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Posted: 4/14/2017 4:38:42 PM EDT
I've been loading .223 on and off since 2005.  Back in 2005-2007 I was loading quite a bit of .223 but largely stopped after a move in 2007. I recently started loading .223 again and added 300 BLK.  A problem I ran into was I always thought I was getting more case length stretch when sizing .223 than I thought I should be getting using a standard RCBS sizing die. I spread lube on the case with my fingers and inside the neck with a cotton swab. It seems like I was having to trim after almost every loading and really dislike trimming. I get little to no case stretch when sizing 300 BLK cases with my Hornady sizing die.

Is there something about the .223 case or RCBS sizing die design that allows more case stretching? Is there another brand of sizing die that causes less stretching? Is there something else I can do?  I am aware of the RCBS X sizing die.

Thank you for your experience and advice.
Link Posted: 4/14/2017 4:55:11 PM EDT
[#1]
Link Posted: 4/15/2017 9:04:47 PM EDT
[#2]
Link Posted: 4/15/2017 9:14:59 PM EDT
[#3]
I took the expander ball off mine and use an extra step to do the expansion.  This way the expansion occurs going into the case and stops any stretching.
Link Posted: 4/15/2017 10:40:34 PM EDT
[#4]
I suspect that a "traditional" resizing die with its decapping rod/expander "ball" assembly also introduces concentricity issues in addition to stretching case necks.

I think I will be buying a Lyman M die soon.

There are also some bushing dies that will squish the case neck/mouth down to the right diameter and will straighten the case necks at the same time.

I have an RCBS X sizer die, a small base one, which is supposed to keep cases from growing, so you don't have to trim every time.  But lately, it seems like cases keep getting stuck in it.  
Link Posted: 4/15/2017 11:13:40 PM EDT
[#5]
The amount a case grows during full length sizing depends on how much the case needed to be sized.

I say your problem is not your RCBS die it's your chamber size. This doesn't necessarily mean that your chamber is out of spec although it could be but means it's at least on the large end of the spec.

Your 300 BO probably is not on the large end.

There are other reasons why your rifle could be expanding it's brass too. If it starts extraction while chamber pressure is still high enough it could cause the brass to be larger than it should.

If you can, compare your fired brass to brass fired from another rifle. You could also simply find some range pick brass or other brass not fired in your rifle and size it with your die and see how much growth you get.

I'm betting your chamber is on the big side.

Motor
Link Posted: 4/15/2017 11:26:32 PM EDT
[#6]
Give the Die and rod a good cleaning. If it continues call RCBS for advice. They are very good with consumers.
Link Posted: 4/17/2017 11:12:39 PM EDT
[#7]
I'm consistently getting .007-.010" stretching when resizing recently once-fired WCC '05 and LC '08 cases. I use adequate lube inside the necks and outside the cases. I shot the 5.56 ammo in 3 different 5.56 rifles.

Is that normal?

How do you resize the neck without the expander? What kind of die and steps are required?
Link Posted: 4/17/2017 11:37:33 PM EDT
[#8]
Wait a minute. How can you be measuring case length growth of once fired brass? ????

The only way to get an accurate growth is to start out with trimmed casings of know length. Shoot them, resize them then measure again.

More often than not casings get shorter when fired because the body expands.

So if you are comparing fired length to sized length you are not getting true case growth.

Say for example if I'm using brass trimmed to 1.750" and after firing and re-sizing they are 1.755" then I can say I'm getting .005" case length growth.

Motor
Link Posted: 4/18/2017 12:13:22 AM EDT
[#9]
I measured the once-fired cases before sizing and then immediately after. I then subtracted the difference.
Link Posted: 4/18/2017 12:15:15 AM EDT
[#10]
.007" longer case headspace or .007" longer case length? The two are related by the fact that the more the case gets reduced by the sizing die the longer the finished product becomes.

I resize to SAAMI minimum (go gage) because I want my ammo to be usable in any rifle. Most of.my semi-auto rifles run between .003" to .007" longer than that. I have power trimmers which are a godsend.

As.already mentioned, a Gracey Match-Prep or Giraud-Tool makes the actual act of trimming faster than measuring just to see if it needs it. Probably the most satisfying money I have ever spent on a piece of reloading equipment.

Your cartridge headspace needs to at least .003" shorter ( I use -.004") than the tightest chamber you own if you intend to share ammo in all of your rifles.

You may have your die turned down too far if you're getting more shoulder bump than that.
Link Posted: 4/18/2017 12:19:33 AM EDT
[#11]
.007-.010" longer case length after resizing. I have the sizing die adjusted to where the shellholder touches the bottom of the die when a case is sized. I am not measuring or adjusting for headspace.
Link Posted: 4/18/2017 12:36:04 AM EDT
[#12]
Hot loads will cause cases to grow more too. It's been my experience that cases grow the most after the first firing. After your? first trimming it's unusual for the brass to "need" trimming until 2 or 3 more firings.

I remove very little metal on the subsequent resizing. I still trim each time as safety precaution to insure that some stray case didn't get mixed into a bulk production run.
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