Brass resizing after barrel swap

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10-12-2015, 08:02 PM
icker96

Brass resizing after barrel swap

I have a .223 Savage 11/111 Trophy Hunter that I reload for. I usually neck size only. I have about 125 pieces of brass that were neck sized and are all prepped and primed and ready to load. I have a barrel on order from Jim at Apache and have a question about reloading. Can I use that neck sized brass once I switch the barrel? or do I need to redo it all using a full size die? If I have to resize, how safe is to deprime those cases with live primers?

The current barrel is a 1:9 twist factory shorter barrel. Jim is making me a barrel that is 1:7 twist and chambered to shoot the 80 AMAX.
10-12-2015, 08:48 PM
LongRange

You can try to chamber a piece and if the bolt closes load it and shoot it if not your going to have to resize the brass....DO NOT try to de-primer that brass with live primers...id shoot it or pop off the primers in the old barrel.
10-12-2015, 09:15 PM
sharpshooter

Full length size it with the decapping pin removed.
10-12-2015, 09:15 PM
hafejd30

Keep in mind if you chamber brass shot through another barrel and not body sized that it could get locked in the new barrel if the chamber is tighter. Especially if this occurs when the bolt is Locked down. Similar to a drill press having a taper to seat the chuck in the press
10-12-2015, 09:24 PM
earl39

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharpshooter

Full length size it with the decapping pin removed.

THIS. Or get a Redding body die. I would try it first tho.
10-12-2015, 11:47 PM
short round

Before you install barrel drop go gauge into chamber their should be 0.125" to 0.130" of case sticking out of chamber. Now try a piece of brass & compare measurement, that should let you know if any adjustment is needed.
10-13-2015, 12:46 AM
upSLIDEdown

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongRange

DO NOT try to de-primer that brass with live primers...id shoot it or pop off the primers in the old barrel.

For the record, I've deprimed plenty of live primers. You just go slow and be careful. Safety glasses wouldn't hurt either. Lol
10-13-2015, 02:11 AM
DrThunder88

It's not the safest thing I've done and for legal reasons would never recommend it, but I've done it too: slow and smooth. Of course I've only deprimed maybe 30 live primers in my life, so 125 might significantly increase the chance of ignition. I suspected a universal decapping die would probably be the best choice in case one did ignite, since there would be no seal at the case mouth or around the case body. Furthermore, if one did ignite, the ram on my Lee Classic Cast Turret is hollow and would direct the primer cup down and not out the side.

One can't completely eliminate the danger, but there are ways to mitigate it. This seems to me to be one of the hallmarks of reloading in general. The rest is the reasonable assumption of risk.
10-13-2015, 02:11 AM
bythebook

I have also Upslidedown, over the years I can't remember how many. You just have too take it slow and easy. Yesterday I took out 10 from 25-06 AI cases resized them and put the primers back. When you remove them move your handle slow until you feel the pin touch the primer then push easy and it will come out. The only time I ever had a primer go off was when I started loading about 45 years ago with a loader that used a plastic hammer too install the primer.
10-13-2015, 08:20 AM
LongRange

well you guys have bigger kahonies then me lol....i did what fred and earl said when i needed to pull some ammo apart once.
10-13-2015, 08:40 AM
LoneWolf

I had to unload 100 rounds and reload into new brass when I swapped barrels.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS, but slow and smooth and put your eye and ear pro on just in case. I even reloaded those same components into the new brass after unloading the old brass. A primer popping in a closed garage will leave your ears ringing though. That's why I say wear you ear pro too.... I won't tell how that story came to be. We'll just say it was a lesson learned.
10-13-2015, 09:07 AM
yobuck

Quote:

Originally Posted by upSLIDEdown

For the record, I've deprimed plenty of live primers. You just go slow and be careful. Safety glasses wouldn't hurt either. Lol

From the standpoint of saftey, Sharpshooters responce is correct. Remove the decapping pin then full legnth resize.
That said i have removed lots of live primers and reused them but usually just in practice ammo.
Thats also how i check primer pockets in the big cases. If it goes in easy and i can push it back out by hand the case goes in the trash.
No point to prepping cases only to then find loose primer pockets, so i check that first.
10-13-2015, 09:23 AM
BillPa

Quote:

Originally Posted by icker96

If I have to resize, how safe is to deprime those cases with live primers?

Unless you need change the primers for some reason just pull the decapping pin and resize the brass as usual.

Whoops....bucky beat me tood it!:p

Bill
10-13-2015, 09:33 AM
scope eye

You could also just soak the brass in water, and pop them out while they are still wet. A 100 primers what are we talking about a couple of dollars at best you are trying to save.

Dean
10-13-2015, 11:36 AM
sharpshooter

Or....you could just follow Fred's rule of thumb. New barrel, new brass.
10-13-2015, 11:37 AM
LoneWolf

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharpshooter

Or....you could just follow Fred's rule of thumb. New barrel, new brass.

+1 on that rule! That's what I stick too.
10-13-2015, 03:58 PM
yobuck

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

+1 on that rule! That's what I stick too.

But then Fred dosent do any resizing either in his guns. lol
10-13-2015, 07:57 PM
earl39

Quote:

Originally Posted by scope eye

You could also just soak the brass in water, and pop them out while they are still wet. A 100 primers what are we talking about a couple of dollars at best you are trying to save.

Dean

Hate to bust your bubble Dean but water won't kill the primer in any short order, maybe in a week or two but not overnite for sure.
10-13-2015, 08:10 PM
icker96

Thanks for all of the thoughts. This forum is great because of the years of real life experience and the willingness to share it.

I have removed my recapping pin from the Lee full length resizing die. My question is...what about the expander that is part of the decaying pin? How do I expand the necks?
10-13-2015, 11:51 PM
Stickler

Grind the pin off and buy another...... http://leeprecision.com/223-ez-x-exp-decapper.html
10-14-2015, 07:04 AM
rjtfroggy

Turn the expander up in the die so that it does not reach the primer, size the cases then re adjust the de capping pin and go back to normal sizing of your brass.
10-14-2015, 09:16 PM
icker96

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjtfroggy

Turn the expander up in the die so that it does not reach the primer, size the cases then re adjust the de capping pin and go back to normal sizing of your brass.

This is the route I went, and it seems to be working great. Thanks.
10-16-2015, 02:02 PM
J.Baker

No need to totally remove the decapping/expander assembly. Instead just loosen the lock nut and slide the assembly up so that the bottom of the depriming pin is flush with the bottom of the die. This will prevent it from depriming while still allowing it to expand the case neck.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...f/DSC00845.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...f/DSC00846.jpg

Edit: Guess I should have looked at the replies on Pg 2 before posting.
10-26-2015, 08:43 AM
GaCop

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharpshooter

Full length size it with the decapping pin removed.

+1!
10-27-2015, 01:51 PM
BillyTee

Quote:

Originally Posted by upSLIDEdown

For the record, I've deprimed plenty of live primers. You just go slow and be careful. Safety glasses wouldn't hurt either. Lol

So have I, just don't be ham fisted about it.