Anyone loading 5.7x28? Having an issue....

[Iron Sighted]

I had heard of this issue before I ever attempted to start reloading for this cartridge, but I haven't heard of an easy fix for it yet, hoping someone here may be able to help me out.

I bought a few hundred once fired cases and I'm having trouble resizing them. It seems that the cases have stretched enough from firing in whatever semi-auto platform they were shot out of that in order for me to bump the shoulder back enough to get the case to drop in to my Sheridan slotted case gauge I end up basically folding the rim on the case and ruining it(and also making it a P.I.T.A. to get out of the shellholder).

I have used pretty liberal amounts of case lube(homemade lanolin and isopropyl) and tried to gently re-size by partially running the case in to the die until the resistance gets pretty firm, then backing it out, rotating the case a little, relubing it, and running it back in a bit further and repeating this process a few times. Even so, the last little bit of the ram stroke is always super stiff and I end up crushing the rim on the case when driving it far enough it to the die to bump the shoulder back to spec.

I'm thinking about perhaps trying to anneal the neck and a bit lower down on to the shoulder to see if softening the brass a bit may help, but not entirely sure how wise it is to anneal below the case neck?

For what it's worth, I'm using a Lee 2 die set and shell holder. The firearm I plan to use them in is a single shot bolt action(Dark Mountain Arms Stowaway once Marstar gets them imported) so I don't foresee this case stretching being an issue again once I manage to get them sized. I figure worst case I can just buy 100-200 factory rounds and shoot them out of the gun once I get it and I should be fine, but I'd prefer to find a way to make these cases I already have work.

 

[everydayshooter]

So I have a Ruger 5.7 and reloaded some of the brass. I had to trim the neck and bump the shoulder back but never folded it. It rubbed off all the factory wax on the shoulder but it cycled fine for me. I used Hornady unique lube and coated everything before resizing. From my understanding the brass is pretty fragile so I worked the brass slow. Have you tried dropping a slightly resized case in the rifle to see if it will seat?

 

[Iron Sighted]

So I have a Ruger 5.7 and reloaded some of the brass. I had to trim the neck and bump the shoulder back but never folded it. It rubbed off all the factory wax on the shoulder but it cycled fine for me. I used Hornady unique lube and coated everything before resizing. From my understanding the brass is pretty fragile so I worked the brass slow. Have you tried dropping a slightly resized case in the rifle to see if it will seat?

I don't have the rifle yet, they are still in the process of importing them, should be in country within a month, I just thought I'd get started reloading for it in advance. The case gauge is cut to SAAMI spec and the cases are definitely a bit long due to not being able to properly bump back the shoulder.

 

[358Rooster]

A bit out on a limb here, as I have no experience with the cartridge and I don't know exactly how your sizing die is constructed, but have you tried removing the decapping stem assembly out of the die? Maybe your cases are long enough that the decapping assembly cap / plug / screw / whatever is interfering and resulting in the crunched case.

Or.... the die is a neck sizing die and not a full length die? Maybe?

I know these may be shots in the dark, but aside from the usual suspects like a clean die in good condition, proper lube and proper amount of lube (too much is also troublesome), etc, I can't think of much else.

Annealing definitely may help, but I would ensure the points above are verified first.

Rooster

 

[Thunderhog]

Well you made me smile, thanks for that!.....

If a guy reads your story slowly, it sounds like a p-orn novel. Especially your third paragraph. LOL

You would be better off to buy a 22 Hornet, or even a 22 K-Hornet. In my opinion.

The 5.7 X 28 is one of the worst if not the worst cartridge to reload. Resizing is a nightmare, which you have found out, it requires a special lube on the completed load round to feed and eject properly.

Brass is expensive, extremely finicky to reload and factory ammunition is close to $1.20 per round or $60.00 per box of 50 rounds.

I have researched this 5.7 X 28 round extensively and it is a pain in the @ss to reload.......

I'm sorry my comments do not help your issue, but do yourself a favor and get rid of the 5.7 X 28 idea. Unless you can afford to buy the expensive factory ammo and then maybe sell the once fired brass to recoup some of your costs.

Thanks again for the awesome p-orn story......

 

[Suther]

The 5.7 X 28 is one of the worst if not the worst cartridge to reload. Resizing is a nightmare, which you have found out, it requires a special lube on the completed load round to feed and eject properly.

I wonder if that lube is still necessary on manually operated firearms like the OPs single shot bolt action.

