Bullets Won't Seat....Neck Caved In

Zeb

Zeb

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I'm not new to reloading, have been using a Dillon 650 for pistol (9mm,.40 & .45) for the past 2 yrs. I thought I'd try my hand at using my dad's old Rockchucker for some .303 loads.

I got a supply of IVI .303 brass, some Sierra 125 gr Spitzer (.311 dia), and a couple of pounds of Varget.

My problem: When i try to seat a bullet, the neck gets pushed in. The neck of the brass doesn't seem to be expanded at all. I know there is a neck expander on the sizing die, but it doesn't seem to expand the neck at all. So when I set the bullet on the opening of the brass, it is not inserted into the brass at all.

It seems like either the bullet is too large for the neck ?????

Or there is too much friction inside the neck ???

I checked case length and all is good (2.222" or slightly less)

I used Lyman spray case lube to FL Size

When setting up the seating die, I screw it down untill it just touches the base plate, then back off 1/4 turn.

I have both RCBS & Lee dies. I get similar results on both.

When you seat, should you be able to insert, by hand, a bullet into the neck a little?

Am I missing a step (neck expanding)???

Do I need to use lube inside the neck to help the bullet slide in?
 
When I load my .303 If Iam not using a boat tail round my regular ones dont go into the case at all, They just get pushed in when I seat it, And Iam wondering, Maybe because your useing military brass the casing is thicker than a commercial one? and the brass doesnt expand enough for the bullet to seat and just crumples the neck? I dont know to be honest with you
 
You need to chamfer to inside of the case mouth, May as well do the outside while your at it.
Bullets will be much easier to seat.
 
backing off 1/4 turn might not be backed off enough

i use a dummy cartridge to set my seating die, doesnt really have anything to do with the base plate,
its screwed down until i can feel it hit the top of the cartridge and then back it off for no crimp
 
Zeb said:
When setting up the seating die, I screw it down untill it just touches the base plate, then back off 1/4 turn.
Click to expand...

I'll agree with others, that not the way to set up the seating die,

Place a sized case in the shell holder, raise ram to top of stroke.

Screw seating die down till it touches the shoulder of the case then back off 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn, Adjust seating stem for correct length oal.
 
You are crimping the neck past the point of failure. To set up the seater, run an empty case to the top of the ram travel, then thread the seating die down until you can feel contact with the neck, then back it off a quarter turn. Adjust the seating stem to seat the bullet to the desired depth in the neck. If you wish to crimp, do it as a separate step. Unlock the locking ring and raise the seating stem to the top of its travel, or remove it from the die. With the locking ring loose, run your loaded round to the top of the ram's travel, then thread the seating/crimping die down until it makes firm contact, finger tight, don't attempt to use a tool to turn the die down or force it beyond the point of refusal. Drop the ram and your will observe that your cartridge is properly crimped. Back off the die a couple of turns and repeat for each subsequent round. This is the method of crimping that produces the most uniform results in my experience.
 
With the .303, I chamfer case necks outside and inside, lube the inside of the case neck and adjust the seater to seat the bullet, not to crimp it in and then push the whole front of the case backward into the case body, as you are doing.

And one VERY important point: make sure your .303 brass is the right length. Nothing stretches .303 brass so much as hot-rock loads in a 90-year-old rifle with a springy action. I keep my loads sane, by which I mean down around the 1910 Accuracy Test load (174 at 2250 ft/sec rather than the COMBAT load of 174 at 2240). Also, when loading for multiple rifles, FL size is okay if you must but try to segregate the brass as it comes out and load discretely for each rifle, even if the load is the same, thus neck-sizing only for each particular rifle.

As well, boat-tailed bullets are fine for Moisin-Nagants and Argentine, Belgian and Turkish Mausers. They also can perform wonders in a ROSS but, for anything with ENFIELD rifling, they are pretty much a waste of resources. ENFIELD rifling (5 lands and grooves, equal width, 1 turn in 10 inches, left-hand) lasts five-eighths of forever but it is ALWAYS very close to its best with FLAT-BASE bullets. BTW, read over the previous: this is the precise formula (except for right-hand twist) for the now-famous "5R" rifling which was just 'invented' recently. The British had it in 1896. That 5R performs so brilliantly with BT slugs is down to far better quality control than was possible 114 years ago. And it does last longer than any other rifling..... but it ALSO performs very well indeed with flat-base bullets. Try out a good P-14 or M-1917 or a Lee-Enfield with a really good barrel and give yourself a surprise!

As I have said, case stretch is often a function of a springy action:
Lee-Metfords stretch more than Lee-Enfields.
Lee-Enfields stretch more than SMLEs.
SMLEs stretch more than Number 4s.
Number 4s stretch more than P-14s.
P-14s stretch more than ROSSes.
ROSSes don't stretch brass if YOU do everything right. I have brass which has been through the same ROSS 15 times; it does not yet need trimming. Serious.

Happy .303 loading!
.
 
PileBuck said:
backing off 1/4 turn might not be backed off enough

i use a dummy cartridge to set my seating die, doesnt really have anything to do with the base plate,
its screwed down until i can feel it hit the top of the cartridge and then back it off for no crimp
Click to expand...

Yup. I guarantee it's not backed off enough - if I did that with my seating dies in rifle calibers I'd crush every single case.

Run the ram up fully, screw the seating die down until it contacts a case with NO PROJECTILE. Then screw it IN 1/4 turn and lock it. Seat a projectile, and adjust the stem for depth. Then move up or down for crimp, adjusting the stem for seating depth as necessary.

-M
 
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