New to reloading

FraserJ20

FraserJ20

Regular
Rating - 100%
29   0   0
Location
Edmonton
Hey, I am a young guy that has just started to get into reloading and I don't reallly have alot of help because no one I know does it. I have mostly figured out the basics and have come up with some .45 acp rounds that function great but I am have trouble with my .308 reloading. The rounds I make do not want to chamber. I have tried adjusting the seating depth but I assume the cases must need trimming ( I thought they only needed it after a few reloads). What is the cheapest way to trim cases?

Also, maybe I can avoid that by sizing only the neck, how is this done with hornady dies?


thank you
 
Im also new to reloading so don't take my word for it, but....

If your looking for a cheap case trimmer, the LEE CASE TRIMMER might do the job, You will also need to order the case lenght gauge and shell holder for the approriate cartridge. both can be had for about 10$.
 
FraserJ20 said:
The rounds I make do not want to chamber. I have tried adjusting the seating depth but I assume the cases must need trimming ( I thought they only needed it after a few reloads). What is the cheapest way to trim cases?

Also, maybe I can avoid that by sizing only the neck, how is this done with hornady dies?
Click to expand...
Can you provide more info on 'do not want to chamber'?

Either your cases are too long or are within spec. No assumptions.
 
too much crimp could compress or expand the base of the case. That might be enough to stop it chambering. Also try the exchange forum for a Lyman case trimmer
 
I live in west edmonton. It seems like the cases are too long because I have already done a full length resize and when compared to factory are longer but, they are less then a 1 mm different. Is that enough to stop a round from chambering if it is a tight chamber? Perhaps I am crimping too hard

jay
 
If you're having a problem chambering F/L sized reloads, neck sized will be worse. Were these cases fired in your gun before the resize? did they chamber well when new?(as in factory ammo). If you answer yes to both of these questions, your dies are hooped. All this is assuming that you set up your dies exactly as the manufacturer instructed you to. Lee trimmers work great and are cheap BTW.
 
I did answer yes to both.
How often do cases need trimming?
I will try another few rounds following the instructions very carefully, I hope my dies aren't hooped.


jay
 
I trim very sparingly as it reduces case life if over done. If after firng your original load, did the spent case extract and eject easily? If so and you have some spent cases that have not been resized, try chambering them, if they go in easy as is but then real tight after sizing, you have a die problem. If they chamber easily after resizing but get sticky with a bullet added, the seating depth may be incorrect. A set of calipers would be invaluable here. Don't rush this, you may be over looking something small that could damage your firearm or yourself.
 
looking at one of my cases compare to a factory round, it looks like the shoulder is about 1/2mm longer on the resized brass. Would that be enough to do it?
 
FraserJ20 said:
looking at one of my cases compare to a factory round, it looks like the shoulder is about 1/2mm longer on the resized brass. Would that be enough to do it?
Click to expand...
If the shoulder is longer on the resized case, it sounds like your die is not set up for proper F/L resizing.

(E) :cool:
 
Another possible cause:
Excessive crimping, crimpoing a too-long case or attempting to crimp into a bullet without a cannelure can cause the case to buckle. The shoulder collapses outward, creating a flared shoulder. You can usually feel the flare if you run a finger the length of the case.
 
FraserJ20 said:
when compared to factory are longer but, they are less then a 1 mm different.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you're guessing. Guessing and reloading don't go together. At least not for long.

Buy a cheap set of calipers and measure the case length, then compare that to what the loading manual says. Then you'll know if it is the case length, and you trim. If it isn't the case length, then you've eliminated one thing and can look at others.
 
Unless you're shooting a semi auto .308 why crimp at all? I never crimp bullets for any of my bolt or lever .308's. Too easy to overdo it and slightly bulge the shoulder of the case, which might be your problem. You should also be measuring case length, after re-sizing. either use a calipers as suggested above or use the Lee case trimmer. Lee uses a stem that fits inside and goes into the flash hole. It bottoms out on the shell holder. If it cuts, the cases are on the long side and can be shorter. The Lee sytem will not over-shorten a case, so no worries there.
 
Resize a fired case. Make sure ram goes all the way to the top and just touches the resizing die. Try resized case in your rifle. It should chamber easily. Next make a dummy round. Seat a bullet, make sure your seating die is not turned in too much to crimp your case. Use the seating stem to adjust bullet depth. A caliper would be good to check length. Round should chamber ok. Unless using auto you don't need a crimp. If you want a crimp try a lee crimp die. If above doesnt work try to find someone to help you it not good to play with fire.
 
"...why crimp at all?..." Ditto, but you don't absolutely need to crimp for a semi-auto either. Crimping is really only needed for heavy recoiling rifle cartridges.
Check the case length with a vernier calipre. Go buy a case trimmer and trim to the 'trim to' length given in your manual. You'll need a chamfering tool as well. You'll have to deburr and chamfer the inside of the case mouth after trimming. Forget mm's too. Most reloading equipment is U.S. made and they don't use the metric system. In any case, 1mm won't matter unless the case is at or near the max case length.
Neck sizing only won't help if the cases are too long. However, to do it you adjust the sizing die so only the neck is resized.
 
The Lee Factory crimp closes around the neck to crimp,other seater dies force the case into a cone to crimp. Maybe seater die is set too deep buckling the case. I have seen that with RCBS seater die and Weatherby cases. Maybe, check the instructions for seating die,again.
 
You're not bumping the shoulder back far enough. Screw the sizing down a touch more and make sure that you run the press through it's FULL length of travel.

If you want to test this theorem, pull a bullet out of one of your current reloads - and try to chamber the case.
 
Come-on, doesn't anyone live in west Edmon-chuk? Go over to this fellow's house and straighten this out in about 10 minutes. This is one of those problems that is MUCH easier to solve in person.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom