Defective bullets?

[Blue Avenger]

I checked these against another brand and by the calipers they were .0005" undersize. A caliper isn't the most accurate thing in the world (at least the digital ones) so I used an actual micrometer and there was .0006" undersize. The caliper was off by .0005" though, it was .0005" under the actual size but at least it was within .0001" on the size DIFFERENCE. Actual size of the undersized one was .224".


Sort them and make 2 piles. Then your not guessing which one you pulled out of your reload box. Less then 100 I would call educational. A lot more and I would order a spare expander ball and sand it down a bit. If these are shooting fantastic in your gun, There is also the option of a bushing die.

[Robinhood]

If you have fired your brass 5 plus times there is a great chance the brass is work hardened and is springing back. If you are using brass that is work hardened there is a good chance that your neck tension on the brass is inconsistent. If the neck tension is inconsistent there is a good chance that you will have accuracy issues. Even with good brass you can and will have work hardening with a saami spec chamber. There are other reasons why you may have inaccuracy. Consistent neck tension is the starting point. accurate way of measuring powder is next. Repeating the same process and expecting different results is by definition, insanity.

[tomme boy]

Take the deprime rod out and turn it down 0.001"-0.002" and try to resize again. I have had to do this with several of the Lee collet dies. That and turn the case 90* and size again. This really helps.

[Mr.Snerdly]

Take the deprime rod out and turn it down 0.001"-0.002" and try to resize again. I have had to do this with several of the Lee collet dies. That and turn the case 90* and size again. This really helps.
How would you do this? I will anneal the brass first and see if that does the trick and if not, try turning it down but how do you do this accurately? I am afraid of ruining he whole thing if I do it wrong.

I have a lot of of brass already primed so it will a while before I can get enough unprimed to try annealing.

[Robinhood]

I like your plan. Anneal first and test. If you keep the brass at the very end of the flame or just out of the flame you reduce your risk of over annealing. If the brass turns red you are close. Try keeping each piece of brass at the same relationship/distance from the flame and count. If you don't get them all similar you will feel it in the resizing process and the Seating process. It will be a real Aha! moment.


To remove material from the decapping/expander rod all you need to do is place the long end in a drill set to high speed. Make sure the chuck is tight enough to not let the part slip but not so tight as to damage threads or tension area. Take 320 and hold it on the largest diameter for a few seconds. Measure. Repeat until you are close to the dimension you want. I have used 400 then 600,1000, 1500 to get a polished near mirror finish. I also only removed .001 or less each time. So it will require some more testing. After reading your post, I think you, like me and others will enjoy the learning experience. Good luck Mr.Snerdley

[Mr.Snerdly]

^^^^That is the way I was planning to do it if I did it. Good to know I was on the right track. I will use my micrometer rather than the digital calipers to measure, much more accurate when it has to be dead on accurate.

You get the necks red hot? I thought that was too much but maybe I am not getting them hot enough. I put them in a drill and have my propane torch sitting on the floor and direct the flame about on the top of the shoulder of the brass rather than right on the neck. I like to do it in a dimly lit room and watch for a color change. Maybe I should get them a little hotter. I know if they get too hot you can ruin them too but you have to get them hot enough to do some good also.

[fla9-40]

I tried the neck sizing road and found in my case that Full length sizing my rifle brass shot better and the brass lasted just as long....YMMV

I find this link interesting...From a champion FClass shooter(he just got back this week I think from the 2022 European National Championships - Bisley, England), and also shoots in PLR class competition. And I started FL sizing before I started watching Erik's channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLG2kSrD40g

This is just my 2¢ (for what that is worth :p)

[charlie b]

If you go back and watch some of Erik's other videos you will find interviews that include why they FL size. It has to do more with a smoothly functioning action than accuracy. There was one guy who admitted that a neck size was sometimes more accurate, but, the cases could stick in the chamber. So, he opted for FL sizing.

The difference in accuracy is not very much. As in, unless you are shooting in the 0.1's and 0.2's you won't notice the difference. Check how the bench rest folks prep their stuff.

Snerdley, before you mess with the Lee die, buy a second neck mandrel in case you go too far. You can change the dia just by polishing it. Chuck it in a drill or drill press. Measure. Polish. Measure. Repeat. You need a GOOD micrometer to do this and a lot of patience.

I would also anneal first if you are having difficulties there. The good thing is it isn't an exact thing. Doing this by hand the best is to get some of the temperature crayons. Heat until they melt. I was taught to stand the cases in a tray of water just to make sure the lower end of the case is not heated.

[Mr.Snerdly]

If you go back and watch some of Erik's other videos you will find interviews that include why they FL size. It has to do more with a smoothly functioning action than accuracy. There was one guy who admitted that a neck size was sometimes more accurate, but, the cases could stick in the chamber. So, he opted for FL sizing.

The difference in accuracy is not very much. As in, unless you are shooting in the 0.1's and 0.2's you won't notice the difference. Check how the bench rest folks prep their stuff.

Snerdley, before you mess with the Lee die, buy a second neck mandrel in case you go too far. You can change the dia just by polishing it. Chuck it in a drill or drill press. Measure. Polish. Measure. Repeat. You need a GOOD micrometer to do this and a lot of patience.

I would also anneal first if you are having difficulties there. The good thing is it isn't an exact thing. Doing this by hand the best is to get some of the temperature crayons. Heat until they melt. I was taught to stand the cases in a tray of water just to make sure the lower end of the case is not heated.
Yes, I will anneal first. Probably should be done even if I wasn't having problems with the one particular bullet. I think it may prevent split necks.

I have a good micrometer, probably 75 year old Starrett.

[Robinhood]

^^^^That is the way I was planning to do it if I did it. Good to know I was on the right track. I will use my micrometer rather than the digital calipers to measure, much more accurate when it has to be dead on accurate.

You get the necks red hot? I thought that was too much but maybe I am not getting them hot enough. I put them in a drill and have my propane torch sitting on the floor and direct the flame about on the top of the shoulder of the brass rather than right on the neck. I like to do it in a dimly lit room and watch for a color change. Maybe I should get them a little hotter. I know if they get too hot you can ruin them too but you have to get them hot enough to do some good also.

I wouldn't go red hot. Without an expensive annealer, right at the precipice of red. If it gets too hot you will see it offgas(zink?). Take a piece of junk brass and work on recognizing. I back way out of the blue part of the flame. I don't need to be in the hottest part. it is more forgiving to back off and let it take a few seconds longer.

If you can turn it in a cordless drill with a socket, put the shoulder in the center of the heat watch the brass. It will get a frosty look then you will see a line form below the shoulder. This is usually right before the neck turns red. Measure the brass base to shoulder length and the neck size before and after. Don't be surprised if you need to back your die off after your brass is annealed correctly. Matter a fact back it off slightly before you run the annealed brass through the die again. Work your way back to size. If your brass does not end up all very similar then you are getting uneven from one case to another. You should see a huge improvement in neck runout after the first firing then resizing.