what am i doing wrong 338 lapua

[Smkngstv]

just bought 150 hornady already primed brass,i used spray lube on brass,set the deprimer high so it won't hit the primers,using rbcs fl dies,on the down stroke of press not much force is needed,but on the up stroke it requires a lot of force.i had to put extra screws into plywood on top of bench as to not rip it off.any ideas as i am new to this

 

[nso123]

Did you lube inside the case necks? It sounds like the expander is fighting you as you pull it out of the case.

 

[Smkngstv]

No I did not,what is the best way to do that

 

[bigbore74]

Not to hijack but I get the same when I deprime my cases (FL Die). I seriously have to pop my hand upward that is holding the lever to break off from my case. If I back the die seat anymore the primer will not come out. Lubing might be an issue. To me the spray isn't as a thick gel as in the tube. Never thought of lubing the inside case.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

just bought 150 hornady already primed brass,i used spray lube on brass,set the deprimer high so it won't hit the primers,using rbcs fl dies,on the down stroke of press not much force is needed,but on the up stroke it requires a lot of force.i had to put extra screws into plywood on top of bench as to not rip it off.any ideas as i am new to this

Was the brass sized when it was primed, or is it new brass that was primed?

Why are you spraying lube on brass that's been primed?

What lube, what brass, we need a little more info bro.

Are you new to reloading?

Chris

 

[BenTerrible]

First problem...Hornady Brass.

Second Problem...Primed brass that isn't sized???

I would start by measuring the cases prior to running them through the FL die. Chances are they have been sized already. It would be odd to have 'new', primed brass that has not been sized. Hornady has had issues with their cases, specifically the 338 lapua cartridge. I sent back 400 rounds!!! You might consider stopping altogether and calling Hornady with a lot number to check and see if the brass is a bad batch. This will save you a huge headache in the long run.

Trust me, it is not a fun day getting to the range and not being able to extract the case after it's fired...

 

[Smkngstv]

-brand new brass,primed,i do not know if it comes already sized,so i resized it
-after reading forums,instructions and watching reloading vids on you tube everyone said you must lube cases
-the brass is was sprayed with light mist in clean cookie sheet laying on there side,as per instructions
-i am new to reloading
-as stated hornady brass,thats all that is available here in edmonton
-lube made by dillon dcl case lube

 

[ChrisGarrett]

-brand new brass,primed,i do not know if it comes already sized,so i resized it
-after reading forums,instructions and watching reloading vids on you tube everyone said you must lube cases
-the brass is was sprayed with light mist in clean cookie sheet laying on there side,as per instructions
-i am new to reloading
-as stated hornady brass,thats all that is available here in edmonton
-lube made by dillon dcl case lube

Try removing your expander ball/rod entirely and size that way.

Also, since you've sprayed the cases with Dillon lube, I don't know if I'd trust that the primers haven't been contaminated?

Finally, before I attempt the above, I'd load the cases in your rifle and see if you can close your bolt. If the trim length is fine and the bolt closes easily, I'd just load them up and fire form them.

Chris

 

[timelinex]

New brass comes pre-sized already... As chris said, I would not trust primers that have been exposed to lube. Too many things wrong with this picture. Either take out the primers and start from scratch on your brass prep or don't do anything to the brass(other than deburring) and just use it. Don't make this more difficult than it is.

 

[Sniper Uncle]

Yeah, what they said.
Sometimes with new brass the neck may have become dented a little in shipping. To handle this, you can remove the decapping pin from the expander ball and just run the case through the sizer, only going deep enough to put the expander ball through the neck and back out. If the dent is a deep one, gently work it a little with pliers first to get it partly worked out, then through the die. I use Imperial Sizing wax, and just put a little bit on my finger, then run my finger over the neck and shoulder, so you can't even really see it. If just doing neck clean-up on new brass, or even when F/L sizing, I put a tiny bit on the top of the inside of the neck, the expander ball then pushes it down inside as necessary, and makes the brass come out of the die much easier. I only do this on about every 5th-10th case. Your press handle will tell you when you need to do it again.

 

[vh20]

In addition to the inside of the case necks not being lubed, it sounds like to me you have the depriming/expander ball mandrel set so that the expander ball is still stuck in the case neck at the bottom of your stroke, potentially causing it to wedge the neck against the inside of the die or it could just be that you are starting your upstroke from a "stuck" position since the ball is still stuck in the neck at the bottom of the stroke.

 

[Sniper Uncle]

In addition to the inside of the case necks not being lubed, it sounds like to me you have the depriming/expander ball mandrel set so that the expander ball is still stuck in the case neck at the bottom of your stroke, potentially causing it to wedge the neck against the inside of the die or it could just be that you are starting your upstroke from a "stuck" position since the ball is still stuck in the neck at the bottom of the stroke.

Yes, VH20, I was thinking about this as I fell asleep last night, and also wondered if by trying to lift the de-capping pin up, he hadn't gotten the expander ball too close to the neck sizing portion of the die and cased jamming to occur. I personally would remove the de-capping pin and just use the expander ball instead of trying to raise the whole assembly in order to keep from de-capping. I did this very successfully with some loads I had made but not shot before re-barreling my rifle. they did not fit the new chamber, so I pulled the bullets one at a time, poured out the powder, resized without the de-capping pin, and re-assembled them. They came out great.

