To Re-Load or Not???

[GMC man]

.300 blk

I have finished setting my Dies for the .300 now and have finished 50 tonight. I used the info from the Honrnady book as they used our girl for their data except for the case trim I used the blackout trim as it will not make a difference to me but if anyone else grabbed one of my rounds it would be a big problem for them.

Case trim of 1.364
C.O.L of 2.20
Accurate 1680 22.0 grain
Projectile M80 148 grain copper clad
note: like the CFE223 you cant double charge her in fact I am compressing the powder some with this col.

here a comparison of the 5.56, .300 blackout M80 and the Russian 7.62.

 

[zip777]

Range day tomorrow. Going to stuff my first test batch tonight.

Ok. First rookie snag. I'm trying to load pre-primed and sized brass. Case lengths are good with an average of 1.753. Here's the problem other than struggling to set my seating die....

My bullets are not boat tail and they don't fit in the case. According to what I am reading the resizing die flares the case mouth....but won't that also deprime?

And here I was thinking all I needed to do was charge cases...manually seat bullets and crimp.

.....and I'm still confused as to how I properly set the height on the seating die so OAL is correct. UGH!!! I feel really stupid. Looks like all factory at the range tomorrow until I understand it. You tube videos I found weren't helpful. :/

 

[BHarada]

Zip,
Rifle dies don't flare the case mouth like straightwall pistol dies. You'll need to chamfer the inside of the case neck so that the flat base bullets can be seated.

As for setting COAL, here's what I do. Back off the seating die several turns so that it doesn't contact the case with the ram fully raised. Then with a case and bullet in place raise the ram and slowly start screwing down the seating plug and measuring the resulting OAL. Repeat this process until you reach the length you want. This is now your template round for COAL.

Now back off the seating plug several turns. Put the template round in the press and raise the ram. Screw down the seating die until you feel it make contact with the case neck. Lower the ram and turn the die down 1/8 turn and lock it in place.

Raise the ram again and screw down the seating plug until it makes contact with the bullet and lock it down. You may need to make some minor adjustments to the seating plug which can move slightly when locking it down.

 

[GMC man]

Ok. First rookie snag. I'm trying to load pre-primed and sized brass. Case lengths are good with an average of 1.753. Here's the problem other than struggling to set my seating die....

My bullets are not boat tail and they don't fit in the case. According to what I am reading the resizing die flares the case mouth....but won't that also deprime?

And here I was thinking all I needed to do was charge cases...manually seat bullets and crimp.

.....and I'm still confused as to how I properly set the height on the seating die so OAL is correct. UGH!!! I feel really stupid. Looks like all factory at the range tomorrow until I understand it. You tube videos I found weren't helpful. :/

edit I didnt know that rifle dies dont chamfer thanks Bill.

As far as setting the COL on the die, with the Winchester projectiles I have they vary enough I cant set the nut and run a bunch thru so I took the nut off and marked on the die and rod a location for minimum setting of COL and check each round with my calipers and hand adjusting the rod until I am within the COL I need. Its a pain but works.

Fred

 

[oneyeopn]

My dies dont flare the mouth, you do it with the Chamfer tool. it kinda ramps down the edge. Lets the bullet start a little easier. Then you place the brass in the shellholder, guide a bullet over the case mouth, and let the case take it into the die, it will feel hard at first, if you have to back of pressure and let the bullet realign itself but there is a bump there. Once you get it started you can feel it slide in. There is a moment there where you just have to push a little harder than you think you might. If you push two hard you can slightly collapse a case. Most of the time they will reform in the resizing die. You just have to do it once and you understand. Most of the time I dont even chamfer on my plinking bullets. And Bill nailed the Die Set Up.

 

[BHarada]

My understanding of the way the resize die works is that it compresses (under sizes) the neck when it's fully inserted into the die. Then when you lower the ram there's a little plug just above the decapping pin (the expander ball) which gets pulled through the neck to give it the proper diameter.

There may be a separate die available strictly for add in a flare to the case mouth. My Dillon 3-die set came with resizer, seater, and taper crimp dies, but nothing to flare the case mouth.

