6.5 Creedmoor stuck cases

H

Hellbilly1970

New member
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Location
Chilliwack BC
Hey all , I am having an issue with Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor brass
Sticking in my die while resizing ....

I have adjusted the dies as per Lyman instructions
I had spray lube and have bought the RCBS stuff that’s like super sticky oil

I was using once fired Hornady 143 ELD-X precision hunter factory brass
So I thought maybe it’s the brass

Bought new brass ... and same problem after once fired

Brand New Lyman dies .... is it a set up issue or lube issue
 
The Lyman dies I have had a rougher less polished inside finish that may be causing more drag when sizing.

That being said many new dies are coated with a dry anti-corrosion coating that "MUST" be removed before use.

Read your directions with your new dies and see what they tell you about cleaning.

I had a similar problem with a new Redding die and just sprayed it with WD40 and wipped it down with a rag, and it felt like I was sizing machine gun brass. I then read the directions and it said to clean the die with Hoppes bore solvent.

Bottom line, many new dies do not have a oil base anti-corrosive coating and have a plastic like coating on them that needs a stronger solvent to clean off the coating.

You can also use a snug fitting shotgun cleaning mop chucked in a drill to polish the die. Just put some J&B bore paste on the mop or automotive rubbing compound, automotive polishing compound, Mothers Mag polish etc and polish the inside of the die. This will smooth up the inside of the die and polish the die like the old days when they took more time making dies.

You can also take the die apart and toss the body of the die in a vibratory tumbler with abrasive coated walnut media and let it tumble overnight. I did this with dies I had not used since the 1970s that had some corrosion on them and they came out looking like brand new.
 
Try to find some Imperial sizing die wax. Hornady makes a similar product. I haven't gotten a stuck case since I switched about six years ago and still working on the same 2oz tin that cost me, $20? Loaded thousands and thousands of rounds
 
I did clean the die and gave it a quick swipe with a little lube
On a Qtip before using

I will inspect the finish on the die and I lube the case walls , never the shoulder

I ordered some Imperial Wax .... See if that makes the difference
 
I have to agree with todbartell Imperial sizing wax is my favourite, but as you said you are using Lyman dies I would grab a set of callipers and check your sizing die. It's not something that happens often but could be the die, I have the same issue with a set of RCBS, they took care of it in the end but you may want to check.
 
Don’t forget to lube the inside of the case mouth. I use the rcbs lube pad with the rcbs lube, give them a good roll on the pad and then push the case mouth into the pad too.
 
I guess you're cleaning the cases before you size them? If not you should be. I read somewhere that highly polished cases were more likely to stick due to more surface area contact, but that hasn't been my experience.
The ones that don't stick, are they coming out of the die scratched?
I had a problem with an RCBS die scratching necks. Some polishing as BigEd suggested cured it.
All I use externally is the cheap Lee sizing lube wiped on the body and neck with finger tips, just a thin film. The inside of the neck gets a wipe with RCBS case lube 2 on a Q-tip. I've had no issues with that combination, everyones preference and experience will be different.
Do you size the new cases before loading them? Some folks do, some don't.
My experience has been that most if not all stuck cases seize close to the head where the brass transitions from hollow with a thin wall to solid. If that area isn't getting lubed you'll have problems. I'm saying that because I don't know how much experience you have reloading bottle neck cases.
It's possible you have a bad die, either poorly finished or undersized. Have you loaded different brass with this die before?
Is the problem only with these Hornady cases?
 
Imperial sizing wax is good, used it for years. Imperial Bio-Green is fantastic, it hasn't been around that long but it's in a totally different league. It's like the die spits the cases out. I've had the ram come down so easy that I had to look to see if there was even a stupid case in the shell holder.

Some dies are rough inside. It sounds like you have one of them.
 
Polish your die with a bore mop chucked in a hand drill and use JB Bore paste or Flitz on the mop. If your lubing heavily and the die has chatter, it will bite and hold. Once polished, try something light like One Shot for lube.
 
I had a set of Lyman 260 dies, and with my rifles chamber, i could not resize no matter what i tried for lube - not sure if the dies were cut too tight, or my chamber too loose, but i changed brands (Forster) and no problems ever since.
I was convinced Lyman stamped 260 rem on the dies and they were reamed for something else - i literally couldn't get the case half way into the die, i should have measured them for ####s-and-giggles, but i just trashed them
 
Are you lubing inside the case neck? Because if you don't have some lube there you will get stuck cases. It doesn't take much lube inside the neck but need some or you will have problems.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom