X-Reload's once fired .308 brass

stevebc said:
Yes, that is the situation. Here's one of the 100 opened, grabbed at random.

They are ALL that way. Haven't opened the other bags yet.

Like so:

DSCN1595_zpstosozu8m.jpg


I'm home sick today, not up to dealing with this, but I'll drop X-Reload a line soon.
Click to expand...

Resize it and check it again.
Are you new to reloading?
 
stevebc said:
Yes, that is the situation. Here's one of the 100 opened, grabbed at random.

They are ALL that way. Haven't opened the other bags yet.

Like so:

DSCN1595_zpstosozu8m.jpg


I'm home sick today, not up to dealing with this, but I'll drop X-Reload a line soon.
Click to expand...

Have you been able to resize any of the cases?

In your original post you say that you've not been able to size any of them. I'm wondering if you've tried again after all the comments about lubrication. What lube are you using on the cases?

I'm curious to see how a resized case fits in the gauge.

I've processed a couple of bags of this stuff and not had any problems with it. My process is this:

  1. Deprime with Lee Decapper
  2. Swage primer pockets with RCBS Primer Pocket Swager
  3. Lube the cases
  4. Resize with Lee die in RCBS Rock Chucker
  5. Trim cases with Lee Case Trimmer

Finished cases are comparable in size and shape with civilian 308 Win cases. The IVI brass is thicker but I've not done any sort of measuring to see how much thicker or to see if the cases have reduced capacity.

The loads I've made with them all work fine in my Savage 99.
 
FirearmsEnthusiast said:
Sorry, may be slow on the uptake here - primer is still in, so unless you have removed the decapping pin, these haven't been full-length resized yet. Yes, they look a little high in the gauge for non-resized brass. Will likely need to be worked down by resizing more than once, with die set progressively lower? Tough, thick brass, be sure to start loads a bit low, as my IVI and LC mil brass shows pressure signs earlier than other cases.
Click to expand...

Decapping pin still in place, problem is that the brass only goes into the die about as far as it goes into that gauge.

So the recommended procedure is to step each piece down a tiny bit until they go all the way into the die?

MDF: Unable to size, but I'll try using Dillon lube when I'm feeling better. Home sick withe flu today.
 
stevebc

I used a home made pump spray alcohol/lanolin mix to size my once fired 7.62 Lake City cases without problem in a small base .308 die. Yes it was harder to size than a normal .308 case and the polish on the inside of the die can effect the sizing effort.

And again to reduce sizing effort I tried a 30-06 die and a carbide .45 acp die as recommended in our CMP reloading forum.

The carbide .45acp die worked very well without any case lube, the carbide ring is .476 and max .308/7.62 diameter is .470. Meaning 75% of the sizing is done with the carbide .45 acp die for the first sizing. Then follow up with a standard .308 die pausing at the top of the ram stroke to reduce brass spring back.

I was told that cases fired in our M60 machine guns was much harder to size than newer M240 machine guns.

Bottom line, I did not have the problem sizing that you are having and a carbide .45 acp worked as slick as snot on a door knob. :evil:
 
I keep posting this message because issues about sizing brass keep popping up. There are many different ways to lubricate brass. This technique is the best I have found when dealing with large quantities of brass (often with pistol brass) or with rifle brass that is difficult to size (machine gun brass).

This technique has three important features.

It is very fast.

It lubricates all the brass uniformly and thinly - no dimples.

IT LEAVES A DAB OF LUBE ON THE CASE MOUTH TO LUBRICATE THE EXPANDER BUTTON.

If you have a bucket or two of brass to size, there is a fast efficient way to lube the cases. I lube 100 or so cases (rifle) at a time. Takes about 30 seconds.

I use Lee case lube. It is a water soluble cream that is easy to clean off.

Dump brass in a plastic pail that has a lid.

lubebrass1.jpg


Then take a 1" worm of lube and smear it around the top inside wall of the pail.

lubebrass.jpg


Put lid on and swirl and shake for 15 seconds. This will lube all the cases and deposit a tiny dab on the case mouth, to lube the expander button.
 
