Shoulder dents

porpoise

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GunNutz
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I get shoulder dents sizing my 6.5 Creedmoor brass. I use sizing wax on the case moderately with my fingers and don't have this happening with any other cartridge. I notice my creed has less body taper than my 260 remington. Is this significant? Should I start to hate my creed? Is something funny with my die? Not sure what is going on here
 
you should not be wax/lube the shoulder.
there should be a little hole/vent on the die to let the excess wax/lube escape. make sure that is not plugged or blocked.
 
you should not be wax/lube the shoulder.
there should be a little hole/vent on the die to let the excess wax/lube escape. make sure that is not plugged or blocked.

I know RCBS has a vent hole in their dies but not everyone does.
 
Switch to a Forster sizing die and lanolin/99% isopropyl lube. 10-12 parts alcohol to 1 part liquid lanolin. Throw a TMJ pistol bullet in the spray bottle to help when shaking up.
 
I don't lube the neck or shoulder. I dip them in granules with graphite lube. Then I wipe a bit of lube down 2 sides with my fingers so there is not a seal all the way around the brass. If you vary the orientation when you put them in the shell holder there will always be enough lube from the previous shell to lube the dry sides but not seal and make dents. I've been doing this for years in different cartridges and never get lube dents since I figured out this process. I think I will have to clean my die and be very careful with the lube and I will see what happens. I think thelack of body taper is sealing the air in when the neck starts sizing.maybe I should operate the handle slower and give it more time to bleed off. Any one notice some cartridges are easier to dent than others?
 
Pretty sure there is not a vent hole in my dies, but I will look.

Personally I don't think there is enough air being trapped to be compressed to the point that it is denting the brass
This is a very minimal amount of air, at very low pressure. It would have no effect IMO.
 
don't change the die... don't change the lube...don't change the caliber... :)

just don't put lube on the shoulder and neck.

Only lube the body and INSIDE the neck.

Everytime I tried to use spray-on lube (meaning it also goes on neck and shoulder), i had maybe 1 in 4 that dent. (243 win.)

==> Always trust the most simple answer... :)
 
I've been reloading since 1982.............leave the neck and shoulder "lube free", however, lube the inside of the neck. Also, very little lube is require for the body. Good luck!
 
What media do you use to clean your brass? If a kernel of media gets picked up on the brass when you size, it will leave a dent on the shoulder. You can usually go back through the sized brass until you find a piece not dented and know exactly where it got picked up. Be very watchful that your lubed brass does not pick up a kernel of media, as I find that this is the usual culprit of dented shoulders.
 
Don't know if this has already been mentioned but dies get can get dirty quickly. I typically remove the expander assembly and clean out the die and expander assembly with a micro fibre towel before sizing. Takes about 25 seconds. Other obvious reasons mentioned are lube on the necks or a piece of crud or media stuck in the die. I only load with new Lapua brass then throw it out after firing it once......just kidding.
 
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