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Posted: 2/7/2012 8:18:58 PM EDT
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I've started my prep work for reloading up some 556. I bought a new Dillon trimmer and put it in station 3 of my Dillon 550. I screwed down the sizing part of the trimmer until it touched the shell plate then backed it off a little. I sprayed some One Shot on the case and resized it. I tested it in my case gauge and it was still over the top "step" so I lowered the sizer down a little at a time. I ended up having to screw it down until it cammed over a little, but got the case to the correct size. I then set how much I trimmed off and tightened everything up. I put my universal decapping die in station 1, put some AD brass in a small bag and sprayed some One Shot in to lube the brass. I started running brass through, testing every couple and I could not get anything consistent. Some brass was slightly over the top "step" of the gauge - I could only tell with a razor blade, and some were slightly below the bottom step - but just barely.
After a while of not getting consistent results, I put in my RCBS Sizer/Deprimer die. I went through the same steps and, unfortunately, was getting the same results. So, am I being too particular where the brass sits in the case gauge? If so, would it be better to be a little high or a little low? It seems like such a small variance between not enough and too much, but maybe that's the way its suppose to be? Any other ideas of why I'm not getting consistent results? I use the same stroke each time and wipe down my brass before I put it in the case gauge. Thanks for any input you might have. I was getting too frustrated trying to figure it out on my own. |
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Either follow the instructions on the One Shot to the letter, or toss it out and get some good lube, either Imperial or home made.
I'm going to guess your headspace variation is due to nonuniform lubrication. Get a little lube inside the case neck, too. Might want to make a stuck case puller while you're messing around with One Shot, too. |
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We don't know just how much difference you're seeing without a quantitative measurement. But yes, One Shot is a poor lube if it's not used according to the instructions, and almost no one does. Try the RCBS lube; put some on your fingers to wipe on the cases and don't put so much on that you get hydraulic dents.
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I would set aside the One Shot and try a good quality spray lube like Dillon's. I believe you will see the difference. If head of the case is above the end of the case gauge, chambering problems are in your future. If a straight edge pushed along the top of the case gauge snags the top of the case, chambering problems are in your future. End of case must be below end of gauge, but above the cut. Good luck
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Quoted: Just a couple things to check. Are you keeping your shell plate full when you are running the brass through? Cleaning the cartridges off well before putting them in the gauge? Is your gauge clean? Is the brass all the same? +1 and make sure that your shellplate is tightened down enough so that you don't get rocking but loose enough so that it turns freely. I tightened my tight, then backed it of about 1/16th of a turn. If the shellplate is rocking the cases will vary a bit. |
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Quoted:
Either follow the instructions on the One Shot to the letter, or toss it out and get some good lube, either Imperial or home made. I'm going to guess your headspace variation is due to nonuniform lubrication. Get a little lube inside the case neck, too. Might want to make a stuck case puller while you're messing around with One Shot, too. ^^ So true. I only use that stuff to lube my press. |
Well, that worked a lot better... kinda. I used the RCBS lube on the pad, but now instead of slight variations though, most worked perfectly but I had a few that ended up way out of spec and were higher than the taller step. Before, I had some that would be slightly lower, some that were just right and some that were slightly higher. Out of the 25 test run, I had 4 that looked like this:
Maybe I should just stick to reloading pistol 
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Quoted:
Well, that worked a lot better... kinda. I used the RCBS lube on the pad, but now instead of slight variations though, most worked perfectly but I had a few that ended up way out of spec and were higher than the taller step. Before, I had some that would be slightly lower, some that were just right and some that were slightly higher. Out of the 25 test run, I had 4 that looked like this: http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww139/familyguy4_photobucket/1e16c8af.jpg Maybe I should just stick to reloading pistol Screw the FL die into the press 1/16-1/8 of a turn a a time until that brass in the photo fits the gauge. |
| Take measurement of your shell plate. Each station may be different. When the FL die contacts the shell plate, you may get 4 different shoulder bumps. Plate should measure about .125" just like a shell holder. There are a couple photos of my defective Dillon plate here > www.photobucket.com/joe1944usa Another thing, dies do not size all the way down to the extractor cut. If the web area is bulged from over pressure, case will not fit the gage after FL sizing. At times, small base dies might help. |
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Quoted:
Take measurement of your shell plate. Each station may be different. When the FL die contacts the shell plate, you may get 4 different shoulder bumps. Plate should measure about .125" just like a shell holder. There are a couple photos of my defective Dillon plate here > www.photobucket.com/joe1944usa Another thing, dies do not size all the way down to the extractor cut. If the web area is bulged from over pressure, case will not fit the gage after FL sizing. At times, small base dies might help.  "Defective" and "Dillon" in the same sentence on this forum? Blasphamy! You're lucky if you don't get banned.  
