Headspace Question

[Footsie80]

Hi all, me again.

I just bought 100 pieces of once fired brass for a 30-06 in an auction that have all been deprimed, cleaned and sized. Unfortunately, I think the shoulders have been pushed back too far.

Using a Hornady Headspace Comparator with the .375 bushing, my fireformed brass measures at 2.046 +/- .001, factory measures at around 2.040 and all the brass measured out of the auction lot measures at 2.029-2.031. Resizing did nothing. Since it is recommended to have around .003 headspace, these items are more than .010 out of spec, which might cause casehead separation once fired.

I spent like $50 Canadian on the whole lot, so its not the end of the world. I also might have recourse with the auctioneer, just want to make sure I have a leg to stand on first.

Thanks in advance.

 

[PddPdd]

I wouldn't hesitate to anneal them and shoot with some moderate loads to fireform for your chamber.

You could always try it on one piece of brass to see if any issues appear.

Do you have a 30-06 body die if they over expand? (shoulder moves too far and have some bolt lift resistance). That's what I would pay attention to when shooting them. A body die would allow you to correct this situation.

 

[Footsie80]

I wouldn't hesitate to anneal them and shoot with some moderate loads to fireform for your chamber.

You could always try it on one piece of brass to see if any issues appear.

Do you have a 30-06 body die if they over expand? (shoulder moves too far and have some bolt lift resistance). That's what I would pay attention to when shooting them. A body die would allow you to correct this situation.

I should have mentioned that the cases also look annealed, but I can't say when. For sizing, I only have a Lee FL die and a neck collet die. I'm fairly new to the game and wanted to be economical to start, so I haven't gone all in on dies just yet.

 

[PddPdd]

Your FL die may work fine if your shoulder position needs adjustment. Sometimes its easier with a body die. Give it a shot! Pun intended!

 

[Stammster]

I'm not even sure how it's possible that the seller bumped back the shoulders that far with a factory FL sizing die. The die should have bottomed out on the shell holder long before he could bump the shoulder back that far. My RCBS dies max out about 2.039" at full camover. Factory is 2.040", my chamber headspace is 2.043". I bump to 2.041", with the die screwed slightly out it just touches the shell holder on the upstroke.

I suspect the seller didn't have the correct shell holder for the die. I have seen some undersized measurements with a comparator if too much lube was used and the shoulder was dented and the angle wasn't crisp. But if all these are the same issue, you are rightly concerned regarding future case head separation.

I say send them back. Blowing out the necks with a mild jammed load is going to cost you another $50 in components, and a bunch of time.

 

[cape cove]

You normally only get one chance (IMO) to fire form brass to your chamber. If the shoulders are now pushed back to far I would try jamming a bullet in the lands with a medium load, fire and see what it does. If you live in a remote area, as I do, then you can size one then load and fire this case several times to see if all is good. JWID

 

[Footsie80]

I'm not even sure how it's possible that the seller bumped back the shoulders that far with a factory FL sizing die. The die should have bottomed out on the shell holder long before he could bump the shoulder back that far. My RCBS dies max out about 2.039" at full camover. Factory is 2.040", my chamber headspace is 2.043". I bump to 2.041", with the die screwed slightly outa s it just touches the shell holder on the upstroke.

I suspect the seller didn't have the correct shell holder for the die. I have seen some undersized measurements with a comparator if too much lube was used and the shoulder was dented and the angle wasn't crisp. But if all these are the same issue, you are rightly concerned regarding future case head separation.

I say send them back. Blowing out the necks with a mild jammed load is going to cost you another $50 in components, and a bunch of time.

Yeah, and components are difficult to come by in my town. I'm about 900 miles from the nearest major city. All I have access to outside of my existing supply are match grade bullets and pistol powders. Our local store didn't really think that one out too good in a city full of hunters.

I'm going to contact the vendor and see what my options are.

 

[Footsie80]

You normally only get one chance (IMO) to fire form brass to your chamber. If the shoulders are now pushed back to far I would try jamming a bullet in the lands with a medium load, fire and see what it does. If you live in a remote area, as I do, then you can size one then load and fire this case several times to see if all is good. JWID

I live in a city of 21,000, but nobody for hundreds of km's outside of it. Very remote once I leave city limits. Supply of components is an issue, though. Can't get good powder anywhere and only match grade bullets. I'm going to contact the vendor and see what they can do. Thankfully I still have about 100 pieces of brass to work with in the mean time.

 

[MagnumManiac]

You can safely salvage the brass by sizing the neck up one calibre, then sizing back to normal calibre leaving a false shoulder which the case will headspace off.
Just size them back a little at a time until the bolt closes with a bit of resistance.

Cheers.

 

[Lionel Boyd Johnson]

To get the best feel of closing resistance, if you can, remove the firing pin & spring assembly from your bolt. Ensure that the extractor is already gripping the case and gently try to turn the bolt closed. You'll soon develop a "feel" for how the bolt closes on near-zero headspace brass. Then set your die to bump the shoulder back 0.002" to 0.003". Happy New Year.

 

[dougduey]

You can safely salvage the brass by sizing the neck up one calibre, then sizing back to normal calibre leaving a false shoulder which the case will headspace off.
Just size them back a little at a time until the bolt closes with a bit of resistance.

Cheers.

Great info and I just learned something today!!

 

[Footsie80]

To get the best feel of closing resistance, if you can, remove the firing pin & spring assembly from your bolt. Ensure that the extractor is already gripping the case and gently try to turn the bolt closed. You'll soon develop a "feel" for how the bolt closes on near-zero headspace brass. Then set your die to bump the shoulder back 0.002" to 0.003". Happy New Year.

Yes, I watched a great video on this. The guy was using a custom rifle built on a Rem 700 action I believe and it was super easy to strip the bolt. I have a Savage 110 and it looks to be a little more complicated, but am going to give it a go.

 

[Stammster]

You guys do realize the OP is in remote Canada, just starting out reloading. The solutions you are proposing to remedy qty 100 previously fired brass (presumably standard factory grade) will cost 2-4X what he paid ($50) - by blowing out the shoulders, buying extra dies, annealing, etc.

It may already have the start of case head separation issues if the seller sold him more than 1X brass already - which has no way to correct.

 

[jraulsten]

To get the best feel of closing resistance, if you can, remove the firing pin & spring assembly from your bolt. Ensure that the extractor is already gripping the case and gently try to turn the bolt closed. You'll soon develop a "feel" for how the bolt closes on near-zero headspace brass. Then set your die to bump the shoulder back 0.002" to 0.003". Happy New Year.

This........Except I also remove the extractor.