Resizing Problem

ccwcanada

ccwcanada

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I'm trying to re-size once fired .223 Winchester brass.
Using a new Hornady Classic press and new dies.
Have cleaned packing grease off of everything inside and out, and polished the brass, and also case-lubed the brass with One Shot.
Set the deprimer pin to 3/16" protrusion from die bottom.
Set die in press so that I can just feel the press cam over lightly.

Problem: I can only get the cartridge about 2/3-3/4 of the way into the resizer before it doesn't want to move any further. Can see on the brass that it's being touched to about 2/3-3/4 of the way down. It's NOT deep enough to deprime the cartridge.
If I push harder on the press handle, the cartridge will "chatter" a few more millimeters into the resizing die, and then it takes quite a bit of force to get it to pop back out of the die...i.e. it's almost getting stuck. As I said, storage grease has been cleaned and case has been lubed, and the die has been lubed too, lightly all around.

Checking the case widths with a digital caliper, before trying them in the press, they're actually exactly what they're supposed to be both at the shoulder and at the base.

What am I missing here?

Thanks
 
Update:

forgot to check the cartridge mouth: It's actually a bit bigger...a bullet will slip right through it.

Mouth diameter is supposed to be .253", I am getting .2555" or 2.5 thousands of an inch larger.

Base of neck is also supposed to be .253", while mine is .257" or 4 thousands of an inch larger.

Could these tolerances make it that much more difficult to resize?
 
Update 2:

Liberally applied lube to the case neck area.
Could get the case to go deeper, not yet deep enough to de-prime, but the neck is definitely being engaged in the die as I can see the top 1mm of the neck is squashed back to size, with the lower part of the neck appearing bulged out relative to it. Can't get the cartridge any further in the resizing die without using tremendous force on the press lever. Markings on case indicate resizing engagement to about 7/8 of the case, with maybe another 1/4" to go which would match with the distance left to fully resize the cartridge neck and shoulder.

At this point, do I decide that these cases from this particular gun can not be reloaded?
 
are you using One Shot case lube or
One Shot gun cleaner and gun lube ????????

have not used the one shot stuff

but have used RCBS case lube and can change a 30-06 to a 308 with less problems that what you are having (re-lube when 1/2 done)

try giving it another shot of the case lube

if your brass was fired in a rifle with a large chamber you will have to use more force than normal

when it chatters (grabs brass and is very hard to pull handle) it needs more lube
 
Those tolerances are nothing, and should resize with ease. Are you hitting the whole case with the one shot and letting it dry? I'm keen on blaming the lube, but to eliminate one variable, you might want to try pulling the deprimer pin out.
 
I thought I'd try a different brass.

First I need to make a correction: the brass I was trying above is actually 5.56 military brass from Poongsan Corp, Korea (says PSD on bottom). My bad, sorry. Yes I'm a reloading rookie.

The Winchester 223 brass chattered at first too, so I made the mistake of assuming the problem was universal. The problem was I didn't apply lube when I tested that brass at first.

SOOO, I went back to check actual 223 brass in Winchester, American Eagle, and Remington UMC. They too let the bullet slip right through before resizing.

However, they CAN be resized no problem at all, as long as I use lube. They resize just fine.

I guess I won't be ignoring the minor differences between 556 and 223 ammo from now on :redface:
 
Last edited:
Just looking at the case-neck thickness...the 556 is visibly thicker.

Using the caliper:
556 = 0.0125"
223 = 0.011"

or 1.5 thousands of an inch thicker for the 556. Surprising it adds that much strength and rigidity.

(That's what she said...)
 
just having some fun said:
are you using One Shot case lube or
One Shot gun cleaner and gun lube ????????
Click to expand...

Case lube, of course.

I did try some used oil that was sitting in my garage from the last time I changed the lawn-mower oil at first, but then I found the oneshot lube that came with the kit. It's less smelly and messy. :bangHead:

hehe
 
ccwcanada said:
First I need to make a correction: the brass I was trying above is actually 5.56 military brass from Poongsan Corp, Korea. My bad, sorry. Yes I'm a reloading rookie.
Click to expand...

If it is military brass the primers may be crimped and will take a lot of force to decap. Pull the decapping pin and see if the 5.56 stuff resizes OK that way. If it does, you know the decapping is the issue.

Mark
 
after you clean your brass

sort it by head stamp win/rp/pmc/fed should be all safe to resize on the others you might have to dig out the flash light
I even looked with a flash light one day on one of those odd head stamp ones it looked safe and was berdaned and broke a pin
(dark spot in center ---did not notice the 2 small ones)

you might find some berdan primed brass and then you will have even more problems
 
I have a similar problem with my 303 british bullet seating die. Case stops 1/8" out of die and if i try to press that last 1/8" it buckles the case ruining it.
 
mmattockx said:
If it is military brass the primers may be crimped and will take a lot of force to decap. Pull the decapping pin and see if the 5.56 stuff resizes OK that way. If it does, you know the decapping is the issue.

Mark
Click to expand...


Alright tried that, but no luck. Cases still want to bind even with lots of lube, and won't resize. Pin is removed.

556 is supposed to have thicker walls...I think I'll stop trying to ram them up the die at this point! I got lots of straight 223 from AE and Rem...I'll stick with those, and toss the PSD I guess...only 100 rds or so.

Do have PMC 223 brass in my collection and it too resized OK.

It's just this Poongsan 5.56 stuff that reads PSD on the bottom that won't work.
 
Alright now I am getting the PSD 5.56 stuff to go through finally. Just got to lube the crap out of it. Nothing less than a good direct spray of the one-shot will do.

Yes the kit was a Christmas present and yes this is the first time I've reloaded in about 15 years.

Fun though!
 
Get some STP, the stuff at such places as Canadian Tire, used as a supplement in automotive oil.
To try it, just put some on your fingers and very lightly, lube the body of the case, but not the neck and shoulder. Start with a clean case and very likely this will solve your troubles.
 
Here is a copy of part of the Norma GunBugs Guide reloading book from the early 1960s, that some of us used for starting out reloading. Note what it states about using motor oil for case resizing.
Gee, isn't it strange that back in the dark ages they actually had a case lubricating method that was probably better than many reloaders use now!
lub1.jpg
 
Brass

Be very careful to TOTALLY clean all lube or oil from your reloaded rounds before firing.A lubed case when fired may not totally grip the chamber walls and can result in bolt thrust and pressure signs.In extreme cases you may damage your rifle. Mur
 
I would suspect this is a lube probem. Like H4831, I also find STP to be the best lube for difficult to resize cases. You only need a thin coat, and be sure not to get too much in the shoulder area. The case movement should never be jerky. That indicates the lube is failing to maintain a film.
 
FYI, Aerosol Ballistol is the best case lube going and dries without residue. I swear by the stuff.

Dumb question perhaps, but was the 556 Berdan or boxer primed?
 
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