GravelRider
Member
I reloaded some test rounds of 308, and at the range one got stuck in the chamber, requiring me to take it back home to my bench to get it unstuck. I stopped with the test firing and bought a Sheridan case gauge, which I just got in the mail.
As I suspected, the case didn't fit in the case gauge. I then went and checked the rest of my rounds, and 20% of the finished test rounds wouldn't fit. So, I grabbed a few of the resized brass and tested them, and same thing; about 20% of them just won't fit in the case gauge.
My Lyman turret press had snapped the main turret bolt during resizing this lot, so I figured that probably had something to do with it. In the meantime, I upgraded to a Redding T7.
The first thing I did was resize a few pieces of the previously resized brass that didn't fit in the case gauge again in the new Redding press. They still didn't fit. I double checked die adjustments, resized again, and same thing. I then over-adjusted until it cammed over, but the resized brass still won't fit in the case gauge. The resized brass looks like any other piece of brass I've resized. Nothing looks off.
I flipped the case upside down just to make sure it wasn't the rim, and the rim will fit into the top of the case gauge, so that doesn't look likely.
The brass is all once fired, ordered online. I sorted it all by headstamp manufacturer (WMA), though I did not sort years. Most of the brass is '16-'20. There does not appear to be any correlation between year and not fitting in the case gauge. The brass was all trimmed to 2.005" after resizing, and was then chamfered and deburred and tumbled overnight.
Dies used are RCBS sizing and bullet seating and a Lee factory crimp die. The cases were lubed with One Shot. The cases all resized with a normal amount of effort.
I've never had any issues like this before, and I'm quite stumped at what is going on.
I can safely rule out any issues past the resizing stage, since the unloaded cases aren't fitting.
So what in the hell is going on here???
As I suspected, the case didn't fit in the case gauge. I then went and checked the rest of my rounds, and 20% of the finished test rounds wouldn't fit. So, I grabbed a few of the resized brass and tested them, and same thing; about 20% of them just won't fit in the case gauge.
My Lyman turret press had snapped the main turret bolt during resizing this lot, so I figured that probably had something to do with it. In the meantime, I upgraded to a Redding T7.
The first thing I did was resize a few pieces of the previously resized brass that didn't fit in the case gauge again in the new Redding press. They still didn't fit. I double checked die adjustments, resized again, and same thing. I then over-adjusted until it cammed over, but the resized brass still won't fit in the case gauge. The resized brass looks like any other piece of brass I've resized. Nothing looks off.
I flipped the case upside down just to make sure it wasn't the rim, and the rim will fit into the top of the case gauge, so that doesn't look likely.
The brass is all once fired, ordered online. I sorted it all by headstamp manufacturer (WMA), though I did not sort years. Most of the brass is '16-'20. There does not appear to be any correlation between year and not fitting in the case gauge. The brass was all trimmed to 2.005" after resizing, and was then chamfered and deburred and tumbled overnight.
Dies used are RCBS sizing and bullet seating and a Lee factory crimp die. The cases were lubed with One Shot. The cases all resized with a normal amount of effort.
I've never had any issues like this before, and I'm quite stumped at what is going on.
I can safely rule out any issues past the resizing stage, since the unloaded cases aren't fitting.
So what in the hell is going on here???