 

[Thunderhog]

I wonder if that lube is still necessary on manually operated firearms like the OPs single shot bolt action.

That's a great question Suther! All I know is from the research I have done and the friends I have who shoot this little round.

Extraction is the name of the game, so my guess is, depending on the chamber of that bolt gun, it still could be difficult to extract the fired brass without the factory lube ammo manufactures put on this 5.7 X 28 caliber.

Way too finicky for my liking........

 

[Iron Sighted]

Well you made me smile, thanks for that!.....

If a guy reads your story slowly, it sounds like a p-orn novel. Especially your third paragraph. LOL

You would be better off to buy a 22 Hornet, or even a 22 K-Hornet. In my opinion.

The 5.7 X 28 is one of the worst if not the worst cartridge to reload. Resizing is a nightmare, which you have found out, it requires a special lube on the completed load round to feed and eject properly.

Brass is expensive, extremely finicky to reload and factory ammunition is close to $1.20 per round or $60.00 per box of 50 rounds.

I have researched this 5.7 X 28 round extensively and it is a pain in the @ss to reload.......

I'm sorry my comments do not help your issue, but do yourself a favor and get rid of the 5.7 X 28 idea. Unless you can afford to buy the expensive factory ammo and then maybe sell the once fired brass to recoup some of your costs.

Thanks again for the awesome p-orn story......

Hahaha, I'm glad I made you laugh, after seeing your reply and then re-reading my thread I chuckled a bit myself, guess I may have a future as a soft #### novelist.

As for the 5.7x28 resizing difficulties, I don't see that being an issue for cases fired from a bolt action rifle, the cases seem to get messed up because the extraction process starts while there is still some pressure present on the case which stretches them as they are torn out of most semi-auto platforms the cartridge is available in. That varnish like coating that helps the round feed also seems like it would be a non-factor in a bolt action.

 

[Iron Sighted]

A bit out on a limb here, as I have no experience with the cartridge and I don't know exactly how your sizing die is constructed, but have you tried removing the decapping stem assembly out of the die? Maybe your cases are long enough that the decapping assembly cap / plug / screw / whatever is interfering and resulting in the crunched case.

Or.... the die is a neck sizing die and not a full length die? Maybe?

I know these may be shots in the dark, but aside from the usual suspects like a clean die in good condition, proper lube and proper amount of lube (too much is also troublesome), etc, I can't think of much else.

Annealing definitely may help, but I would ensure the points above are verified first.

Rooster

Thanks, I plan to have a look at the stem and see if the expanding ball is rough and polish it if needed, same for the die body.
It's definitely a full length sizing die.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

If you want a short 22 centre fire, look at 221 Fireball. Its a great little round and very easy to reload.

5.7x28 makes zero sense in any firearm other than the pistols and PDWs built for it.

Most likely the cause of your sizing problems is the home made lube. Get something proper and try it again.

 

[Suther]

If you want a short 22 centre fire, look at 221 Fireball. Its a great little round and very easy to reload.

5.7x28 makes zero sense in any firearm other than the pistols and PDWs built for it.

Most likely the cause of your sizing problems is the home made lube. Get something proper and try it again.

Whos making a 3lb 221 fireball for like $600? Because that sounds even better!

I hope the OP can get it figured out, those rifles have piqued my interest but if it's that hard to reload 5.7 then maybe not.

 

[Iron Sighted]

If you want a short 22 centre fire, look at 221 Fireball. Its a great little round and very easy to reload.

5.7x28 makes zero sense in any firearm other than the pistols and PDWs built for it.

Most likely the cause of your sizing problems is the home made lube. Get something proper and try it again.

5.7x28 should make a fine small game and plinking cartridge which is exactly what I want it for, I don't plan on varminting with it.

The homemade lube I really don't think is the problem, it works better than all the other ones I have purchased in the past on all the other cartridges I load for.

 

[everydayshooter]

Well you made me smile, thanks for that!.....

If a guy reads your story slowly, it sounds like a p-orn novel. Especially your third paragraph. LOL

You would be better off to buy a 22 Hornet, or even a 22 K-Hornet. In my opinion.

The 5.7 X 28 is one of the worst if not the worst cartridge to reload. Resizing is a nightmare, which you have found out, it requires a special lube on the completed load round to feed and eject properly.

Brass is expensive, extremely finicky to reload and factory ammunition is close to $1.20 per round or $60.00 per box of 50 rounds.

I have researched this 5.7 X 28 round extensively and it is a pain in the @ss to reload.......

