Thick rim on 6.5x55 Norma brass?

[ted_dent]

I use the Lee 13 for 45 AR without any problems. May be a Lee QC issue with the shell holders.

That's what I suspect since the interior diameters of the standard shellholder and Auto Prime shellholder are different (standard shellholder is bigger and that's the one causing the problem). As soon as the border opens up I'll be contacting Lee for a replacement.

 

[jethunter]

Not true. Read the table you refer to carefully. #2 for 6.5x55 and #3 for 270 and 30-06.

You're right.

 

[Eagleye]

One place I ran into a conflict was with RWS 7x57 Brass. If you look at specs, the 7x57 is supposed to use RCBS #3 Shellholder.

The RWS cases will not go into a #3 shellholder. They do fit the RCBS #2 or, strangely enough, the RCBS #11[220 Swift/225 Win]

In checking, I found the extraction groove on the RWS cases is not as deep as any others I have, thus the no-go in the #3. Dave.

 

[GunsNotPuns]

I used to have problems with Lee shell holders and 6.5mm Jap brass. Some rims were just too thick to get into the shell holder. I ended up solving the issue by cycling through the same sized shell holders until I found one that took the thickest rim.

I think the issue was with PPU brass. Norma never gave me a problem that I can remember.

 

[bearhunter]

I used to have problems with Lee shell holders and 6.5mm Jap brass. Some rims were just too thick to get into the shell holder. I ended up solving the issue by cycling through the same sized shell holders until I found one that took the thickest rim.

I think the issue was with PPU brass. Norma never gave me a problem that I can remember.

The extractor grooves in PPU cases are notoriously not cut deep enough and they won't fit between the sides of the inner lips of the shell head holder.

I've run into similar issues with RWS and Norma, but the thickness of the rim is usually the problem

I have a #2 RCBS shell head holder that I ground out that inner surface to clear the shallow extractor cuts and keep it set aside for just such situations.

I often have newbies wanting to learn the process of reloading. It's not surprising that they show up with sportered milsurps and components that aren't top of the line when it comes to quality.

I'm not going to knock PPU ammo or components. They're not my first choice though and have enabled me to get some rifles shooting that I never thought was going to happen, without a lot of tedious fiddly work on my part.

I very seldom have issues with RWS ammo or components.

The biggest problem I've come across over the last five or so years is the poor quality of the brass cases which are mostly dimensionally fine.

I don't believe ammunition manufacturers are overly interested in having their products reloaded. As long as they go bang, in a reasonably consistent, safe manner and eject after the first firing, they couldn't care less what happens after that

 

[dan belisle]

Well, I found out that Norma does have a thicker rim on their brass, I've found a couple of other forum posts that cite this same problem. The solution seems to be to try different shell holders

Yes. I found a similar issue with some European brands of 7x64 brass. When the only brass we could get for the Swede was European it was a fairly common problem. NA brass just fits the same shell holder as 308 etc. - dan

 

[Meroh]

That Hornady #19 is correct for 6.5x55 as per the Hornady shell holder table. Interesting that Hornady lists different shell holder (Hornady #2) for 30/30 Win, whereas RCBS says same size (RCBS #2) for both 6.5x55 and 30/30 Win

Different sizes may be due to tolerance built in at the factory. If Hornady has a larger tolerance on the their shell holder, it would stand to reason that more shells would fit.

 

[Meroh]

The extractor grooves in PPU cases are notoriously not cut deep enough and they won't fit between the sides of the inner lips of the shell head holder.

I've run into similar issues with RWS and Norma, but the thickness of the rim is usually the problem

I have a #2 RCBS shell head holder that I ground out that inner surface to clear the shallow extractor cuts and keep it set aside for just such situations.

I often have newbies wanting to learn the process of reloading. It's not surprising that they show up with sportered milsurps and components that aren't top of the line when it comes to quality.

I'm not going to knock PPU ammo or components. They're not my first choice though and have enabled me to get some rifles shooting that I never thought was going to happen, without a lot of tedious fiddly work on my part.

I very seldom have issues with RWS ammo or components.

The biggest problem I've come across over the last five or so years is the poor quality of the brass cases which are mostly dimensionally fine.

I don't believe ammunition manufacturers are overly interested in having their products reloaded. As long as they go bang, in a reasonably consistent, safe manner and eject after the first firing, they couldn't care less what happens after that

No issue with 6.5 x 55 PPU brass, or any other brass, in my Lee shell holder.

 

[oppy]

I guess to close the loop on this. I ordered the Lee R3 shell holder for 6.5x55. Works fine for my Norma brass.