Resizing 7.62 x 51 brass

[randylbarnes]

I am in the process of preparing a bunch of military 7.62 x 51 brass. I am having an issue with quite a few cases that will not fully drop into the Sheridan Engineering case gauge due to a bulge at the base if the case by the rim. I have tried running them thru a Redding small base body die before full length sizing them with a Hornady full length sizing die. I am looking for someone that has a Case Pro 100 in 308 to see if that will do the trick. I am willing to pay shipping both ways and pay for the service to see if that will take care of the problem before I shell out a bunch of money. Any suggestions???

 

[FROGO207]

In the mean time you could try rotating them 180* and run up into the sizer again. Also hold them in the sizer to the count of 20 to increase the dwell time. They probably were MG fired and expanded excessively. Oh, have you tried them in the chamber after resizing them? They might still work even though they do not fit the case gauge fully. Mine do this in my several 308's.

 

[Charlie98]

You can also run them up into a .30-06 die with the decap/size ball removed... it will size the body of the case without fooling with the neck, then size it in the .308 die for a better full-length size.

 

[Charlie98]

And not to state the obvious... but does it fit in your rifle? Gauges are guides, very often manufactured for a specific tolerance. The real question is... does it fit in your rifle?

 

[The Glockodile]

Lake City brass sometimes needs more than one resizing stroke, and yes - rotating the case does help.

 

[Skeptic13]

I would see if they chamber in the rifle as mentioned above. The rifle chamber is the end goal. At least try a hand full of them and then you will know the extent of the issue.

 

[Slamfire]

The reason roll dies exist is sometimes case heads are so expanded, that the equipment the average reloader has, that is a press and a die, will not provide sufficient case head reduction.

Cartridge cases are not stand alone pressure vessels, they are gas seals. And if they are fired in huge chambers, they expand to fill the chamber, or rupture from being stretched too much. If the OP cannot reduce the case heads with his equipment, he needs to try a roll sizer.

 

[randylbarnes]

The reason roll dies exist is sometimes case heads are so expanded, that the equipment the average reloader has, that is a press and a die, will not provide sufficient case head reduction.

Cartridge cases are not stand alone pressure vessels, they are gas seals. And if they are fired in huge chambers, they expand to fill the chamber, or rupture from being stretched too much. If the OP cannot reduce the case heads with his equipment, he needs to try a roll sizer.

I have tried rotating the case multiple times along with leaving it in the press for a little while and it does not make a difference. I am buying the brass to rework and resell so my rifle makes no difference. That is why I want to try to run it thru a Case Pro 100 to see id it makes a difference.

 

[cfullgraf]

When I got my M1A a few years ago, I bought a bunch of once fired military cases. Many had been fired in a machine gun and I experinced a high incidence of case head separation.

I tossed the entire batch. Fortunately, not too many.

I no longer buy once fired 7.62x61 cases.

Just my experience.

 

[Blue68f100]

Once sized take your calipers to the batch. You will quickly know which ones were shot in a MG. Excess trimming will be needed. Those will have head separation within 1-2 reloads. So separate them out.

 

[dcloco]

You may use a 45 ACP sizing die as well.

Can you post pictures?

As stated above, might consider cutting a couple cases apart and find out what is going on.

 

[Charlie98]

When I got my M1A a few years ago, I bought a bunch of once fired military cases. Many had been fired in a machine gun and I experinced a high incidence of case head separation.

I tossed the entire batch. Fortunately, not too many.

I no longer buy once fired 7.62x61 cases.

Just my experience.

I had that problem with 2000 7.62mm LC (etc) cases. As you say, I don't buy any once-fired 7.62mm cases....

 

[forrest r]

I'm impressed that no one has tried to use a lee bulge buster for the 45acp on them yet

 

[Blue68f100]

The easiest way I have found to size brass like that has been to anneal them first. Then every thing goes easier and smooth.

 

[denton]

FWIW, a machine gun sets the shoulder on a 5.56 case back .014". Ya think that might tend toward case head separation?

 

[NMexJim]

The easiest way I have found to size brass like that has been to anneal them first. Then every thing goes easier and smooth.

Anneal down at the head of the case? I thought that was verboten?

You might want to cut one of those in half lengthwise and check the wall thickness near the head.

 

[Blue68f100]

No, anneal the neck shoulder area. What's happens is the brass has stretched above the base. What ever amount it stretches has to move toward the neck/shoulder area. Annealing the neck/shoulder allows the brass to flow freely and keeps from bulging the brass any more than it is. Use of good lube is required too.

 

[AK Hunter]

Lake City brass sometimes needs more than one resizing stroke, and yes - rotating the case does help.

All my rifle brass gets run through the sizing die twice with a spin to rotate them between the sizing. I have found it helps too.
If the bottom of the case is too large to fit the case gauge the primer pocket is most likely too large too, I get some from the range like that every now & then.

 

[NMexJim]

No, anneal the neck shoulder area. What's happens is the brass has stretched above the base. What ever amount it stretches has to move toward the neck/shoulder area. Annealing the neck/shoulder allows the brass to flow freely and keeps from bulging the brass any more than it is. Use of good lube is required too.

If I understand the OP correctly, his cases are bulged down near the head of the case. I'm not sure how shoulder/neck annealing will help with that. I definitely agree on the lube.

If the head of the cases are stretched like I think they are, and I personally have never seen such bulges, then I'd not load them and would write them off.

If the brass is springing back out after resizing and won't size correctly, bye-bye brass. Recycle time IMHO.

 

[NMexJim]

One other thought, have you contacted the company that sold you the brass in the first place? I'd be running hot about them.

 

[Nature Boy]

When I got my M1A a few years ago, I bought a bunch of once fired military cases. Many had been fired in a machine gun and I experinced a high incidence of case head separation.

I tossed the entire batch. Fortunately, not too many.

I no longer buy once fired 7.62x61 cases.

Just my experience.

I agree with this. Once fired 7.62 NATO brass is almost always fired through a machine gun. The resulting difficulty in resizing and the very real potential for case head separation makes the juice not worth the squeeze for me.

 

[dh1633pm]

I only use 7.62x51 LC Brass. Had some trouble originally. Using an RCBS Small Base die to fix only those that won't pass the case gauge. It didn't work good at first because I had adjusted the die wrong. Haven't had issues with case head separation.

 

[NMexJim]

You haven't said what firearm you'll be running these through or what your goal is.

If you're interested in good accuracy out of a bolt gun, then you need to chuck that brass and start over. For accurate loads through a decent bolt gun, go at least Win or Fed. I personally use Hornady (is consistent enough to cut out a lot of work like neck turning) and Lapua where I want super accuracy. I like Lake City well enough, but I've had to neck turn each batch. It's good general use plinker stuff though.

If you're running an AR, I think you're really going to have serious feed issues from here on out. You've tried a small base, and I'm not sure why you'd go then to a Hornady sizing die, but obviously, something is amiss. Lake City works well for these applications.

Sometimes trying too hard to save money can cost us much more.

 

[FLIGHT762]

The one downside to using a drop in case gauge like the Sheridan is sometimes the case rim is slightly bent and it will hang up on the rim and give a false reading. Check to be sure that isn't happening.

The die I've found that will F/L size the stubborn MG brass is the Redding Small Base Body Die.

 

[Speer4447s]

You might try resizing with an RCBS ULTRA small base resizing die ... I bought mine in about 1980 and think that RCBS probably still makes'em.