I resized a bunch of similar brass made by IVI as well. Every one of them were tight in the sizing die I had at the time which was made by RCBS. Lots of lube required to size them down as the case wall thickness is made to military specs, which should be kept in mind when deciding on a powder charge. Usually the case capacities on this brass is about 5% less than commercial brass.

A friend saw my problem and offered to loan me his Bonanza small base Carbide sizing die. Still needed lubricant but it made the job a lot easier.
 
Hi OP, the picture you posted is normal because gauge is for brass that is sized to spec while the once-fired brass is fire form in somebody's gun which will be out of spec.

for your problem, I suspect it might be your lube. try dillon lube as you said, or simply use lanolin mixed with isopropyl alcohol in 1:10(or up to 12) ratio which is the what dillon lube made of. I mix it at home and it works better than ANY other lube you bought on the street. With one lube, I can keep resizing it so many times without having to lube it again. also, make sure your press is mounted on a solid base just to state the obvious.

If all these are still not working, buy a set of RCBS small base die. I had issue with some once-fired 308 brass out of my friends semi just wouldn't resize properly in regular FL sizing die. the small base die worked the wonder and got them all back to spec.

stevebc said:
Decapping pin still in place, problem is that the brass only goes into the die about as far as it goes into that gauge.

So the recommended procedure is to step each piece down a tiny bit until they go all the way into the die?

MDF: Unable to size, but I'll try using Dillon lube when I'm feeling better. Home sick withe flu today.
Click to expand...
 
I've reloaded about a thousand rounds using the X-Reload IVI brass. As usual with IVI once-fired, it's machine gun brass and is way out of spec. The problem as mentioned by others is definitely your lube. I was not able to resize these cases in my rock crusher with standard spray lube, I had to use a liberal coat of resizing wax. The first time resizing these cases was a bit of a *itch, but its much easier the 2nd and 3rd times and can be done with spray lube. I really like the IVI brass and at X-Reloads price its definitely worth the extra work.
 
And an update: the forum consensus on lube being the issue was correct. I tried even more sizing wax but it wouldn't budge, so then tried a liberal coat of Dillon oil, much more than I'd normally use, and it took a lot of effort on the handle, but I now have a full-length sized and decapped piece of brass to work with.

And only 299 plus whatever extras they tossed in to finish up on the weekend.

Thanks to all, very much appreciated.
 
stevebc said:
And an update: the forum consensus on lube being the issue was correct. I tried even more sizing wax but it wouldn't budge, so then tried a liberal coat of Dillon oil, much more than I'd normally use, and it took a lot of effort on the handle, but I now have a full-length sized and decapped piece of brass to work with.

And only 299 plus whatever extras they tossed in to finish up on the weekend.

Thanks to all, very much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Glad it worked out. The good news is that you only have to do this once, unless your rifle's chamber is excessively sloppy - then normal resizing procedures work.

Do remember to reduce initial powder charges. Good news is that this is thick, tough brass that lasts in semi-autos better than almost any commercial brass.
 
FirearmsEnthusiast said:
Glad it worked out. The good news is that you only have to do this once, unless your rifle's chamber is excessively sloppy - then normal resizing procedures work.

Do remember to reduce initial powder charges. Good news is that this is thick, tough brass that lasts in semi-autos better than almost any commercial brass.
Click to expand...



also be careful to check neck diameter in your loaded rounds, make sure the chamber of your rifle has enough space so the case neck will be able to release the bullet on ignition.
 
Case lubricant

I have run into quite a few of these cases that must have been fired in a machine gun.

The case lubricant that works the best for me is old fashioned STP oil treatment.
 
i only use ivi brass for my 308, i use to get stuck cases all the time, rcbs spray lube worked but still got stuck, hornady pump spray was a total bust, tho the unique paste they sent me to replace the spray works like a charm i use a old tooth brush to apply it on the brass, just finished 950 brass.
 
For most of my brass I use Imperial sizing wax and it works great ..... but I have had some 1x fired stuff that required the RCBS slime. Once my slime is gone I will get some Lee lube and do what Ganderite does.

The few times I had a stuck case I put the die in the freezer for a few hours or you can blow compressed air from an aresol can into the brass case can often loosen it up quickly
 
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