Need help with .308 reloading

Hey everyone! I started reloading a year ago for .223 and 22-250 and have learned a lot in the process. I pocket uniform, flash hole deburr, neck turn and get great results. I took the plunge and bought Forster BR dies and a Hornady match neck die for my .308.

This morning I ran 20 pcs of once fired federal through the neck die. I noticed no resistance so I placed a 180gn b-tip in the neck and it slid through with room to spare. I then decided to run them through the Forster BR FL die, I could not get the case all the way into the die. The bottom half of the case remains out of the die with zero room between the die wall and the case wall. This first thing I though of was lube so I re-lubed to the point in which I had a depression and still, the case wouldn't enter.

Is there a step I am missing with these Match dies or is it a sign that my chamber is out of spec enough that the cases are over expanded? The point at which it will not enter the die measures .465 and grows to .470 towards the base. I believe commercial specs show that the base of the case should measure .4709 so I am at a loss right now!

Not sure if it helps but the barrel is not "match grade". It is a factory barrel.

Thanks in advance.

I once again cleaned the dies and lubed them with one shot case lube. I managed to run all 20 through the FL die and they will now slide into the seater die. I took the Hornady neck sizer apart and the expander ball over sizes the neck. Even if it sized them correctly, the once fired brass would still not fit in the the Forster BR seater die...

It looks like I'll be contacting Hornady to find out where the problem lies! I still cant believe how out of spec the .308 cases were for only being fired once. Maybe I am just use to regular rcbs dies and the open variation of tolerances.

Has anyone had a problem with the Hornady match dies?

I dont use the hornady, but does it use replaceable neck sizer like a Redding Type S die? If so, you may simply have the wrong bushing in. I like the Redding Type S because of how "Customizable" it is. If you are willing to read up, and experiment a bit, the Redding Type S die will allow you to get the absolute most out of your ammo.

By the way, Federal brass is known for being rather soft. It is good brass, for 2 or 3 firings, but after that you will usually begin to see signs that it is on the way out. Loose primer pockets are one, excessive trimming to get it back to length is another.

Have a good one,
Gary

Gary,

You're right about the bushing. I looked through the set up instructions once again and then looked at the parts list. The bushing wasn't included with the die. Hornady offers .332, .334, .336 and .338 bushings. I think I'll purchase a .336 to add a little extra neck tention to the bullet. Thanks for the advice on the Federal brass. I'll use it during load development as there is no sense in wasting it!

Thanks for the help!