 

[biffj]

I think the first reply nailed it, you need lube inside the case neck to make sure the expander ball doesn't get stuck. Its easy to do with either a bore brush or mop with a bit of lube on it. If you don't lube the inside of the neck you will either stick a case or pull off the ball at some point. Don't overdo it especially with pre-primed brass as you don't want any lube in the primer. I prefer to remove the lube after sizing and prior to priming so I toss all the cases back in the tumbler for 15 or 20 minutes to clean them up. The lube can change the pressure required to push the bullet out of the case just like differing neck tensions will do. I suppose thats not a bad thing if its consistent but a clean case is the most consistent for me. I normally only prime when I'm ready to load so that the primers aren't exposed to any contaminants . One other problem you'll find if you don't lube the inside of the neck is that your brass life will decrease due to stretching and possible scoring by the expander. That can cause premature splitting of the necks.

I've been shooting Hornady 338LM brass for a few years now and haven't had any of the issues that others have complained about. I'm using the Pacific dies and lanolin or a paste lube and have never stuck a case. I've got some cases with 8 firings on them and have yet to split a neck or any other part of a case. I've not done any annealing of the cases because of curiosity about how long they'll go. I've also been shooting Lapua and Privi Partizan cases and to tell the truth I've had no issues with any of them. The lapua brass seems to be the most consistent in weight but the others surprised me with how well they've done. I'm shooting them all in the same rifle...a Desert Tactical Arms SRS. I've been shooting both the 250gr SMK's and Lapua lockbase as well as some 300gr SMK's. There are differences in the brass and the load that works well in the lapua brass will be a bit hot in the Privi with the hornady in between. 2850fps in the lapua brass with the 250 SMK is more like 2900 in the hornady and 2950 in the privi so I've tried to keep the loads broken down for each type. I don't tend to load for the hottest speed so maybe I'm not stressing the brass too much but I'm running the 250 SMK's at around 2900 in all three types of brass. I load with IMR 5010 which is pretty slow so maybe the pressure curve is kinder to the brass.

Hope that helps

Frank

 

[northern50]

Lube the inside of the necks with imperial sizing wax and a q-tip. I do this when resizing 50bmg, butter smooth. As for those who said the sizing lube could have contaminated the primers... Only if you submerged the cases.. Not the issue with aerosol. No need to size primed cases. Measure the inside of the necks to be sure they have been sized. You should have a caliper.

 

[mudpig]

As uncle stated above. I use Imperial sizing wax when bumbing shoulders back. Just a little on the fingers as you put the case into the shell holder on every 5th round or so works great. Imperial wax won't seep into primers. Most of the time I only neck size and use Imperial dry neck lube. Works great...easy to apply...and no clean-up or worry of primer contamination.

http://www.brownells.com/search/index.htm?k=redding+dry+neck+lube&ksubmit=y

 

[P7id10t]

I run into this on my Forster FL sizing die for my 338. Don't think much of it. I wax every case but don't put any wax in my case mouth. This seems to do the trick.
You can feel the case drag on the expander ball as you push the ram back down. I have on occasion swabbed a touch of wax on the expander ball inside the die and then wipe it off.
Also wipe out the inside of my die every 50 or so cases 'cuz I'd hate to plug the vent hole in the die.

 

[mudpig]

Didn't think of this earlier, but on all my expanders, I polish them to a mirror like surface before I ever use them the first time. Chuck the stem into a cordless drill and I use a piece of 600 grit sand paper wetted with Kroil. Hold the paper around the expander lightly with fingers, and let the drill do all the work. After a short time the expander should shine and be very slick feeling. I've found that helps it slip between the neck a lot easier and doesn't remove any measureable amount of metal. Lately, I've also been taking moly paste on a patch, after polishing, and burnishing moly into the expander as well.

 

[fish30114]

I don't think lube in your neck is your issue. I believe that as one poster suggested you have the expander to high in the die, and the case is getting pinched in the die between the neck shoulder junction. Do NOT put lube on your cases on the shoulder--that is a sure way to get pressure dents in the shoulder...I also spin my expanders down on some emory cloth, or even my belt sander, I recommend doing this to all your expanders until the just brush on the case mouth when entering or coming out of your cases. Just pull the decapping pin and lower your expander ball a bit in your die and I think all will be well.

 

[Smkngstv]

Thanks for all the info guys,I will pick up some dry neck lube and dip each one,I loaded up 50 rounds with my son last night.using 300 gr.berger hybrids .started with 85 grains of retumbo then went up in .5grain increments,to 88. I have a prairie gun works Timberwolf and have only shot 20 rounds Thur it.i love this rifle.i am booking into rob furlongs sniper/long distance 3 day shooting school in may,so that is why I want to develop a good load for my gun..we have lots of snow still here in Edmonton and its -16 c. As soon as weather permits I will get out and start testing..any idea how many rounds might be needed for the 3 days. As I think I will have to find more brass.

 

[Smkngstv]

I have been able to find a neck size die only,with proper lube I think this will make things easer with sizing neck with primers already in brass in stead od backing off decamping pin

 

[korykhunter]

If you decide to use the Dry Neck Lube I like the Imperial with the media in it works very well. Sinclair and Redding are two places I've purchased it.