Help getting sized 1x fired brass to fit in chamber

[mtelkhntr78]

What I use is the Hornady lock and load Headspace kit with a digital caliper. Basically I took a factory(Federal) load and shot a few of those and established a dimension of what my chamber was like. So I was using unfired cases. They had no problem chambering. I measured all of them before and after firing and noted an increase in Headspace expansion. Then I compared that to my once fired brass, the once fired being the largest(as expected). After FL sizing the 1x brass I still did not note a change in headspace below what I measured (until I modified the shell holder) that was below what my unfired brass was. Thoughts?

My skepticism starts coming in when I have had this happen to three different rifles in two differnt calibers one of which is not a belted magnum . Two of those are Rem 700s and one is a Weatherby Vanguard and none of them have had any modifications at all. So its not like they are some off the wall gun maker. All the time using RCBS dies. I tried everything to make it work too, different presses, lubes, standing on one foot, the list goes on and on. Until I shaved a bit off the top of my shell holder and eventually got new dies did the problem go away.
Again thoughts?

 

[Innovative]

mtelkhntr78 .....

I've never tried the Hornady Headspace Kit, but when I compare my handloads "at the shoulder" to a fired case, there's always a slight difference (about -.001").

My digital gauge doesn't use any bushings, attachments, or specific measurements, and there's no need to locate the datum line. I just compare a resized case to a fired case, and the chamber clearance is displayed.

None of my FL resizing dies need to contact the shellholder to bump the shoulder. In fact, Redding makes competition shellholders that are ALWAYS made taller (never shorter) than a standard shellholder. However, I have encountered 2 rare shellholders that were made out of spec. They can cause similar problems.

 

[mtelkhntr78]

Larry, are any of your dies RCBS?Shellholder RCBS? My honest feeling is that its an RCBS problem.

I am curious out of all the folks that have posted on here experiencing this problem, how many are using RCBS dies and or shellholders??? My intention is not to start a witch hunt but I am just curious what the similarity is.

 

[Innovative]

The bad shellholders I found were both made by Lyman almost 40 years ago (probably before CNC). I use RCBS, Redding, Hornady, and Dillon dies and shellholders, and I've never encountered a single defective die. Every manufacturer makes "something" that's much better than any of the other companies.

I strongly recommend Redding S-Type (bushing) FL dies if they're available in the caliber you're loading. I'm a believer in accurate measuring - especially at the shoulder. There are a lot of things that are easily explained by the reloader that measures carefully. I was recently surprised to measure some factory loads (7mm Rem. Mag.). Unlike the handloader, the factory headspaces them on the belt, and the shoulder was actually set back almost .030"

 

[WRG]

"I'm a believer in accurate measuring - especially at the shoulder. There are a lot of things that are easily explained by the reloader that measures carefully. "

If your looking to produce the most accurate handloads in any caliber that uses the bottle neck case, it would be in your best interest to have one of Mr. Willis's headspace gage. Those caliper type gages are fine to some extent but they are no way accurate enough. Reason being is you have to rely on you yourself to have a consistent feel for the amount of pressure you use on each case. It's a feel thing with calipers!

Mr. Willis's gage provides the exact same pressure each and every time and that is the only way you will produce consistent ammo from a case prep standpoint. The less you disturb the shoulder after firing it from your rifle the better off you are. I for one "DO NOT BUMP" the shoulder on any of my cases. I do infact load for 300 WM & 7MM Rem Mag and FL resize each time.

That "neck sizing only" fad brought about by bench rest shooters is fading away as fast as it came. You will find a majority of BR shooter today have gone back to FL sizing but are also staying away from the shoulder. Why in the world would you want to reshape the shoulder of a case back to your die's demension? Todays factory made bolt rifles have more than enough HS at the bolt face than what is actually needed for safe firing. Unless the die was cut from the very same reamer your rifle barrel was made with, bumping the shoulder with a standard die is only adding to the problem the way I see it. Granted minute of deer for the average hunter is good enough, but someone like myself that looks for BR accuracy from my hunting firearms is only respecting my quarry.

Get the gage, it will be one of the best investments you could make as far as reloading goes. I simply don't know how any handloader could set up a sizer die accurately without it.

Just saying!


WRG