Full length resizing issue.

[Jonesyatpl]

Hey there,

So, making the leap from loading pistol ammo to rifle. Piecing together all the required goods to do .308 on the Dillon. But as conversion kits aren't cheap, I am trying to make do with what I have. While waiting for July's fun money to come in, I decided to do some .308 brass prep.

I have a lee reloader 'breech lock' press I basically got for free. While small, I see some guys have used it on .308 brass with no difficulties. So I decided to full length resize and de-prime on that, then trim. Will do the seating/powder on the Dillon when the plate and tool head show up.

Problem is: I had the sizing / depriming tool mounted up. Lubed the brass. Piston won't push the case Past about 3/8" short of the base. I thought "tough primer", as it's LC 7.62 x 51 brass. Sent the pin further down, just to see if the primer came out. It popped out no issue. Re-set the pin to 3/16" below the base of the die. Still won't full-length resize. Stops about 3/8" short of the base. Ideas?

I realize I haven't tried using .308 win brass on this set up yet. But curious if there is a re-sizing issue for the thicker cased Mil surp brass? Open to suggestions, and realize I am probably missing something basic.

Jonesy

 

[Ganderite]

Is the decapper set out too far and bottoming inside the case? remove it and see what happens.

Check the press linkage. If a pin comes out a bit it can bind.

 

[Jonesyatpl]

Decapper set to specs, and without the brass, the press piston went right up to the top. (Hole in the center of the piston anyway, to drop the spent primer down a chute.)

Unfortunately I did not try it with .308 win before going on the road for a few days. But I will be trying to sort this one out long-distance hoping someone had a similar experience.

 

[bigedp51]

The vast majority of Lake City 7.62 ammunition is fired in machine guns with chambers .003 to .004 larger in diameter than a standard SAAMI .308 chamber.

I first use a universal depriming die on the "crimped" military primers and then wet tumble with SS media.

This machine gun brass has a lot of spring back after sizing so I use a two step process. First I size the case in a standard full length die and then size again in a small base die and pause for a few seconds at the top of the ram stroke. The pausing helps prevent brass spring back after sizing and helps keep the shoulder location more uniform. Military 7.62 cases are thicker and harder in the base and you should reduce your loads by two grains from book. Because these cases are thicker and harder your sizing force can seem extreme due to the machine guns larger diameter chamber. This is why I size in two steps and try not to dislocate my shoulder when sizing once using a small base die.

You may begin to hate machine gun brass and look for sellers who state "Not machine gun brass" meaning fired in M14 rifles or bolt action rifles with smaller diameter chambers.

Below is the best once fired 7.62 brass you can get "IF" you can find any for sale.

.308/7.62 - LC Long Range - Cleaned - 100 Pieces

These are once fired Lake City Long Range .308/7.62 NATO Military brass casings. These casings have been cleaned only. No other processing or loading has been done. These casings are bolt fired and have Lake City Long Range headstamps. (sniper ammunition)

http://www.brassbombers.com/308-762-LC-Long-Range-Cleaned-100-Pieces-7LR-CSP10.htm

Bottom line, I bought 500 once fired Lake City 7.62 cases and I will not buy any more "machine gun" brass again.

 

[Ganderite]

]Decapper set to specs, and without the brass, the press piston went right up to the top. (Hole in the center of the piston anyway, to drop the spent primer down a chute.)

The solid brass web of a case varies from brand to brand, with military often being the thickest (highest) If the shaft of the decapper hits the bottom of the case, you won't get a full length size. So take the decapper rod out and try sizing. If you get a full size, you know it is the dacapper.

On one of my pressed one of the cross pins in the linkage will move out and hit the press body, and get a result similar to what you say. On another press, the handle hit a washer from one of the mounting bolts, and stopped the ram.