resized .243 hard to chamber...

Well I finally got my first two batches of .243 reloaded. 58gr V-max, 40.9 and 43 grains of N-140 in once fired fed brass, 2.610 COL.
The good news is it was as accurate as I could shoot…I really need to get a better rest set-up.

Unfortunately I must have done something wrong during the resizing process as all my resized brass was hard to chamber. When I pushed the bolt closed it almost felt as if I finishing off the resizing process.
When I got home I checked some of my other resized brass and had he same problem. This is with brand new Horandy FL dies that I originally adjusted by hornadys manual. I tried adjusting the die further in and out but not much difference and the shell holder is making contact with the die so it's not like I could get the case into the die any deeper than I was.
One thing I did notice is that when removing the case from the die there is a good amount of resistance when passing back over the expander.

Have you experienced reloaders encountered this before? I'm sure it's something I'm doing wrong...

I generally give the die another half turn once it makes contact with the shell holder to full length size. To help with the resistance over the mandrel make sure your die is clean. Imperial also makes a nice graphite neck lube that really helps a lot.

Everyone has. When you full length size you must bump the shoulder. One way to get this right is to adjust the die by turning a little at a time untill the brass fits your chamber. The best way to do this is with a case headspace gauge. After you fire a round, measure the case headspace and record that demension. When you resize your brass from that point foreward you will neeed to maintain that demension up to a few thousandths of an inch shorter on all of your reloads. Your instruction that came with the die should have covered this.

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Originally Posted by Alleycat

I tried adjusting the die further in and out but not much difference and the shell holder is making contact with the die so it's not like I could get the case into the die any deeper than I was.
One thing I did notice is that when removing the case from the die there is a good amount of resistance when passing back over the expander.

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Do two things. One, remove the expander then resize a stick. Sometime with hard brass the shoulders are pulled foreward when the expander is pulled back through the neck.

Two, most times there is just enough slop in extractor groove to place a .002"-.003" shim between the casehead and the floor of the shellholder which will allow the case to enter the die a bit more.

Try those two and let us know if they made any difference.

Bill

Great point Bill. Lube the inside of the neck may help if this is what is happening as well.

OK guys I'm all set. Seems the biggest problem was the nut on the end of the handle...me!
After some adjusting and relubing, I was so scared of over lubing as warned in many manuals, I was a little too sparing with the lube.
As I re-resize my brass I can feel them travel about another 1/64th or so and they now chamber easily!

I feel pretty dam stupid and I guess I should have tinkered at it a little more before posting.

Thank you

Excellent. You can feel it mobetter when you have 'er lubed huh?

What fun would this forum be, if it wasn't for stuff like this, LOL

Spanky

Also don't forget to brush the inside of the necks before sizing. I also take the the whole mandrel out every so often and chuck it in a drill and polish the button with fine steel wool.

Send the die back and tell them to cut it maximum headspace.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alleycat

OK guys I'm all set. Seems the biggest problem was the nut on the end of the handle...me!
After some adjusting and relubing, I was so scared of over lubing as warned in many manuals, I was a little too sparing with the lube.
As I re-resize my brass I can feel them travel about another 1/64th or so and they now chamber easily!

I feel pretty dam stupid and I guess I should have tinkered at it a little more before posting.

Thank you

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It's strange how these things work when you read the instructions & adjust them properly. I recall doing the same thing a time or two.... Now, I've got in the habit if checking brass fit everytime I full length size. Even when neck sizing, I check the first 4 - 5 pieces for fit & every 10th one to make sure.

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Originally Posted by stangfish

Excellent. You can feel it mobetter when you have 'er lubed huh?

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Hahaha... Oh the comments I am fighting back...LOL

I'm learning a lot. One other thing I learned was "make sure your funnel is empty before moving it to the next case!" Messy!!! :)

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Originally Posted by 243LPR

Also don't forget to brush the inside of the necks before sizing. I also take the the whole mandrel out every so often and chuck it in a drill and polish the button with fine steel wool.

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Just an thought. Should we use caution here? I noticed my neck tension getting tighter after doing that a few times. I had taken .003 off of the button and then my brass was not getting expanded enough. What I have done is hone the inside neck diameter of the die and made it where the brass was not getting "over" sized. Cleaning then necks also can cause galvanic reaction. Another no no for accuracy.

Get a Wilson case gauge or check it in the gun chamber before loading, ie after sizing.

Ive had trouble w/ the expander stretching the neck, on the way out, due to lack of/insufficient lube.