New Lapua brass bullet seating tension

[Aggrofish]

So I loaded some new Lapua brass to test in 6.5 CM. I ran them through a Redding FL bushing die to get the necks uniform. I then chamfered and deburred. When seating the bullets I noticed it took significantly more pressure to seat the bullet compared to the 50 pieces of Hornady brass I loaded immediately before.

OD diameter of the neck is .288 and .290 with a loaded round. The numbers look right so why the resistance dry necks?

 

[XLR308]

The Lapua 65 Creedmoor brass has an excessive amount of neck tension when new.
You need to run a mandrel through them before loading and some light lubrication in the necks certainly wouldn't hurt.

I bought 200 pieces for my current project I'm still working on and used one for setting up a dummy round with the 147eldm before having it chambered. Pulled just straight from the box and seated the bullet it took way more pressure than I had anticipated. All though it did have less than .001 of run out.

After that I ordered the complete neck turning kit from 21st century with the expander and turning mandrels.

Problem solved.

 

[mdmp5]

Usually the bare brass that makes it sticky. If it's bothering you, try rubbing the bullet with a little bit of imperial wax

 

[Aggrofish]

Great idea I have some dry neck lube that probably even better.

Usually the bare brass that makes it sticky. If it's bothering you, try rubbing the bullet with a little bit of imperial wax

 

[mdmp5]

Great idea I have some dry neck lube that probably even better.

You can do that too, but to make it easy, try dipping the ass end of the bullet into the dry lube instead of dunking the case and then charging it. Makes less of a mess

 

[Aggrofish]

Yeah I don't have a choice there, I have to do it that way - I have 50 pieces of brass with powder in them already.

You can do that too, but to make it easy, try dipping the ass end of the bullet into the dry lube instead of dunking the case and then charging it. Makes less of a mess

 

[mdmp5]

Don't let them sit too long in the open or you will be dealing with variable moisture

 

[XLR308]

Usually the bare brass that makes it sticky. If it's bothering you, try rubbing the bullet with a little bit of imperial wax

mijp5, just out of curiosity have you ever compared the Lee sizing lube to Imperial wax.

It is basically all I have ever used for sizing and lubing case necks and will not contaminate powder or primers and have never had a stuck case in 25 years of using it.

I'm going to test it for turning necks and am curious if anyone has allready attempted that.

 

[Christoph]

I started using a 21st centery mandrel die. It helps keeping uniform neck tension. It also helped my es numbers.

 

[mdmp5]

mijp5, just out of curiosity have you ever compared the Lee sizing lube to Imperial wax.

It is basically all I have ever used for sizing and lubing case necks and will not contaminate powder or primers and have never had a stuck case in 25 years of using it.

I'm going to test it for turning necks and am curious if anyone has allready attempted that.

Never tried it, but I'm sure it's fine. I've just never bought any other lube other than imperial and dillon.

 

[Aggrofish]

The dry neck lube worked and the seating pressure was less.

 

[mdmp5]

excellent

 

[Aggrofish]

It doesn't appear as though the extra tension affected the bullets at all due to it being consistent across all cases. I pulled the 4th shot in the second pic. I knew the second it broke. Looks like it started opening up at 41.7 so I'll probably load in the middle of 41.1 and 41.4 and call it a day. I really can't stand load development.

 

[mdmp5]

Load development is balls. I started simplifying it by doing 1 rd ladders at distance and then 3 rd seating depth groups at the same distance. If I do the 100 yd thing, I will never find what I am looking for

 

[Aggrofish]

Thankfully this was pretty quick considering it was a brass change, primer change, and a switch from IMR 4451 to H4350. I already know they like mid 2700s for velocity so...

Load development is balls. I started simplifying it by doing 1 rd ladders at distance and then 3 rd seating depth groups at the same distance. If I do the 100 yd thing, I will never find what I am looking for