I'm sorry my comments do not help your issue, but do yourself a favor and get rid of the 5.7 X 28 idea. Unless you can afford to buy the expensive factory ammo and then maybe sell the once fired brass to recoup some of your costs.

Thanks again for the awesome p-orn story......

Ya the brass is a delicate b**ch. The research I saw even said you won’t get many reloads out of it due to how thin the brass is. My Ruger 57 f**king tosses the brass at Mach 10 so they get dented pretty bad. The round would be a lot more fun if it wasn’t for the dumb brass. On the positive note, last time I was at the range someone threw out 3 boxes of brass so now I’m stocked up.

 

[Thunderhog]

Ya the brass is a delicate b**ch. The research I saw even said you won’t get many reloads out of it due to how thin the brass is. My Ruger 57 f**king tosses the brass at Mach 10 so they get dented pretty bad. The round would be a lot more fun if it wasn’t for the dumb brass. On the positive note, last time I was at the range someone threw out 3 boxes of brass so now I’m stocked up.

I love how uneducated people (in reloading experience), like to toss out expensive and valuable once fired brass. I sometimes find it placed back in their original boxes and nicely placed in the range garbage bin, how cool is this for the finder.......

I have found some odd-ball calibers nice and neat in their original packaging and sold them here on Gunnutz and Gun-Post, go figure.

 

[Iron Sighted]

Thought I'd add an update to my first post here. Believe I have this issue resolved, I pulled out the decapping/resizing stem and just ran the cases in to the die body, this bumped the shoulder back pretty easily without putting undue stress on the case rims. I then put the stem back in and ran them through a second time to resize the case neck and mouth, no issue. Seems the added friction/resistance of bumping the shoulder back at the same time as resizing the neck/mouth was too much stress on the rim.

I'm going to use my dremel with some polishing compound to polish up the expander ball and see if that allows me to resize in just one step as that is certainly preferable. Even if it doesn't, at least I now have a viable path forward, albeit at the cost of having to add another step to the resizing process.

 

[mactroneng]

I love how uneducated people (in reloading experience), like to toss out expensive and valuable once fired brass. I sometimes find it placed back in their original boxes and nicely placed in the range garbage bin, how cool is this for the finder.......

I have found some odd-ball calibers nice and neat in their original packaging and sold them here on Gunnutz and Gun-Post, go figure.

Someone at my range has been shooting a lot of brass cased 7.63x39 and 7.62x54r... Now those aren't particularly rare rounds but the price has climbed significantly recently and it's been almost entirely steel cases for the past decade, finding all the brass cases has been pretty nice.

Now I need to slug a barrel to get the right bullet diameter...

 

[Thunderhog]

Thought I'd add an update to my first post here. Believe I have this issue resolved, I pulled out the decapping/resizing stem and just ran the cases in to the die body, this bumped the shoulder back pretty easily without putting undue stress on the case rims. I then put the stem back in and ran them through a second time to resize the case neck and mouth, no issue. Seems the added friction/resistance of bumping the shoulder back at the same time as resizing the neck/mouth was too much stress on the rim.

I'm going to use my dremel with some polishing compound to polish up the expander ball and see if that allows me to resize in just one step as that is certainly preferable. Even if it doesn't, at least I now have a viable path forward, albeit at the cost of having to add another step to the resizing process.

Great work mactroneng!......

 

[Thunderhog]

Thought I'd add an update to my first post here. Believe I have this issue resolved, I pulled out the decapping/resizing stem and just ran the cases in to the die body, this bumped the shoulder back pretty easily without putting undue stress on the case rims. I then put the stem back in and ran them through a second time to resize the case neck and mouth, no issue. Seems the added friction/resistance of bumping the shoulder back at the same time as resizing the neck/mouth was too much stress on the rim.

I'm going to use my dremel with some polishing compound to polish up the expander ball and see if that allows me to resize in just one step as that is certainly preferable. Even if it doesn't, at least I now have a viable path forward, albeit at the cost of having to add another step to the resizing process.

Glad you figured it out, well done!.....

 

[Iron Sighted]

Glad you figured it out, well done!.....

Yeah, I haven't polished the die up yet to see if that fully resolves the issue but may do that this afternoon.

 

[Suther]

Nice to hear OP found a solution. Makes the cartridge more appealing. You shouldn't have to bump the shoulder as much to put them back into the same rifle they're coming out of, so you might only need to go through that extra step the first time.


Not allowed to take other people's brass out the bucket at my range. It gets sorted and sold to fund our youth programs.