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Post by dovehunter on Apr 16, 2010 19:10:33 GMT -5
I am relatively new to reloading for the .223 and don't know what to expect from the cases. I have noticed that I have had to trim the necks back after 2-3 firings from my gun. I figured maybe there was something peculiar about my gun. However I noticed that some brass I had picked up at the range (obviously once-fired factory ammo) also needed to be trimmed. These cases also came from a couple of different Rambo guns. Has anyone else noticed a tendency towards neck stretching in a .223? I have a caliper I use to check my case lengths and those that show up to be longer than maximum length do get the neck cut back when I run them through my LEE neck trimmer, which also kind of confirms that the case necks have stretched.
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Post by Jack on Apr 16, 2010 19:50:22 GMT -5
Dovehunter, some cartridges do stretch more than others. But, a common cause of cases lengthening comes from the reloading process, too.
When you run a case through the sizer die, the case gets sized and the old primer punched out on the way up. On the downstroke, after the case is sized, you pull the expander ball on the decapping pin through the sized down neck- and that often causes case stretching.
Making sure you lubricate the inside of the case necks helps solve that problem.
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Post by dovehunter on Apr 17, 2010 7:52:52 GMT -5
...Making sure you lubricate the inside of the case necks helps solve that problem. That should not be the problem as I always do this using powdered graphite. |
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Post by Bill on Apr 23, 2010 6:33:18 GMT -5
DH, its not an uncommon thing to have happen. Any case with a 30 degree shoulder with grow. Brass flows from the web area up and this in turn cases the neck to stretch. Its also one of the reasons I like the Ackley Improved 40 degree shoulder. A lot of that goes away.
Also when you re-size your cases your setting the shoulder back. This brass does not go into the body of the case but into the neck which in turn causes the necks to grow in length. To counter act this a lot of people neck size their cases. This can be done with a neck sizer or with a full length sizer die and adjust it up till it does not size the body but only the neck and just bumps or is just off from bumping the shoulder. I bought a set of Lee colet dies which also come with a Full Length Sizer die. I neck size for about 4-5 loads and then bump the shoulder back just a hair and then go back to neck sizing. The keeps the necks from stretching a lot and I seldom have to trim. Cases last a lot longer that way.
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Post by dovehunter on Apr 23, 2010 7:21:04 GMT -5
...This can be done with a neck sizer or with a full length sizer die and adjust it up till it does not size the body but only the neck and just bumps or is just off from bumping the shoulder. I bought a set of Lee colet dies which also come with a Full Length Sizer die. I neck size for about 4-5 loads and then bump the shoulder back just a hair and then go back to neck sizing. The keeps the necks from stretching a lot and I seldom have to trim. Cases last a lot longer that way. Yeah, I wish I had done that. I bought the Lee Deluxe Die set for my .22 Hornet barrel and the Colet die works great. I bought a conventional RCBS two-die set for my .223 barrel thinking, since I have been getting most of my brass by scrounging at the club range, that it would be better to always full-length resize. I may try the partial resizing you suggested after having fired the cases in my gun. I remember someone telling me years ago to place a matchbook cover between the bottom of the die and the top of the shell holder for this purpose. Is that BS or is it a reasonable recommendation? |
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Post by Jack on Apr 23, 2010 11:00:03 GMT -5
Using the match book is one way to do it- it should work.
Usually, if you back the FL die out farther, and try sizing a case, you'll be able to see how much of the neck got sized. Try a case in the chamber of your rifle and make sure it chambers easily. If it does, the only other criteria you have to think about is if enough of the neck is sized down to hold the bullet firmly- only the sized portion of the neck is going to grip the bullet.
Start with the FL die backed out quite a ways, and then move it down, sizing a case each time. When you get easy chambering, and enough grip on the bullet to keep it from moving, you're at the right spot- lock the die there, and you're good to go.
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Post by Bill on Apr 24, 2010 7:50:56 GMT -5
There are all kinds of ways to do it DH. Some guys set the dies up like normal and then lock the locking ring down and then screw out the die and they use shims below the locking die that are set up at different thicknesses to get the height that is needed. Or like I have done, Just back up the die about 1/2 turn once its set up. That should get you close. Mostly I just re size it till it just goes into the chamber easily with a lite bit of squeeze. Not as easy to do on the single shot but doable with practice. With minimum sizing you should get a lot less case length growth than you did with total full length sizing.
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