First batch reloading .30 carbine. TroubleShooting. Need wisdom.

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SamLalib

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Hello good folks. So i am pretty happy at the results that i got from reloading 100+ rounds of 30.carbine. But from this i encountered a few problems that i wish to pick you brains with and get feed back. I am new to reloading and this was the first try at it.

Equipment i am using:

I am using a LNL progressive press with no add on.
For Dies i am using Hornady .30 carbine 3 set dies (http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=hornady+.30+carbine+dies&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&sa=N&tbo=d&rls=en&biw=2512&bih=1212&tbm=isch&tbnid=crplAV7tOhhyTM:&imgrefurl=http://www.opticsplanet.com/hornady-3-die-set.html&docid=UkTZH5g-2OfKgM&imgurl=http://images1.opticsplanet.com/365-240-ffffff/opplanet-hornady-3-die-set-30-m1-carbine-308-diameter-546503.jpg&w=365&h=240&ei=VJ0AUaqJC9Py2gXeooHICQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=4&vpy=186&dur=4138&hovh=182&hovw=277&tx=162&ty=68&sig=115908635003643948254&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=216&start=0&ndsp=102&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:84)

Problem's:

1-After lubing once fired casing and running them trough the sizing/de-primming die, the casings seem to have a really hard time and sometimes jam pretty bad. Enough that i abandoned trying to re-size fired casings and simply used unfired factory brass. I dont think the hornady dies are carbide and wouldint know how to tell, but from what i have been reading online, this would make it easier. Would carbide dies solve my problem.

2-I was checking the weight of each casing after going trough the case activated powder drop and realized that there was a variation of sometimes more then 2 g. I was trying to keep it in between 14-15g but it varied so much that i had to start over many times for many casings. Is my case activated powder drop broken, or do i have it really badly adjusted for it to vary so much? (I am sure it is not my scale since i double checked with 2 of them)

3-The last one is more of a noob question in regards to resizing casings. Should i resize casings even though they have only been fired once? I figure that the answer is yes, and that if so, what equipment is recommended for fast and easy sizing.

Thank you very much for any help.

Cheers

sam
 
something must be wrong as a 30 carbine is a very small case and does not require much effort to resize. Also yes you should resize. If I had to guess I would think one of two things.

Your sizing dies is not set properly or if that is not the case then asuming you are using the right sizing dies there is something wrong with it. I load 30 carbine all the time and it takes almost no effort on my press to resize fired brass.

Did I read your post correctly that you are weighting the total case after you have reloaded them?

Graydog
 
I think only some/all of the pistol dies are carbide. They call it titanium nitrade. Of the 4 sets I have I have only the pistol dies are that type. But the rifle ones I have are only 2 die sets. I looked on the Hornady site and I don't see the titanium nitrade under 30 carbine. I agree with Greydog, it shouldn;t be that hard to resize. Have you got the spindle set way to low, maybe?
Clint
I found out the rifle dies werent' carbide the hard way. Now have a stuck case puller
 
SamLalib said:
Hey Graydog, yes that is what i do, but i subtract the weight of the brass and primer.
Click to expand...

You can not do it that way as the cases will not be the same. If you are using case lube on your cases then it must be that you have the sizing dies screwed to far into the press.

Graydog
 
Is your Hornady sizing die a carbide die?
What type of case lube are you using?
Is this your first time loading?

New casings will be smaller at that time then any other time in their service life, they get bigger when fired and when full length sized never get as small again as when they were new, so they are easier to run through dies. New .308 Win brass in my RCBS dies doesnt need lube since they don't touch the die other then the neck and expander.

I would not use case weight as an indicator of weather the case is charged properly or not unless you weighed all your bullets and brass first and made sure they were all the same. Brass and bullets will very so even if powder charge is dead on the complete rounds can have differing weights.
 
Do not check powder charge by weighing the whole case-primer-powder combination. Dump the powder charge into your brass powder pan and weigh it.
I've never weighed .30 carb cases but .38 sp cases can very by as much as 5 grains from case to case. weigh some of your cases individualy and you will soon see where your problem is.

The re-sizing problem is probably one of three reasons, the first two have already been discussed-dies with manufacturing defect or you need to lube better. The third, and most unlikly, but still a possibility is that the chamber they were fired in has been streched,bulged, or changed in some manner that is allowing the brass to become grossly enlarged at some place and it takes an inordinant amount of pressure to size them.
Were they fired in a carbine or a revolver. Usually a case that has been over-size during firing is easy to spot. If you have a set of calipers, measure a few of your cases at a few different spots and compare measurements with the figures given in most re-loading manuals
 
One more thing to check out is can you resize the ones you loaded and fired or is it the same thing? I would think even if your gun has an oversized chamber you still should be able to resize them with little effort as it is such a small case.

How are you lubing the cases before you resize them and what kind of lube are you using?

Graydog
 
I am using a new auto ordinance m1 carbine. So i doubt that its a oversized chamber. I hope this is not it.

From what i am reading, i am sure now that my problem for the weight of the powder was how i was proceeding with the hole deal. I took a few rounds apart and weighted the powder separately. They are in tolerance and pretty close to each other.

I was using one shot lube from hornady. Maybe i am not putting enough? Is there any better lube?

I have also ordered the lee carbide resizing die and will give those a try.

Thank you all of the help.
 
you shouldn't be lubing a straight walled case when sizing, especially with a carbide die.

Also grains and grams are very different and your average case can easily vary in weight by a couple grains easily. Weigh the powder charge not the powder + brass.
 
Carbide dies are supposed to not require lube. So they say. Personally, I think it's just a matter of reducing wear on the dies, but I've been wrong before.

I'm assuming that you have positively checked that the dies are for the .30 Carbine and that you have taken them apart to ensure there's no crud stuck inside. (Such things happen.) I'm also assuming (forgive me, no personal slight intended) that you're using the sizing die first and that it's properly installed in your press.

If you are getting cases stuck in a sizing die, then (unless there's something seriously wrong with the die), you need lube. That's what they make it for.

The .30 Carbine is a teeny-weeny thing and I find it hard to imagine a chamber so oversize that stretched cases could be giving you problems. People full-length resize .303 British fired in wartime-production rifles with grossly oversize chambers and have no problems with extraction from the die. (OK, there are problems with case longevity, but that's not the issue at hand.) My point is that difficulty from an overly-stretched case would likely be seen on the upstroke, not the downstroke.

I might suggest that you try a small tin of Imperial Sizing Die wax. It's less than $10 and you literally only need to tap your finger lightly on the wax (it's like a small shoe polish tin) and then roll the case between that finger and your thumb. I've had cases stuck with another lube type, but never with Imperial.

I might also suggest that you resize some after taking out the depriming pin. That would narrow down the problem somewhat.

If you are still getting stuck cases, then IMHO you almost certainly have a die problem and should contact Hornady. They have a pretty good reputation for customer service.
 
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