Reloading .30/06

[jimmyj]

Hi:
Attempting to reload 30/06 brass after many moons of inactivity using RCBS dies.
Problem is the decapping die does not bell the case mouth wide enough for a jacketed bullet to enter.
I have tried every adjustment I can think of, but negative success.
Opinions ?

Thanks,
Jimmy

 

[federali]

No Belling Needed---Except for Lead Budllets

Generally, a full length reloading die does not bell a case mouth. A separate belling die would be needed. On progressive presses, this function is usually combined with powder charging. The sized case needs to be a bit tighter than the bullet in order to hold it securely.

My only thought is that perhaps, while maintaining your dies, you got the wrong stem and expander plug screwed into the full length .30-06 die.

 

[arjay]

Try deburring the inside of the case mouth with a deburring tool.That inside edge is really sharp and it should break the edge.

 

[MichiganScott]

Try deburring the inside of the case mouth with a deburring tool.That inside edge is really sharp and it should break the edge.

This and stick to either boat tails or bullets with a rounded heel.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Pull your expander and measure it.
Nice to know you have the correct size from the get go.

Might as well give the inside and die parts a good cleaning, while you are at it.

Correct setting depends on how deep the expander is set and also where the locking ring is located on the main body.
This all takes time and when correct.......... log the measurements for that die.

De capping ( removing primer ?) with 100% results, will usually have the pin deep enough for the expander to work.
I am betting on a worn or .270 expander in the unit.

Good luck.

 

[Qc Pistolero]

Lyman ''M'' die works well for cast and jacketed bullets;if deburring the interior part of the neck isn't enough,this tool works great.
Qc

 

[DWalt]

Never saw any .30-'06 dies which belled the case mouth. I have never needed belled case mouths for .30 jacketed bullets.

 

[Richard Simmons]

The RCBS two die set for 30.06 consists of the full length sizer die with expander/decapping unit and the seater die. The first die does in fact de-prime, resize and bell the case mouth.

My best guess is that something isn't setup/adjusted properly.


Correction. The sizer die expands the neck of the case not bell the mouth.

Full-Length Die Set - Group A - Popular Rifle Cartridges - RCBS

 

[sixtwoniner]

Never seen a belled case for a long gun. Been loading 06 for a long time with RCBS die. Run the full length resizer/decapper, debur the case (inside and out) seat the primer, set the powder charge and seat the the bullet. No bell, no crimp. Bullet has to be a tight fit in the case. Make bang, kill critter. Easy. Could be a case of the pistalero loading for long guns. Just sayin.

 

[reddog81]

Are the bullets .308?

Like others have said the sizer doesn't really bell the mouth, but it does resize the from inside of the neck on the up stroke so that the bullet can be seated correctly.

 

[rwsmith]

I used to flare 30-06.....

.....now I don't. The resize die expands the I.D. of the neck as it withdraws. Get a tool and chamfer inside the mouth of the case. Also, put a tiny bit of lube inside the case mouth. When you seat you bullets, slowly and carefully, the bullet should seat right down the neck.

I used to crimp too, except now I don't. The case neck tension is good for bolt rifles. BUT, if it's a semi auto, Garand or other or lever, you will want to crimp the mouth just a tad. The RCBS bullet seater die will crimp if set right. I'm also finding the Lee Factory Crimp dies to be good at crimping rifles. They have a built in collet that squeezes four 'leaves' around the mouth of the case.

If you use lead bullets that are .001" or so bigger than the jacketed, you may want to change the size of the expander on your resize die up a notch.

 

[Doubless]

I am a relative newcomer to reloading, comparatively speaking. I started in 1980, and the '06 was the second rifle cartridge I loaded for. My .270 was the first...

A few thoughts, some of which have already been covered:

A standard FL die does not bell a case mouth, nor should it. A properly set FL die, assuming the expander ball is the correct size, should prepare the case for bullet seating. In this case, the mouth inside diameter should be somewhere around .304"-.305", but maybe a bit tighter.

I would NOT use a mouth die for seating jacketed bullets. As stated, they are for cast bullets only, and are for projectiles that are .001" oversized and greater.

I would only crimp if using cannelured bullets, especially since you are already having trouble,and then crimp only in the cannelure. To crimp jacketed bullets w/o cannelure is to risk belling the neck and the seated projectile being loose enough in the case to spin. This is not good.

Although I have never seen it, I guess it is possible to get a die that is not machined concentric to centerline. If that is the issue, then the seater stem will not align with the centerline of the case, and the bullet will never go in. As has been said, seating the bullet should be met with a bit of resistance, as the neck of the case stretches a bit to accommodate a projectile that is a few thousandths larger than the ID of the case mouth.

