DartonJager
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2016
- Messages
- 976
I just encountered an issue with my brass I've nere seen or heard of and would like to know if anyone acually knows what's causing this problem and if yes how to solve it.
I am reloading for .35 Remington. The reloads are for two marlin 336c lever action rifles Made by Marlin in the mid to late 90's. Both guns are IMHO superbly accurate for LA rifles. With my reloads both deliver MOA accuracy with boring regularity and I don't ever recall a single 100 yard 3-shot group that was larger then 1.3" They both are solid 1.25-1.3" MOA 100 yard rifles with both Hornady and Remington factory ammo.
I have put roughly 150 reloads through each and 20-25 factory with no issues what so ever.
I was making 50 reloads for the upcoming deer season using the ONLY commercially available new brass I can find or have ever found in the last 3 years since I bought both of them sold by Hornady. I have made over 300 reloads for both these guns using Hornady brass with no issues what so ever.
I decided to use new brass this time. I used the same brass prep as I always do and I will list it here.
#1-Under a extemely bright light inspect every new case for any possible defects, of the new bag of 50 found no brass that needed to be junked.
#2-Using Redding FL sizing die FL size all the brass setting the shoulder back 0.001-0.002" I use my Stony Point gauge to measure shoulder length before and after sizing. Again bright light inspection of every piece of brass as I go for any issues.
#3-Resize again using Lee Collet die to eliminate any run out induced by the Redding FLS die's expander ball. I do this because Redding doesn't sell a body only sizing die for 35 Remington. Again bright light inspection of each piece of brass as I go.
#4-De-burr primer flash hole
#5-Uniform Primer pocket depth with K&M tool and battery drill on slowest speed.
#6-Using Lyman VLD tool champher case mouth.
#7-Using undersized bronze bore brush wrapped in 0000 steel wool polish the inside and out of case mouth and inside of case neck.
#8-Clean brass using action cleaner and rag.
#9-CAREFULLY cycle every loaded round through rifle.
I use a PACT digital scale and powder dispenser and set it 0.1 grain under the charge weight and then using my RCBS 1010 scale trickle every charge to exact.
I use a Redding bullet seating die and do not crimp.
My cartridge OAL is measured using my Stony Point gauge from ogive and is 2.166"
The bullet I have used and is the only bullet I have ever used to reload with is Speer Hot Core .358 180 grain Spitzer Soft points.
In the last few months my eye sight has changed and I now have difficulty seeing small intricate details up close, and i don't yet have prescription glasses to correct this issue and are using cheater safety glasses from work that have a 1.5 magnification correction.
Now for my problem.
As I inspected my finished loaded rounds I thought I might have seen a bulge on one side of the case neck at where the base of the bullet rests in the neck about a width of a paper match above the shoulder so imperceptibly small at first I dismissed it as an illusion caused by the light reflecting off the shiny new brass. Then I saw it again on the fifth loaded round.
I then used a 3x hand held magnifier under a very bright light and I would see what I thought was a bulge then it would vanish. No doubt my lack of proper prescription glasses were making seeing clearly difficult. If there was was indeed a bulge in the case neck it was located at the junction of where the base of the bullet rests in the case neck. This bulge is VERY slight and VERY difficult to see and unless you use a very bright light and angle the brass a certain way you will not see it otherwise. I had 8 reloads left from last hunting season and they were reloaded the SAME exact way using the same exact dies, primers, powder and bullets. Under inspection they showed no sign what so ever of any bulge.
I only reloaded six rounds and went to the range to sight in and double check the zeros of our rifles prior to gun season. I took along the last 8 reloads from last season as a test medium.
I shot three of last years loads and they gave me a nice MOA 100 yard group. I shot these first as they were my first shots of the day and I wanted to be sure any poor accuracy would be due more to my fault than the reloads. I then shot all five of the suspect loads and the accuracy was in comparison quite poor. The MOA group confirms no issues with the Rifle, scope, mounts or myself.
I have included a picture of that target.
The group from last years reloads are the bottom left group. I was aiming at the junction of the right side of left orange rectangle and the left horizontal point of the diamond.
For the new reloads I was aiming at the center of the diamond. I went on to shoot my Tikka 300wsm and is shot superbly so I know I wasn't having an ff day at the range.
When I got home I took several pieces of the same brass that had only been primed and resized one each separately using only the Redding FLSD, Lee Collet die and my RCBS FL die then using the redding seating die loaded a bullet in each of the three and sure enough the bulge is still there, so now I am really lost. I didn't want to size any more brass until i asked for some help on figuring this out. I didn't try a different bullet seating die and likely should have now that I think of it as i have 35 Remington bullet seating dies from Redding, RCBS and Lee.
Unless someone suggests other wise I am going to take three new pieces of brass and resize one each using the Redding FL die, the RCBS FL die and the Lee Collet die and then seat a bullet using each of the different bullet seating dies and see what happens.
Anyone ever have this happen to them and if yes did you figure out as to why?
Like I said I have made over 300 reloads using the same exact process, dies, tools, and components and had no issues what so ever so I am at a loss as to why this is happening now.
I tried 6 times to take pictures of the bulge in the brass biut it's so slight its just not showing on the pics from my phone.
