 
Expander is too big or the brass is too thick at the neck would be my first thoughts. Wouldn't have thought that you would have that much brass flow into the neck after only 2 firings though.
 
I wonder why it is that most problems, like those listed above, are so often happening with Lee dies?
 
vagrantviking said:
Expander is too big or the brass is too thick at the neck would be my first thoughts. Wouldn't have thought that you would have that much brass flow into the neck after only 2 firings though.
Click to expand...

So I should look into buying a neck turning tool or perhaps going with more quality brass like Lapua (using Winchester now)......that sucks....seems like a lot of work or cost to shoot a Stevens :( ....I'm not going back to factory now though!
 
H4831 said:
I wonder why it is that most problems, like those listed above, are so often happening with Lee dies?
Click to expand...

My seater and neck die are RCBS and the FL is Lee, yes mix matched...long story. I should maybe pick an RCBS FL and see if that helps.
 
The only time I used this particular FL die was when the brass was new and I ran them through to get them uniform (yes I know there are different schools of thought in that). This was the first time I've used that die on fired brass so...:confused:
 
Ducimus said:
I have a neck sizer and they have been fine with that. I have the FL sizer because need to bump back the shoulders from time to time right ?
Click to expand...

I don't understand this need to bump the shoulders back from time to time. The cases will be fireformed to the rifles chamber each time you shoot them.Thus the need to neck size them only if you are shooting them in the same gun each time.I had the same problems as you with my Stevens .223 until I started to neck size only,now I don't have any problems at all. All I do now is trim the cases very occasionally.
 
i had a similar problem. try cleaning your dies out with Varsol or some kind of corrosive cleaner. it may not help, but it wont hurt and it costs next to nothing.
 
Hmm - Why are you turning the die outward? If its not sizing sufficiently, you should be turning the die inward. The Lee instructions say 1/4 to 1/3 turn after contacting the shellholder. Why dont you try 1/3 of a turn? If that doesnt work, try incrementally more...
 
cosmic said:
Hmm - Why are you turning the die outward? If its not sizing sufficiently, you should be turning the die inward. The Lee instructions say 1/4 to 1/3 turn after contacting the shellholder. Why dont you try 1/3 of a turn? If that doesnt work, try incrementally more...
Click to expand...

The more inward I turn it the worst the problem gets. If I back off it chambers. I ordered a Sinclair Bump Gage Insert for my comparator body, that why I can start doing things more scientifically.
 
Ducimus ........

All you need to do is use a FL resizing die "accurately". You can resize your case neck and body and bump the shoulder in one operation (with the case aligned in the same die). For best results, bump the shoulder back so that it provides -.001 to -.002" clearance (at the shoulder) in YOUR particular chamber.

I designed the Digital Headspace Gauge to zero (calibrate) on one of your fired cases. Then just measure the first one of your handloads to see which way (and how far) to bump the shoulder. Then you can set your die height perfectly - without guessing. Check it out on our website.

- Innovative
 
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