Bushing die sizing problems

[Urmaker]

Hey there everyone

I'm having issue with my reloading process.
..something doesn't seem right...

For contex
6.5 creedmoor
140 grain
Sb brass that I neck turned to .014

Redding dies with .289 bushing

The problem is after going through reloading process but before charging and seating I've measured the outside neck diameter and the cases are consistently at .291....why is it not compressing to .289...I get some spring of .001 is expected...but I'm not sure why it is jumping out thay far.

.264 plus .028 of neck thickness...equals .292.....with a .289 bushing it's .003 neck tension minus .001 for spring back to give me my goal of .002 neck tension


Thoughts?

Thanks for the advice

 

[Mike Casselton]

Load a projectile and measure the entire length of the neck. See if it really is .292.
If it is, then buy a bushing that is .001 smaller.
Sometimes the bushings aren't exact.
Sometimes, the brass just springs back more.


Sometimes, like with Wilson bushings, you can flip them over and get another .0015 because they are tapered.



Some times, you just need to shoot it to see how it's doing...

 

[918v]

Where on the neck are you measuring? Typically the neck at the case mouth will be larger than midway to the shoulder. But when you seat the bullet it will even out.

 

[spife7980]

Is the bushing itself actually .289?

 

[straightshooter1]

Hey there everyone

I'm having issue with my reloading process.
..something doesn't seem right...

For contex
6.5 creedmoor
140 grain
Sb brass that I neck turned to .014

Redding dies with .289 bushing

The problem is after going through reloading process but before charging and seating I've measured the outside neck diameter and the cases are consistently at .291....why is it not compressing to .289...I get some spring of .001 is expected...but I'm not sure why it is jumping out thay far.

.264 plus .028 of neck thickness...equals .292.....with a .289 bushing it's .003 neck tension minus .001 for spring back to give me my goal of .002 neck tension.


Thoughts?

Thanks for the advice

Maybe your bushing isn't really .289??? It's not unheard of for there to be such manufacturing mistakes. You can always use a different bushing to see what's going on. . .like whether it really the bushing that's the issue or not.

I take it you're not using an expander ball with that die?

 

[R_A_W]

Not all brass is created equal… S&B has typically had a higher content of zinc, which increases the hardness & makes brass more prone to work hardening. S&B is typically thicker too, although you’ve probably mitigated that by turning. Both of those can cause more spring back… however, I have no experience reloading S&B & don’t know consistent S&B is across lots, time, etc.

It’s possible you have more than one issue going on. How many firings? Are you annealing? Dwell time?

Other than that, neck sizing can involve some trial by error.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

Not all brass is created equal… S&B has typically had a higher content of zinc, which increases the hardness...

This - based on my experience with S&B pistol-caliber brass (which admittedly is not rifle brass!). While I use same-lot brass bought new for rifle (Alpha for best, Starline for practice), I'm perfectly happy hoovering up 9mm range brass and reloading with fairly mild charges for USPSA-style pursuits.

I do no sorting at all of range brass - I run loaded rounds through a Wilson gauge. About 7-10% of loaded rounds fail and go into the "Glock jar" (Glocks eat anything). Of those failed rounds, about half are S&B - and I can tell with remarkable accuracy when an S&B case enters the size die and the following case mouth bell/powder drop because they're so hard.

Fwiw.

 

[Edsel]

I can tell with remarkable accuracy when an S&B case enters the size die and the following case mouth bell/powder drop because they're so hard.

This - and some brands with “steps” in them, as well as this peculiar batch of Remington brass with “rounded butts” (rims).

They have this “gummy” feel when sizing, like twisting a fastener through old Loctite.