Lapua Brass Issue

[rugerdog5]

So I tried to link a youtube video to this but it wouldn't let me. More like I couldn't figure it out. Anyway it's posted under jacked up Lapua brass. Here's the backstory of how I got to making that clip.

I bought a Savage LRH in 6.5-284 and bought a couple boxes of shells to collect brass from for initial break in and load development. I ordered some nice new Lapua brass shortly after just so I knew when the time came I would have it on hand. Fast forward about a year, and now I'm at the point where I'm going to bust out the good stuff. So I weigh some at random and these things are perfect as most of you know. The runout was also perfect. So I stick some match primers in, drop in a load of powder, stick a 140 Berger on top, and run it up the die. Everything was good until the bullet gets to the joint in the shoulder and neck. It just stopped there. I gave it a little more of a pull and crushed the case. I started going through the box of brass and checking the bottom of the neck. I couldn't feel any defects in the brass so I set up a sizing die and ran one up. The mandrel stopped in the same place as the bullet so I forced it the rest of the way as you will see in the clip. Also I did lube the snot out of those as well. This did cure the problem as a bullet seated normally at this point. The bad part is now the runout is .030 or higher basically worthless.

First question is has this happened to any of you?

Second do you think Lapua would help me out on this one if I contacted them?

 

[FearNoWind]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCpxd3Ovwk4]jacked up Lapua Brass - YouTube[/ame]

 

[FearNoWind]

Bullets seat with very little effort. If you have to force the seater die there's something VERY wrong.
How full are those cases? Are you compressing the load? That popping sound in the video scared the heck of me.
If the seater stem was properly adjusted before you starting seating bullets it should have been adjusted for correct seating depth using a sample - how did you develop the sample?

 

[rugerdog5]

The bullets seated to the point that they got to the shoulder and that is where they stop.

 

[rugerdog5]

That was an empty case with in a sizing die in the clip

 

[rugerdog5]

What did you mean by a sample?

 

[FearNoWind]

What did you mean by a sample?

When I'm setting seating depths my first round is set intentionally long; often very long. I work it deeper with each pass through the die until I get the CBTO length I have calculated. That's my "sample".

 

[rugerdog5]

Ok I used a Hornady Comporator to get my overall length. I used the same length I had used with the Nosler brass I had used to work up loads prior to the Lapua brass

 

[Mikecr]

Had you FL sized the necks?

 

[Michael Eichele]

I had the exact same problem. It was improper die set up.

 

[rugerdog5]

That was virgin brass. When I measured the case mouth on a few different pieces I didn't feel the need to do anything to them they perfect out of the box for my needs. After the first bullet I seated and crushed that's when I pulled out the neck die. I took the the bushing out of the die so it was just the expander ball. I set it up the same as the tens oh thousands of rounds I've sized in the past. I truly believe there is a defect in the brass. The dies are Redding match type S

 

[Michael Eichele]

The only thing that will crush your cases is your die. Loosen the set ring, raise the die and readjust your seater. If the problem persists, repeat. When you get it where it needs to be, lock the ring down. I'm also using redding dies

 

[rugerdog5]

The only one that crushed was the one I tried to seat a bullet in. I guess I should say it caved in.

 

[rugerdog5]

In the clip that loud sound is the expander ball passing through joint at the shoulder and neck.