Any Ideas as to why this is happening?
Thanks,
Art
I am reloading for .35 Remington. The reloads are for two marlin 336c lever action rifles Made by Marlin in the mid to late 90's. Both guns are IMHO superbly accurate for LA rifles. With my reloads both deliver MOA accuracy with boring regularity and I don't ever recall a single 100 yard 3-shot group that was larger then 1.3" They both are solid 1.25-1.3" MOA 100 yard rifles with both Hornady and Remington factory ammo.
I have put roughly 150 reloads through each and 20-25 factory with no issues what so ever.
I was making 50 reloads for the upcoming deer season using the ONLY commercially available new brass I can find or have ever found in the last 3 years since I bought both of them sold by Hornady. I have made over 300 reloads for both these guns using Hornady brass with no issues what so ever.
I decided to use new brass this time. I used the same brass prep as I always do and I will list it here.
#1-Under a extemely bright light inspect every new case for any possible defects, of the new bag of 50 found no brass that needed to be junked.
#2-Using Redding FL sizing die FL size all the brass setting the shoulder back 0.001-0.002" I use my Stony Point gauge to measure shoulder length before and after sizing. Again bright light inspection of every piece of brass as I go for any issues.
#3-Resize again using Lee Collet die to eliminate any run out induced by the Redding FLS die's expander ball. I do this because Redding doesn't sell a body only sizing die for 35 Remington. Again bright light inspection of each piece of brass as I go.
#4-De-burr primer flash hole
#5-Uniform Primer pocket depth with K&M tool and battery drill on slowest speed.
#6-Using Lyman VLD tool champher case mouth.
#7-Using undersized bronze bore brush wrapped in 0000 steel wool polish the inside and out of case mouth and inside of case neck.
#8-Clean brass using action cleaner and rag.
#9-CAREFULLY cycle every loaded round through rifle.
I use a PACT digital scale and powder dispenser and set it 0.1 grain under the charge weight and then using my RCBS 1010 scale trickle every charge to exact.
I use a Redding bullet seating die and do not crimp.
My cartridge OAL is measured using my Stony Point gauge from ogive and is 2.166"
The bullet I have used and is the only bullet I have ever used to reload with is Speer Hot Core .358 180 grain Spitzer Soft points.
In the last few months my eye sight has changed and I now have difficulty seeing small intricate details up close, and i don't yet have prescription glasses to correct this issue and are using cheater safety glasses from work that have a 1.5 magnification correction.
Now for my problem.
As I inspected my finished loaded rounds I thought I might have seen a bulge on one side of the case neck at where the base of the bullet rests in the neck about a width of a paper match above the shoulder so imperceptibly small at first I dismissed it as an illusion caused by the light reflecting off the shiny new brass. Then I saw it again on the fifth loaded round.
I then used a 3x hand held magnifier under a very bright light and I would see what I thought was a bulge then it would vanish. No doubt my lack of proper prescription glasses were making seeing clearly difficult. If there was was indeed a bulge in the case neck it was located at the junction of where the base of the bullet rests in the case neck. This bulge is VERY slight and VERY difficult to see and unless you use a very bright light and angle the brass a certain way you will not see it otherwise. I had 8 reloads left from last hunting season and they were reloaded the SAME exact way using the same exact dies, primers, powder and bullets. Under inspection they showed no sign what so ever of any bulge.
I only reloaded six rounds and went to the range to sight in and double check the zeros of our rifles prior to gun season. I took along the last 8 reloads from last season as a test medium.
I shot three of last years loads and they gave me a nice MOA 100 yard group. I shot these first as they were my first shots of the day and I wanted to be sure any poor accuracy would be due more to my fault than the reloads. I then shot all five of the suspect loads and the accuracy was in comparison quite poor. The MOA group confirms no issues with the Rifle, scope, mounts or myself.
I have included a picture of that target.
The group from last years reloads are the bottom left group. I was aiming at the junction of the right side of left orange rectangle and the left horizontal point of the diamond.
For the new reloads I was aiming at the center of the diamond. I went on to shoot my Tikka 300wsm and is shot superbly so I know I wasn't having an ff day at the range.
When I got home I took several pieces of the same brass that had only been primed and resized one each separately using only the Redding FLSD, Lee Collet die and my RCBS FL die then using the redding seating die loaded a bullet in each of the three and sure enough the bulge is still there, so now I am really lost. I didn't want to size any more brass until i asked for some help on figuring this out. I didn't try a different bullet seating die and likely should have now that I think of it as i have 35 Remington bullet seating dies from Redding, RCBS and Lee.
Unless someone suggests other wise I am going to take three new pieces of brass and resize one each using the Redding FL die, the RCBS FL die and the Lee Collet die and then seat a bullet using each of the different bullet seating dies and see what happens.
Anyone ever have this happen to them and if yes did you figure out as to why?
Like I said I have made over 300 reloads using the same exact process, dies, tools, and components and had no issues what so ever so I am at a loss as to why this is happening now.
I tried 6 times to take pictures of the bulge in the brass biut it's so slight its just not showing on the pics from my phone.
Any Ideas as to why this is happening?
Thanks,
Art
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