Baffled: VLDs Seating Into Case No Effort

[General RE LEE]

7mm STW
Nosler Brass
3-4th firing
Lee Precision FL Sizing die
168 gn Berger VLD
78.5 grains IMR 8133

I went to seat some VLDs loaded to 0.020" off the lands to SAAMI spec 3.60 COAL for the 7mm STW. When I was raising the ram into the die and adjusting the seating stem down to get started it pushed the bullet down into the case. There is neck tension when I try to start a bullet into the case and push it into the case by pressing it on a hard surface the bullet doesn't budge. Once the bullet starts to get seated in the neck to about 3.70" COAL I can flip the bullet over and press with a little pressure and the bullet goes down into the case.

I've resized these before with my FL die and haven't had any issues. I will say I've only loaded them long 0.20" off lands so I haven't loaded them to SAAMI COAL length.

Are these cases shot out?

 

[Bob Wright]

Did you take any measurements at the neck o.d.? It almost sounds like it's springing back and annealing might help, then resize them. Anything in this lot sounds suspect, velocities might go all over the place.

 

[General RE LEE]

I'm an idiot and a quick investigation revealed the culprit. I got a new Hornady bullet puller that has the collet and utilizes the press. I pulled some bullets and reloaded them without resizing the necks. I just pulled the depriming pin and resized the brass leaving the primer and problem solved. Just had to reload the rounds again thankfully powder still good.

 

[Bob Wright]

I'm an idiot and a quick investigation revealed the culprit. I got a new Hornady bullet puller that has the collet and utilizes the press. I pulled some bullets and reloaded them without resizing the necks. I just pulled the depriming pin and resized the brass leaving the primer and problem solved. Just had to reload the rounds again thankfully powder still good.

Great news! I always resize brass that has bullets pulled. That brass will yield a bit, so I don't trust them to be the same.
Carry on!