I asked Grover about this very thing when I first started reloading 223. Coming from a pistol reloading background I thought I had my dies misadjusted. But he told me to chamfer the mouth just enough for the bullet to sit straight then run it through the seating die.

 

[zip777]

Thanks Bill. I was watching a guy load pistol ammo so that makes sense. Duh. Man I need to pay attention.

Next issue?? Of all the stuff I bought I did not buy a chamfer tool. I can't believe it. Missed a pocket cleaner as well.

Maybe it's me but when I saw a video of the chamfer tool being used it appears to only hit the very rim of the case mouth. These hornady bullets are .223 obviously but the case mouths are .211 to .215. Does chamfering widen the case mouth .01"???

 

[oneyeopn]

Once you get the Seating die set all of your bullets should come out right, unless you change something. The only difference could be brass just not precisely all the same length. But thats why your COL can vary a few thousanths. In my case I havent found it necessary to trim all the time but when I reach into a sack of brass and pull a couple out to measure if they are off by much I will trim. Your Ok

 

[zip777]

I see what you are saying Grover but these are SP Bullets. If the seating die pushes the bullet the rest of the way in wont it crush the lead point???

 

[oneyeopn]

Its just a tight fit..and the brass will stretch that much
thats why I dont always crimp

 

[oneyeopn]

shouldnt...it should be pushing on the shoulder of the bullet

I have done many soft points and ballistic tips and have never had one come out smooshed....plus if a person requires perfect tips on their softpoints there is a tool for that

 

[GMC man]

Hornady makes a good pocket cleaning tool just be sure the handle come with yours. I switched from RCBS to the Hornady because the wires in the RCBS bend easy and have to be pulled out a lot plus they wear out fast. In this case paying more makes sense as the Hornady will last a lot longer without the problems.

 

[zip777]

Well thanks to you guys I'll be ok....once I buy a chamfer tool. UGH!!!

It's not the money they are cheap! It's just I have to wait now!

 

[oneyeopn]

Bill explained the Chamfer Tool. Didnt you Buy the lee set? I thought mine came with the Chamfer tool but maybe not. That really has been a few years ago.

 

[oneyeopn]

Patience Grass Hopper, you can try it without chamfering. See if you have any boattail bullets.

 

[GMC man]

I looked at the price difference when I first bought mine and figured they were the same so why pay more even if it was only a few dollars, so far thats the third screw up I did thinking I would save a few $, the powder scale, pocket cleaner brushes and the hand primer.

 

[zip777]

I do have one! Was in the other box. It's late. I'm going to just digest all this tonight. Shoot a little factory tomorrow.

I can try to set the die adjustment during the week and that will give me lots of time to ask questions and get it right.

 

[don5]

This is why I love this thread. You guys are right on top of it. I have only been reloading for 3 years and so far I must be doing things right because I am doing things exactly like you guys say. I also hand prime and the thought of a primer going off scares the **** out of me! I use the rcbs unversal hand primer. One thing to watch for while handpriming is squeeze till you see the primer in the hole. I have seen a primer come up on its side! I made this mistake once and after some finagling, and a few choice words, I got the case loose from the priming tool. If this happens to any of you guys, simply turn the case until the bent primer lines up with the slot in the die. Hopefully, it will slide out. Also watch the plastic tray isn't at an angle or feeding problems occur. I always look at the primer before I seat it now. I haven't tried the annealing yet so I find that very interesting. Kudos to all of you for the tips I have seen here. Thank you and if I have any questions, I will ask you guys. BTW- I have never reloaded pistol ammo yet. Its always been rifle ammo. But I do have some ppistol dies tho.

 

[BHarada]

The bullet seating plug for the 223 die is shaped like a donut so that the bullet tip goes through the middle. This does save the tips of soft point bullets but also allows your COAL to vary based on the position of the ogive on the bullet.

I've had my COAL vary by up to .006" but when I shot them it didn't have any bad effect on accuracy.

 

[don5]

Oops- i meant to say shell holder not die in regards to the handpriming. Sorry about that!