Necking down help.

[260shooter]

I have a good supply of 1X fired 338 Norma brass, half of which I have necked down to 30 cal for the 300 Norma I have. The problem I have is that right above the neck shoulder junction there is a ring around the bottom of the neck about .010-.020 high. My die is hitting the shellholder now and won't let the die go any lower.

Should I take it to my gunsmith and have him take .030-.040 off the shellholder or the bottom of the die? But if the die chamber is too short will this collapse the shoulders?

Has anyone else ran into this problem?

 

[10gaugemag]

I have a good supply of 1X fired 338 Norma brass, half of which I have necked down to 30 cal for the 300 Norma I have. The problem I have is that right above the neck shoulder junction there is a ring around the bottom of the neck about .010-.020 high. My die is hitting the shellholder now and won't let the die go any lower.

Should I take it to my gunsmith and have him take .030-.040 off the shellholder or the bottom of the die? But if the die chamber is too short will this collapse the shoulders?

Has anyone else ran into this problem?

Is the die set so it hits the shellholder right before you complete your sizing stroke? Should feel like it cams over just a smidge before you complete the sizing stroke.

 

[Edd]

Will it fit in your chamber? From the base to the shoulder neck junction , a 300 Norma case is longer than a 338 Norma.

 

[260shooter]

Forgot to mention, brass won't chamber in rifle.

No the ram doesn't cam over, the die is screwed down as far as it will go and still won't size the last part of the neck.

 

[Edd]

What are you using to neck them down?

 

[260shooter]

Forester FL die.

 

[Edd]

Is this the same die you use to size your 300 brass for reloading?

 

[el matador]

You're saying it's screwed down as far as it will go but there's no cam over? Screw it down further. If the rifle has a tight chamber, which many precision rifles do, you may need to cam over pretty hard to get the brass all the way into the die. I'll bet there's a good .010" or more of flex in the press which is why you need to cam over. Lower the ram, advance the die 1/8 turn or so, raise the ram. You should have some cam over at this point. Just keep in mind that 1/8 turn will mean you're pushing the brass another .008" into the die. That large of an increment may be too much for shoulder bumping fire formed brass but for forming cases I don't think you need to be very precise.

 

[260shooter]

Is this the same die you use to size your 300 brass for reloading?

Yes, same die.

 

[260shooter]

You're saying it's screwed down as far as it will go but there's no cam over? Screw it down further. If the rifle has a tight chamber, which many precision rifles do, you may need to cam over pretty hard to get the brass all the way into the die. I'll bet there's a good .010" or more of flex in the press which is why you need to cam over. Lower the ram, advance the die 1/8 turn or so, raise the ram. You should have some cam over at this point. Just keep in mind that 1/8 turn will mean you're pushing the brass another .008" into the die. That large of an increment may be too much for shoulder bumping fire formed brass but for forming cases I don't think you need to be very precise.

The die is screwed down as far as it will go (about 1/2 turn past camming over) and it still won't size all of the neck.

 

[Edd]

You need to adjust the die so the press will cam over. Screw your die up until you can raise the ram to its fully extended position. Now screw the die down by hand until it stops against the shell holder. Make a mark on top of the die with a sharpie and lower the ram. Using the sharpie mark as a reference, screw the die down an additional 1/2 turn and lock it. Now,without a case in it, you should be able to raise the ram and feel some resistance as it cams over. Lube your case body well because a 338 case is considerably larger at the shoulder. If that doesn't size it correctly, I have no other suggestions without holding it in my hands and looking at it.