I have been full length sizing some used 7mm brass I bought from a local a few months ago with Hornady dies. I am using Hornady One Shot case lube. After sizing I am trimming to 2.49 inches. When I go to chamber the brass without a bullet I cannot get the bolt to close. I have the die adjusted all the way down to no avail.
I've read a little about a "bulge" above the belt which sounds like it could be the problem. How can I diagnose/identify the belt bulge? Shouldn't the die take care of it? Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanksif not0
OK, not to sound condescending, but I'll guarantee that the die isn't FL sizing the brass correctly.
When you place a case in the press and size it, if there is a gap between the shell holder and the bottom of the die, then FL sizing is NOT taking place, you are only partial sizing at best and probably making the cases too long for your chamber.
Let me help you out, when you set up your FL die you must screw the die in until it touches the shell holder and then lower the ram and screw the die in an additional 1/8-1/4 turn so that the press 'cams over' which is taking all slack out of the linkages.
Once you have fired that brass in your chamber you can then re-adjust the die to partial size those cases to give around .002" of headspace.
To do so, screw the die in to touch the shell holder, then back it off 1 full turn, size a case, clean it and try to chamber it in your rifle, the bolt may not close on this case, if not, screw the die in 1/8 turn, repeat all steps until a case has a slight feel as the bolt is closed, once at that point an additional 1/32-1/16 turn should give around .002" headspace and good clearance for hunting conditions.
The bulge you have heard of is a myth if you adhere to the above instruction, it is only caused by excessive sizing and not headspacing off the shoulder, it is caused by the shoulder stretching back to meet the chamber on each firing, thinning and bulging that part of the case.
I will repeat, headspace your brass off the shoulder, and you WILL get good case life and NO bulging.
I load for 270Weatherby, 300Win, 300Weatherby, 338Win, 340Weatherby, 375Weatherby and 458Lott, and I've never had a bulged case, NEVER!! Out of all those cases, only the Lott headspaces on the belt due to necessity, no bulging there either, ever!!
Hope this gets you out of your troubles.
Cheers.
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