Seperated and Dirty Casings

[Recce21]

I just got into relaoding and I have run into a few problems with my first go at this.

I reloaded about 60 x .303 British with 174 gr. Hornady bullets, Winchester Primers and H335 Powder. The minimum load for H335 was 36 grains and the max was 39 grains. I loaded 20 with 36 grains, 20 with 37 grains and 20 with 38 grains. All brass was once fired.

So when I went out shooting and out of the 60 hand loads, I got 8 seperated cases right at the base of the round. The cases were a mix of 36-38 grain loads too. Also, I found that after firing, all the cases were extremely dirty. Can anyone help me with this?

Also, I started to reload .308 Winchester too and everytime I use my Lee neck sizing die, I find that the shoulders of the cases are creased or "wavy" looking. Is there a fix for this too? I have backed out the die so that I am only re sizing the neck but I am warry of this because I am firing through a Norc M14 and have a slight head space worry in the back of my mind....

Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

 

[.223Savage]

I can share my experience with you re the .303. The chambers in Enfields are famous for being large which is great for reliability in a war environment but bad for reloaders as it stretches brass. You don't mention if the brass you used was previously fired. Staying away from the maximum load also helps prolong brass life.

You also need to check the headspace on your rifle, the space between the bolt face and the cartridge. If you have too much headspace, which can contribute to head separation, that may be easily fixed by changing out the bolthead with a longer one. Do a search and you will find lots of info on this simple process. You can do it yourself and plenty of boltheads are available.

As for the wavy necks that sounds like you may be using too much lube on the brass. A thin layer is fine, too much builds up hydraulic pressure that causes the dents.

I always check .303 brass for potential head separation by inserting a dental pick into the case and feeling for the beginings of a crack from the inside. You can catch them this way before you see any signs on the outside. You can use a straightened paperclip with a 90 degree bend at the tip. Better to scrap a bit of brass than get a case stuck in the chamber. This is an absolute must do if use brass that has been previously fired like range pickups.

Don't get discouraged, I find reloading as much fun as shooting. Enfields are fine guns with a great history. Have fun.

 

[Al-Sway]

When you full length sizing the .303 brass, you need to adjust your full length sizing die slowly so that you don't push the shoulder back. Back the die off about 1/4 inch and try the case in your rifle. If it is stiff, turn in the die a half turn, and try again. You do this until you reach the point when the case chambers with just a slight amount of pressure. That should mean that you have resized the case as much as you can without pushing the shoulder back. Then reload as normal. If you look at a fired case, from your rifle, and another piece of your brass, you should be able to see the difference in shoulder location.
As for your .308, lube dents in the shoulder normally occur with full length sizing dies and lube being put on the shoulder. You said that you were using a neck sizing die, which would need no lube, and therefore no lube dents. I suspect that a neck sizing die is not the best route to go with an M14.

 

[OneBarfly]

Good advise above. 303 is the only caliber where I do not have the sizing die bounce off the shell holder. Back it off and see how the resized case chambers. This should stop the splitting, etc.

 

[Recce21]

Thanks. I reloaded 20 rounds with the die backed off and so we will see if they separate.....I also was told that the reason my cases were black was from incomplete burn of the powder. So I increased my powder load and we shall see what that does too. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[cosmic]

Well - Reloading is a complicated subject. As stated, there is a lot of slop in a LE chamber. A normal factory round will expand substantially, but still function correctly. In your case, you may have oversized your rounds. The powder charge isnt sufficient to expand the case and seal it in the chamber - this is not necessarily an incomplete burn as you mention. By partial resizing, as described above, you should be able to use your original charge and not see sooting at the necks.
Additionally, oversizing your rounds will work the brass harder, leading to case fatigue. However, it is unusual to see this happen upon first or second firing of brass. You are using "once fired" brass - are are certain of its pedigree? Also, what type of brass are you using? I've noted that Federal doesnt stand up well in a LE.

 

[sunray]

"...firing through a Norc M14..." Semi-autos require full length resizing every time. Neck sizing only will give you feeding issues.
Neck sizing is ok for the Lee-Enfield though. Check the headspace before you do anything else.
"...brass was once fired..." By you? What make?
"...I loaded..." Load 5 of the starting load and go up by half a grain, loading 5 of each, until you get to the max.

 

[SandRoad]

I also was told that the reason my cases were black was from incomplete burn of the powder. So I increased my powder load and we shall see what that does too. Thanks for all the advice!

Ummmm, no not quite right. You are still going to have the same problem even if you increase powder charge.

What is happening is likely related to your headspace problem. There is a lot of "space" between the case and chamber of your rifle (a loose fit near the front of your case). In addition there might be a long throat in the chamber or the bore is oversize compared to the bullet diameter

When you fire the round, the initial pressure created by the primer is pushing the bullet out of the case, (very little powder has burned at this point) and this pressure is enough to move the bullet out, but not enough to expand the case to fit tightly against the chamber. Thus the burning/unburnt powder "leaks" back by the unexpanded case neck and leaves soot on the case.

Increasing your powder charge will not make any difference because peak pressure occurs after the bullet has travelled a couple of inches, well past the point where the gases begin leaking back along the case neck.

So, as mentioned above, increasing the length of your case by not resizing it back so much is going to help a lot with the soot. Another thing that will help is to increase the neck tension on the bullet, say by using a light crimp. This will delay the bullet moving out of the case for a millisecond (figuratively speaking) and allow pressure to build in the case, expanding it, and sealing the case against the chamber.

 

[H4831]

The sloppy chambers of the LE can ruin the brass of factory loaded ammo on the first shot.
To make perfect brass for the rifle, here is what can be done.
Buy new empty brass. Prime and load a light load of a fast powder, like 2400, or something like it. Preferrably use a cast bullet. Seat the bullet out enough to make very hard contact with the lands of the barrel. The bolt should close hard, as the bullet makes tight contact.
This cartridge is now headspaced by the bullet, keeping the face of the brass tight against the bolt face.
Firing this will give a perfect, fire formed case that fits your chamber.
Of course, from now on neck size only. A proper neck sizing die only, must be used, because trying to neck size only, with a regular die, will result in the case being somewhat resized.