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Posted: 6/26/2010 7:01:42 PM EDT
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since i couldn't do any shooting today, i decided to try to load some blasting ammo.
i have about 300 once fired PMC cases that i sized and trimmed. i first sized it with my rcbs small base dies and hand trimmed it with a lyman trimmer. primer pockets were swaged with a dillon ss. after sizing and trimming i got a new set of dillon fl dies and a giraud trimmer so i resized them (and checked with a case gauge) and retrimmed for more uniformity. for some reason, i was having a tough time getting good consistency with the small base dies. anyway, the cases were pretty consistent, in my humble newb opinion. i loaded with some remington 55gr FMJ with cannelure. first of all, i couldn't get my COAL consistent at all. it varied from 2.23 - 2.25. i realize that these cheap bullets aren't totally uniform so i tried to seat them so the case mouth was in the middle of the cannelure (about 2.24). at this point i could seat the bullet farther using nothing more than my caliper as i measured the length. that didn't seem right to me but i've only loaded sierra bullets to this point and have not had this issue. lastly, i set my dillon crimp die per the instructions. raise the cartridge up and screw the die down until it touches, then screw it down 1/2 turn more. i thought this would crimp into the cannelure...nope. i could seat the bullet to th depth of the cannelure with finger pressure. i then screwed down the crimp die 1 and 1/2 turns and could visually see a more pronounced crimp but i could still push the bullets in about .01". what did i do wrong? i can't push the bullets in any farther than the depth of the cannelure nor can i easily pull them out. i'm afraid they might not be safe to fire. am i worrying too much? i'm using IMR 4895 24.5gr and CCI primers. thanks for any help. |
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Expander ball on the "new Dillion dies" too big? Got any other dies to try a case or 2 on and check the neck ID.
Brass too hard, no spring back after the expander ball pulls through? Bullets undersized? Got ant other bullets to check them against? (I've got a # of boxes of Rem whitebox stuff that has loose bullets - maybe thats the problem with them?) |
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Measure your bullets, they should be .224.
Measure the sizing button on your dies, should be around .222. You definitely do not have enough neck tension. Do not fire these loads. Did you clean the lube from inside the case neck? Your OAL's were fine, that's normal. Just seat to mid cannelure. Good idea to begin loading with the start load. (Powder charge) I have never had this issue with PMC brass, something is amiss....... |
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i'll have to measure the bullets tomorrow.
i always run the sized cases through the tumbler to remove lube. so far, all the sierra bullets i've loaded (50gr blitzkings, 53gr smk, and 69gr smk) have been gtg. now you guys got me thinking about the expander ball...guess i'm glad i didn't get to shoot today. i'll have to give my new 69gr smk loads another once over to make sure they are okay. i know this will all be worth it once i really get reloading figured out but for now, man this is frustrating...and getting expensive. 
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well, i measured everything up and it all seems within normal limits. bullet dia .224 case mouth dia .221-.223.
i took a pliers and tried to remove bullets from 10 of the 50 cartridges i loaded up and was unable to move them past the cannelure. i also couldn't push them past the cannelure back into the case. here's my novice theory, tell me if it holds water. at the cannelure there is less surface area of the bullet in contact with the case mouth allowing a small amount of movement. as the bullet moves past the cannelure (either into or out of the case) it comes in 100% surface area contact with the bullet surface increasing the force of friction holding it in. i'm wondering if the machining of the cannelure could make the bullets slightly small in diameter at that point. i also think that i'm seeing the problem more in the few cases that measured .223 at the mouth. i'm thinking that the mouths may have gotten oversized by my original overzealous hand trimming and chamfering. i'm gonna pull the bullets that are "loose" and blast the ones that are solid. thanks for the help fellas. |
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Quoted:
well, i measured everything up and it all seems within normal limits. bullet dia .224 case mouth dia .221-.223. i took a pliers and tried to remove bullets from 10 of the 50 cartridges i loaded up and was unable to move them past the cannelure. i also couldn't push them past the cannelure back into the case. here's my novice theory, tell me if it holds water. at the cannelure there is less surface area of the bullet in contact with the case mouth allowing a small amount of movement. as the bullet moves past the cannelure (either into or out of the case) it comes in 100% surface area contact with the bullet surface increasing the force of friction holding it in. i'm wondering if the machining of the cannelure could make the bullets slightly small in diameter at that point. The neck is still holding the rest of the bullet below the cannelure. If neck tension is correct, this will hold the bullet just fine without a crimp. Myself, I still apply a crimp on my FMJBT's, not because it's need but because I want to. i also think that i'm seeing the problem more in the few cases that measured .223 at the mouth. i'm thinking that the mouths may have gotten oversized by my original overzealous hand trimming and chamfering. This could be the problem, not mentioned in your first post. Pull the bullets, resize these cases, reuse the powder and primers, and reload. i'm gonna pull the bullets that are "loose" and blast the ones that are solid. thanks for the help fellas. |
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