Innovative
Regular
- Location
- Casselberry, Florida
Picture from an article on www.larrywillis.com
This is a sectioned 300 Win. Mag. case that was fired 4 times. You can easily see the thinned brass just above the belt. That's what happens if you allow your cases to stretch when they're fired. If you're going to get a headspace separation, this is where it will happen. The next firing would easily split this case wide open, and the shooter could get a blast of hot gas coming through the action.
The case bulge problem is a different issue, and it is made much worse when using a FL die that isn't adjusted accurately. (You can see why reloaded cases bulge in this area.)
This thinned brass makes case bulge easy to ocurr, and it happens during the reloading process - not when it's in your chamber. It's a bulge that you can't see without measuring. Ordinary calipers will show you the case diameter in this area. If you're not setting your FL die height accurately, then you're better off using a NK die.
NOTE: You should not be able to "feel" the round chamber, not even a little bit.
When using a NK die, an occassional shoulder bump needs to be done to ensure that your handloads will chamber. This proves that your cases are not all the same size, and that's why I prefer to make them all identicle by using a FL die that's adjusted to bump the shoulder - but never more than -.001 to -.002" at the most. Reloading tools and techniques have come a long way.
This is a sectioned 300 Win. Mag. case that was fired 4 times. You can easily see the thinned brass just above the belt. That's what happens if you allow your cases to stretch when they're fired. If you're going to get a headspace separation, this is where it will happen. The next firing would easily split this case wide open, and the shooter could get a blast of hot gas coming through the action.
The case bulge problem is a different issue, and it is made much worse when using a FL die that isn't adjusted accurately. (You can see why reloaded cases bulge in this area.)
This thinned brass makes case bulge easy to ocurr, and it happens during the reloading process - not when it's in your chamber. It's a bulge that you can't see without measuring. Ordinary calipers will show you the case diameter in this area. If you're not setting your FL die height accurately, then you're better off using a NK die.
NOTE: You should not be able to "feel" the round chamber, not even a little bit.
When using a NK die, an occassional shoulder bump needs to be done to ensure that your handloads will chamber. This proves that your cases are not all the same size, and that's why I prefer to make them all identicle by using a FL die that's adjusted to bump the shoulder - but never more than -.001 to -.002" at the most. Reloading tools and techniques have come a long way.
