7MM STW brass,"dented" shoulders

Most people don't clean their dies Proper or often enough ,stuff still gets in the dies because it's carried with the lube into the dies . Ever clean your lube pad? . I bought a set of dies used, the guy had improperly cleaned them and chipped the inside of the die with something sharp , that chip was just enough to hold more lube then (Normal) and dent the shoulder of all the cases I ran thru that die . The die was not RCBS but the mfg stood behind them thankfully !!! RCBS makes Great dies and their air vent hole is plenty high enough to not be blocked by the locking die ring, just saying . Pictures would really help !!!
 
Forster dies (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008B3JDFG/?tag=lrhmag19-20), Hornady spray dry lube, Lapua Brass, RCBS Rock Chucker single stage, 1000+ rounds with no issues, 1000 yd cold bore one shot in picture
20161204_Sonora_1000yds.jpg
 
Hey Folks,
Question here. I've own, shoot, and hand loaded/reloaded for a Remington 700 in 7MM STW that I have owned for several years. Deadly on deer and hogs. Fun to shoot and reload. I use RCBS dies and have noticed that the shoulder of each casing will come out of the resizing die with a dented shoulder if I'm not very careful to make sure my cases are "barely" lubricated. By "barely" I mean it almost seems that I don't have enough lube on them to prevent them from sticking in the die. When the shoulder looks OK after resizing, I have only a slight amount of lube on them. Anyone else notice this happening to them? Maybe I'm doing something wrong?
I also reload for a .270 Winchester, a .30/06 Springfield, a 260 Remington and don't notice this "denting" on any of them.
Thanks for any responses forth coming.
Are you regularly cleaning out your dies? Excess lube will buildup in them if you don't, and can cause the dents.

Also, I highly recommend using Imperial Sizing wax. Use an ultra thin layer on your brass, and it will size nicely.
 
While I've not used Imperial, I've heard lots of good stuff about it. One of these days! I'm still using the old RCBS water soluble lube (mostly because I'm cheap!) and do not have problems with it... but you have to keep the die itself cleaned out & the vent hole clear. Not over lubricating the case is key. If you're neck sizing, just a touch on the neck and little to none on the shoulder; if you're FL sizing, the same touch on the neck, a bit below the shoulder and more on the base should keep cases from getting stuck. I do have a lube pad but prefer to use my fingers in most cases. I use a spray lube on pistol cases (the one I have is nothing more than alcohol & lanolin and the cases have to be cleaned with alcohol or solvent to get it off) and the thicker RCBS lube for rifles. I clear the vent hole first. A needle to start, then a shot of wally world's best spray solvent (best = cheapest!) called Brake Clean (or Carb clean, whichever is cheapest, they are nearly identical) into the vent hole. Then run a nylon brush & patch thru the die to remove any build up. If you clean the die when you're done, a bit of oil on a patch will keep the interior clean. Just remember to run a clean patch thru before you start up the next time you use it. Generally I clean out the die after 50 cases or so. You can tell when the lube starts looking nasty, it's time to clean out the die. I've heard that some of the spray lubes don't need to be removed but as I often keep ammo for extended periods, I don't want anything in the case with the powder. It might be ok but I don't want to be a guinea pig and find out that after 3 or 5 years it turns the powder to gum or welds the bullet to the neck!
Cheers,
crkckr
 
In most cases the dents are caused by the vent hole in the die either being blocked by gunk or covered by the locking ring.
I have a 375 Weatherby that was plagued by dents just below the shoulder in the case body. Nothing would change no matter how little lube I used.
I switched to Imperial and the problem went away.

Cheers.
I ordered some Imperial die wax yesterday from Amazon! Thank you for the info. Can't wait to try it.
Do you also use Imperial case neck lube? I ordered that, too.
 
While I've not used Imperial, I've heard lots of good stuff about it. One of these days! I'm still using the old RCBS water soluble lube (mostly because I'm cheap!) and do not have problems with it... but you have to keep the die itself cleaned out & the vent hole clear. Not over lubricating the case is key. If you're neck sizing, just a touch on the neck and little to none on the shoulder; if you're FL sizing, the same touch on the neck, a bit below the shoulder and more on the base should keep cases from getting stuck. I do have a lube pad but prefer to use my fingers in most cases. I use a spray lube on pistol cases (the one I have is nothing more than alcohol & lanolin and the cases have to be cleaned with alcohol or solvent to get it off) and the thicker RCBS lube for rifles. I clear the vent hole first. A needle to start, then a shot of wally world's best spray solvent (best = cheapest!) called Brake Clean (or Carb clean, whichever is cheapest, they are nearly identical) into the vent hole. Then run a nylon brush & patch thru the die to remove any build up. If you clean the die when you're done, a bit of oil on a patch will keep the interior clean. Just remember to run a clean patch thru before you start up the next time you use it. Generally I clean out the die after 50 cases or so. You can tell when the lube starts looking nasty, it's time to clean out the die. I've heard that some of the spray lubes don't need to be removed but as I often keep ammo for extended periods, I don't want anything in the case with the powder. It might be ok but I don't want to be a guinea pig and find out that after 3 or 5 years it turns the powder to gum or welds the bullet to the neck!
Cheers,
crkckr
Great advise! Thank You, sir! I guess a welded bullet to case would be difficult to separate, even harder to shoot!!
Have a good one.
 
Hey Folks,
Question here. I've own, shoot, and hand loaded/reloaded for a Remington 700 in 7MM STW that I have owned for several years. Deadly on deer and hogs. Fun to shoot and reload. I use RCBS dies and have noticed that the shoulder of each casing will come out of the resizing die with a dented shoulder if I'm not very careful to make sure my cases are "barely" lubricated. By "barely" I mean it almost seems that I don't have enough lube on them to prevent them from sticking in the die. When the shoulder looks OK after resizing, I have only a slight amount of lube on them. Anyone else notice this happening to them? Maybe I'm doing something wrong?
I also reload for a .270 Winchester, a .30/06 Springfield, a 260 Remington and don't notice this "denting" on any of them.
Thanks for any responses forth coming.
Throw your dies in a sonic cleaner and then lube them up after. Most likely the vent hole, the other issue can be either your die height is not set correctly or the brass is getting soft you can anneal the brass if all the other issues are correct!
 
Way to much lube , i have a pad but prefer to use my fingers , just a touch on the neck and a twist of a q-tip in the neck , that's worked for me since the 70's . Clean the inside of your die good and give that a try on a couple of pieces of brass , it will give you something to try till your spray comes in
 
YIKES! How much lube are you using?



As others have recommended, clean your dies and make sure it is set-up correctly, and do not use excessive lube.

Too much, obviously! I also was using a 30 caliber brush to lube in inside case neck and not being careful to remove the excess. Could that cause the denting of the case shoulder?
 
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