The brass was once fired. I bought the brass online. The dies are Lee Pacesetter dies and are adjusted per instructions. The thing is that when I use Winchester brass, the rounds smoothly cycle, but most of the Federals are problematic.
Giggitygiggity: With all the posts you have contributed and all the threads you have read, surely you are aware of the value of case gages in setting up your sizing dies?
Surely? :banghead:
I set up my sizing dies with cartridge headspace gages. As you have found, and will continue to find, brass does not always react the same when sized, and the factory sizing instructions, if followed, seldom if ever size cases to the correct dimensions.
A discussion of this can be found in this thread
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=6792481&postcount=17
Being able to measure a phenomena provides a path to controlling that phenomena. If you can't measure what you are doing, then your process control is based on faith, myth, and legend.
I generally keep a Wilson case gage on the bench when I am sizing brass. I will drop the cases in the gage and it tells me if I am sizing my brass between “Go” and “No Go” on the case gage.
I have multiple target rifles in 30-06, 308 and .223. My ammunition has to fit all of the rifles of the same caliber. I cannot afford the luxury of neck sizing or partial neck sizing. As any of this ammunition may be fired in a gas gun, the brass has to be sized smaller than the chamber or I risk function issues.
I have taken my rifle chamber head space gages and dropped them in my Wilson case gages. Chamber gage "Go" corresponded exactly with "Go" on case gage, " No Go" corresponded exactly with "No Go"
Wilson gages only measure length. They are cut big between the base and the shoulder so you can drop in fired cases and get a very good chamber headspace measurement.
If you want case gages that measure cartridge headspace and "fattness", you will have to ask a gunsmith for a reamer cut gage. For gas guns, "fattness" is just as important as length.
I bought a .223 reamer cut gage from Compass Lake Engineering for $35.00. It is cut with the exact same reamer that Frank used in chambering my Space Gun. time.
If you set up your sizing die with a cartridge headspace gage, then bump the shoulder back .003" from a fired case, your brass will last a long time.