I gave up lubricating case mouths years ago. I found myself pulling loaded rounds and finding a green buildup on the bullets, something I attributed to the water-based case lube from RCBS. I have yet to experience a need for the lube.

As has been said, break the inner edge of the case mouth with a de-burring tool. But be careful not to over-do it. A knife edge on the case mouth is too much, and will encourage the case to split.

I think your problem is pretty simple, but please let us know what it was when you figure it out. Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Ron AZ]

Try deburring the inside of the case mouth with a deburring tool.That inside edge is really sharp and it should break the edge.

This can be a/the problem but usually only if you've had to trim the cases to length.

Jimmy, can't say I've ever seen the resizing die "bell" the case mouth. You just sit the bullet on top the case and the ram pressure (hand press) seats the bullet expanding the case mouth as needed. Only time this is a problem is if you notice the case scraping some material off the copper jacket of the bullet.

In that case others have mentioned what to try: right expander, de-champfer inside of case mouth, or use bullets with slightly rounded edges or boattails.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I too have not seen a 30-06 siding die that would bell the case mouth. It is usually not necessary. Are you using a plated bullet or a true jacketed bullet?

Try chamfering the inside of the case mouth to aid in starting the bullet.
L.E. Wilson Chamfer Deburring Tool 17 to 45 Cal

 

[rwsmith]

The more I lube.....

The more I lube, the easier the job is. I don't lube 9mm and I use a thin spray on .38/.357 and still get some squawk and chatter, but firm operation of the press is good. Now 30-06 cases, I use the heavy duty lube and wouldn't be able to resize with out it. I've broken cases off that were stuck in the die if I didn't adequately lube the case. You gotta keep lube OFF the shoulder or you will get oil dents.

 

[jimmyj]

Hi:
I am attempting to de-prime some military .30/06 cases using a Lee hand tool. The de-priming rod will not enter the case mouth. I thought that maybe the rod was for a larger caliber then .30. Lee sent me a second rod, but it also will not enter the case mouth.

 

[2152hq]

Chamfer the inside edge of the mouth as has already been pointed out. That'll usually do the trick

Sometimes I want to slightly flare the mouth on a rifle case I don't have an M die for or don't want to take the time to set it up for just a few cases.

I make it simple and use a fired bottle neck case that can be inserted neck first into the one I want to flare.
The tapered neck of the former stops in the mouth of my reload.
A light, educated tap w/a small hammer flares the case mouth.

With several cases set up in a line, it's very quick to jump from one to the next during the process.

I was just using the process to load some 9.3x74R the other nite w/ Makarov jacketed 95gr bullets and a light charge of RedDot.
I crumpled a case even though they are chamfered trying to seat the sharper edged Mak bullets. A slight flare induced with a belted mag case upside down into the mouth made it easy.

The other 'tool' I sometimes use on bigger calibers is an old metal lathe center to induce the taper/flare,,still with a tap from a hammer.

The seater die adjusted right irons out any case mouth flare of course.

 

[tops]

A slight flare induced with a belted mag case upside down into the mouth made it easy.

The other 'tool' I sometimes use on bigger calibers is an old metal lathe center to induce the taper/flare,,still with a tap from a hammer.

The seater die adjusted right irons out any case mouth flare of course.

I have used a plumb bob. Larry

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Started using the Lyman M-dies for case mouth expansion over 30 years ago. Initially this was done for shooting cast bullets, but over time I found that the Lyman M-die provides much more consistent results with any bullets used, applies much less stress to case mouths, and contributes to much longer useful life of the cartridges cases.

I have obtained the Lyman M-die for every bottleneck rifle caliber that I reload for. I remove the decapping stem and expander ball from the resizing dies, perform decapping separately prior to sizing, and expand case necks on the M-die after sizing. This results in very precise and concentric neck sizing appropriate for the bullets used (stepped expansion for cast bullets, cylindrical expansion for jacketed bullets) with very little effort (less stressful for the brass), and generally excellent performance overall.

My .30-06 rifles include single shot, bolt action, and semi-autos (Garand, Johnson). All of my ammo is full-length sized and processed at every step so that it can be used in any of the rifles. Keeps things simple and I can grab any of the ammo and the rifle I want to shoot without worries over performance.

Best regards.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Sounds like the military cases are the problem.


As mentioned, put a light ream on the inside of the case neck and.....

add some lube to the inside of the case by way of a Q-tip.

If this does not work, toss the cases........
if the bullets have a .308 dia.