OP, are you having sizing problems or trim length problems? For sizing just make sure everything is tight, your die puts some pressure on the shellplate and you should be OK. Can't help with the trimmer if that's the problem. |
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Quoted:
Either follow the instructions on the One Shot to the letter, or toss it out and get some good lube, either Imperial or home made. I'm going to guess your headspace variation is due to nonuniform lubrication. Get a little lube inside the case neck, too. Might want to make a stuck case puller while you're messing around with One Shot, too. This. I had six stuck cases out of 500+ cases I prepped during the Super Bowl. I'm now using up the one shot I have left and spraying a little dillon case lube on for good measure. I'm a whiz with the stuck case extractor 
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Quoted: Quoted: You will always have a few that look like that. Flip it over and try putting it back in the gauge. More often than not its just a bent rim on the case. Or burred. Or, once in a while you may not completely cycle your press all the way down to the stop. If you do, you'll have a case that looks like that. Just take that case and run it back through your press and see if it works better. As to a defective shellplate, I have heard of one myself and if you're not sure about yours, take a marker and mark the bottom of 12 fired cases from one to 12. Then cycle them through your press in order. Finally check each case and if say case 2, 6, and 10 show different than all the others, then the shellplate has something wrong with one position because those cases went through your 550 in the same position on the shellplate. |
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Quoted: Well, that worked a lot better... kinda. I used the RCBS lube on the pad, but now instead of slight variations though, most worked perfectly but I had a few that ended up way out of spec and were higher than the taller step. Before, I had some that would be slightly lower, some that were just right and some that were slightly higher. Out of the 25 test run, I had 4 that looked like this: http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww139/familyguy4_photobucket/1e16c8af.jpg Maybe I should just stick to reloading pistol  To check for a burr on the rim, insert case backwards into case gauge, wiggle a little and try again. If case gauges, the rim had a burr on it. The resizing die is set fine. |
| I'm going to limit my reply just to the issue of Hornady One Shot case lube. I use it a lot, and have no problems whatsoever. The important thing is to make absolutely sure all the volitile carrier fluid has evaporated completely, leaving behind ONLY the slick lube. If you try to size a case before the cases have air dried for awhile, you surely will get a stuck case. If you wait until the cases are just "greasy", but not "wet", then you should have no problems. Of course, this assumes clean cases and enough lube. By the way, after I use One Shot, I clean the lube off with Tetra Gun Action Blaster degreaser. I generally don't load my .223/5.56 in my progressive press, so cleaning with a degreaser isn't a problem for me. |
| Curious how this thread migrated to the lube the OP is using? His problem is resizing and inconsistency with his brass fitting in his case gauge. Am I missing something here? That said, the picture shown by the OP does not reflect the brass as too long but a problem with the shoulder, IMO. If the case won't fit into the gauge all the way to a flush fit on the head, it is most likely a shoulder problem. I would double check the decapping pin and expander ball and make sure everything is tight. Also, if I am not mistaken, when setting the first die, you want to tighten the finished die down WITH a cartridge in the die so as to keep everything plumb. |
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Burrs on the rim will keep a case from gauging. Uneven or spotty use of an inferior case lube will also cause sizing differences. No lube on the inside of the neck, the expanding ball will pull the shoulder forward, causing excessive headspace. This is a common thread posted here, with easy fixes. Stick around, you will see.
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Okay, thanks for all the responses. I have not had a chance to work on this much and check to see if my machine is out of spec. I did run a couple through and had another that looked similar to the other one. I verified they do not have burrs on them (I have seen that on pistol brass before) and even turned them around and ran them through the case gauge backwards and they fit in there fine. I do notice that ones I'm having problems with seem to be "crooked" in the gauge from the top and I am attaching a picture of it.
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