New brass neck dents

[M_2_B]

I have purchased a pretty good amount of new lapua .308win brass lately and it comes in this nifty blue box that I can use for other things except brass!! The reason I say this is because some of the necks are dented inward. I have a set of redding does that I use to reform fired brass that I usally use but the full sizing die that I have doesn't have the piece in the middle to spread the neck out. It only has the die to close the neck in from being blown out. So basically my question is how do you guys fix that neck. I guess I could go spend some $ and buy a neck sizing die but is it worth it for a one time thing? Should I sacafice a projectile and open them up, use the champfer tool? I am using BTHP so should I just push them in and risk the chance of uneven neck pressure around the projectile? What do you guys use? Do you think that the neck pressure around the projectile matter that much when precision shooting? Thanks for the help fellas
Weapon is a .308 black rain reciever dpms sass barrel
Shooting under .5moa so far...

 

[thespecialist]

You'll have to push those back out with a mandrel in a die, but that's quick and easy. I think I have a spare neck die. If you want it and I can find it, it's yours. Just pm me your address.

 

[Aimsmall55]

I have purchased a pretty good amount of new lapua .308win brass lately and it comes in this nifty blue box that I can use for other things except brass!! The reason I say this is because some of the necks are dented inward. I have a set of redding does that I use to reform fired brass that I usally use but the full sizing die that I have doesn't have the piece in the middle to spread the neck out. It only has the die to close the neck in from being blown out. So basically my question is how do you guys fix that neck. I guess I could go spend some $ and buy a neck sizing die but is it worth it for a one time thing? Should I sacafice a projectile and open them up, use the champfer tool? I am using BTHP so should I just push them in and risk the chance of uneven neck pressure around the projectile? What do you guys use? Do you think that the neck pressure around the projectile matter that much when precision shooting? Thanks for the help fellas
Weapon is a .308 black rain reciever dpms sass barrel
Shooting under .5moa so far...

How bad is it??? I've had some pretty dinged up necks from them but I just loaded them anyhow and they shot just the same. I don't think I've ever once prepped a lapua case. They are so well annealed they just spring back when seating the bullet

 

[TRTAC]

Order a Sinclair expander mandrel and die. I run all my new cases through it to make sure I dont have this same problem.

 

[ksthomas]

M_2_B,

As TRTAC suggested, we recommend all new brass be run over an expander mandrel, specifically to round out any neck deformation that may have occurred in shipping. This is a standard practice, and a good habit to get into for the sake of uniformity. Beyond that, no other preparation is suggested or required.

We went to the new plastic boxes about 2-3 years ago, and they've been well received by most handloaders, especially as they double for a pretty nifty cartridge box once the rounds are loaded. The one problem we encountered immediately, though, was excessive damage to the case necks. This was caused by the extra space in the box, allowing them to shift during transit, often resulting in damage to the necks. We've since added foam packaging material to the boxes to take up that excesses space, and that seems to have largely eliminated the problem. In the future, though, if you should run into damaged cases, don't hesitate to let me know and we'll take care of it for you.

 

[milo 2.0]

M_2_B,

As TRTAC suggested, we recommend all new brass be run over an expander mandrel, specifically to round out any neck deformation that may have occurred in shipping. This is a standard practice, and a good habit to get into for the sake of uniformity. Beyond that, no other preparation is suggested or required.

We went to the new plastic boxes about 2-3 years ago, and they've been well received by most handloaders, especially as they double for a pretty nifty cartridge box once the rounds are loaded. The one problem we encountered immediately, though, was excessive damage to the case necks. This was caused by the extra space in the box, allowing them to shift during transit, often resulting in damage to the necks. We've since added foam packaging material to the boxes to take up that excesses space, and that seems to have largely eliminated the problem. In the future, though, if you should run into damaged cases, don't hesitate to let me know and we'll take care of it for you.

Kevin,
After running brass through an expander mandrel, should one re-neck size? They are the same size as a bullet.

 

[kraigWY]

I ALWAYS resize new brass. Depending on the cartridge, it may be with a SB die.

I got some new Winchester 223 brass, 1/3 wouldn't fit in my Mann device until I ran it through the SB die.

 

[ksthomas]

Milo,

No, no need to if you use an undersize mandrel. You can get them .001"-.002" under bullet diameter, or simply turn them down a bit, not a problem.

 

[KelsonAK]

Or use the lee collet die - I have one that I used until I got into neck turning. Rounded the point a bit and gave it a good polish.

 

[M_2_B]

Thanks for all the good info. I went today and bought a new set of dies that has the mandrel inside. Punched out all the necks and not gtg.

 

[krokumr]

I know this is a year old thread but I have a comment and would appreciate feedback. I have some new Norma brass(7 mm. Rem. Mag.) and noticed some neck dents. It was a box of 100 bulk brass. I have a neck sizing die(s). One is a Redding Type S bushing die which would not straighten out the dented necks as it only reduces the neck from the outside. I have a standard neck sizing die but I am reluctant to use it as it will work harden the brass more than the Type S die. It seems to me that seating the bullet will accomplish the same thing and do it with less work hardening on the new annealed brass. The case lengths are all with .002-.003" and the weights are within 1 grain which is about .5% which is well below the variance for "match grade" brass. Am I missing something here? I am fairly new to long range target shooting and don't claim to be an expert but have some metallurgic background knowledge and common sense would say less manipulating/work hardening would extend the useful life of the brass.

 

[gstaylorg]

The minor amount of work done to the brass by simply opening up the neck with an expander mandrel is not going to significantly work harden the neck in a single loading. I anneal after each firing, so it really isn't an issue for me. Depending on the lot/caliber/manufacturer, the necks of virgin brass can vary significantly in diameter, and will affect your neck tension proportionally. I've had lots of Lapua .223 brass where the mandrel (~.223" dia) did not even touch the sides on about 1 out of every 5 or 6 cases. However, it opened up the others as expected. Ultimately, I decided to FL resize all of those cases simply to get the neck tension consistent. The lots of Lapua virgin .308 brass I've used have had much more consistent necks. For that reason, I do not typically do anything more with those than open them up with the expander mandrel, remove the lube, chamfer, and prime/load. However, the neck tension on the first load will not be quite as consistent as it will be after the first FL resizing, and it is definitely noticeable on the target. The groups usually tighten up a bit after the first resize.

As you noted, most resizing dies will not completely remove a sizable neck ding, because of they way they work. That is the major reason to have the expander mandrel/die. In my hands, the mandrel will remove most of the ding and allow the resizing die to finish the job. Almost any bolt gun with a strong ejector spring or a semi are likely going to cause flattened necks to some degree. You can mitigate this to some extent with a bolt gun by extremely slow and careful extraction; however, you are still likely to see a flattened neck every now and then. The expander mandrel/die is a relatively inexpensive addition to your reloading setup.


http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloadi...ir-generation-ii-expander-dies-prod38807.aspx

http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloadi...air-expander-mandrel-oversized-prod33134.aspx