I am a newbie reloader and today I tried to resize once fired Sellier&Bellot 308 brass. The problem is that half of the brass is very difficult to place in the shell holder. Do I have a problem with my shell holder or with my brass? Should I discard the brass?
Shell holder too tight?
- Thread starter morgancoin
- Start date
caperbound
Regular
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Some S&B brass can give reloaders some troubles but as well it could be the shell holder. Not sure of the brand but I did have in the past a lee shell holder that just didn't work (lee gave me a replacement). Do you know anyone else that can let you try their shell holder or next time at the range pick up some non s&B brass to try and rule out the shell holder.
Some holders are on the small side. I have two #7s that are noticeably different.
I would suggest that you try fitting other brands of brass in your shell holder. If they fit, your problem rests with the S&B brass which, as noted, can pose problems. (I'm a range brass vulture, but I won't bother trying to reload 9 x 19 S&B; it's just too much of a PITA.) You can switch brass type, try other brands of shell holders or (if you're better with a Dremmel tool than I am) you could presumably open it up a touch.
I would suggest that you try fitting other brands of brass in your shell holder. If they fit, your problem rests with the S&B brass which, as noted, can pose problems. (I'm a range brass vulture, but I won't bother trying to reload 9 x 19 S&B; it's just too much of a PITA.) You can switch brass type, try other brands of shell holders or (if you're better with a Dremmel tool than I am) you could presumably open it up a touch.
I had that problem with some 7 x 57 PRVI brass derived from old factory loaded rounds. I had some extra shell holders so I filed the inside lip down a bit and it worked. The inside depth of the extractor groove was shallower than other brass.
back40sniper
CGN Regular
- Location
- South east Sask.
Morgancoin, your shellholder is a Redding and probably a newer one. Take a dremel or small file and just touch the one side of the holder up a bit. Don't like recommending "dremeling" stuff but you just need to remove a hair's width of metal. Seems to be a common problem on newer Redding holders.
I have RCBS, Lee and Redding shell holders for just about every cartridge I load for because of this problem.
For the specialty stuff, I make up my own to suit the brass on hand.
Your brass itself, may be on max specs. I find PRIVI brass is very prone to this, as is some of the newer Winchester brass.
Just cleaning up one side of a SHH will cause other irritating problems, especially if you're an accuracy freak. The increasing of the width of the lips needs to be done uniformly all the way around.
Another problem I've noticed with some brass/SHH combinations is that the base of the cartridge won't bottom out on the floor of the SHH. All of this, leads to crooked ammunition. Not a big deal with a worn bore but as I said, if you're an accuaracy freak, it makes a difference.
For the specialty stuff, I make up my own to suit the brass on hand.
Your brass itself, may be on max specs. I find PRIVI brass is very prone to this, as is some of the newer Winchester brass.
Just cleaning up one side of a SHH will cause other irritating problems, especially if you're an accuracy freak. The increasing of the width of the lips needs to be done uniformly all the way around.
Another problem I've noticed with some brass/SHH combinations is that the base of the cartridge won't bottom out on the floor of the SHH. All of this, leads to crooked ammunition. Not a big deal with a worn bore but as I said, if you're an accuaracy freak, it makes a difference.
It cant be a primer problem because I removed all the primers with a hand tool. I will wait to get my Hornady shell holder before making any change to my Redding. I used the same holder with 30-06 Winchester new brass and I got no problems. I just tried with Remington 308 brass and they fit perfectly. Seems to be the S&B brass the problem.
At first I tought that it was the groove who was oversize but it is the same size on both. When I look at it I can see now that when I try to insert the brass, the rim is thicker thant the space in the shell holder. Is there a possibility to save those brass?
You don't want to mess with the brass. If you have a spare shell holder and a good hand with a Dremmel tool, you might be able to grind it away enough for them to fit. Or a different brand of shell holder might have more clearance. All depends how much time and brass you have, I guess.
