Case Head Separations

[Critter Picker]

Well..if you size the brass too much it would give you info.....
if you shove a brush thru the barrel on a rod and you can feel the brass go back and forth in the chamber.....
there's a problem....

That makes sense, I just creep up on it slowly turning die in until I don't feel resistance in bolt handle. Don't think that I've ever had enough headspace to have brass move in chamber,but I'll remember that little trick.

Thanks foe clarifying that.

 

[Horniac]

So I am reporting back with an update on my progress on this issue.

I ended up ordering a L.E. Wilson full length bushing style sizing die along with their headspace micrometer and their 26 Nosler Case Gauge. I also ordered a set of the Redding competition #6 shell holders.

While I was waiting for that order I decided to load up a few 6.5 CM rounds with my Lee die set by following their instructions and not worrying or trying to measure the shoulder bump. I full length sized those once fired, deprimed, and cleaned cases and made sure they chambered in my Tikka before priming them, charging them with 38gr of H4840 (~middle of suggested powder charge) and seating the Barnes 127gr LRX bullets to roughly the same depth as the factory rounds. I was able to shoot those the next day and they went bang. Success!

Once I received the order from L.E. Wilson I cleaned the die, Micrometer, and case gauge per instructions and took 5 of my once fired, deprimed, and cleaned cases and measured them with the micrometer and case gauge. The shoulder bump were all reading +.005 on
the mic but there was one that was reading +.002 I got my gun out and removed the firing pin and ejector. I was thinking the bolt would not close easily on the +.005 cases but it would on the .002 case and it did!

Next I set-up the L.E. Wilson die per instructions and lubed up the 5 cases. The 1st pass was the same as with the Lee the cases were all growing now reading +.006 on the die. I screwed in the die a little more and no change?

Next I tried in the Redding comps

 

[Horniac]

…die holders and thought I was supposed to start with the .002 (least bump) but was getting any results and learned that the +.01 was actually the least bump after finally reading the instructions. I also ordered the #6 but my 26 Nosler shell holder that came with the Lee dies was a #5 so i think I got that wrong too but it seemed to fit the cases nevertheless.

After trying several I wasn't getting anything different on the mic for bump and so I tried putting more force on the press handle and whola I got some bump!

I them went back to the original #5 shell holder and put some more English into the press handle. Success finally! I was then able to fine tune the die and get the shoulder bumped the ,002 as verified by the Wilson mic and gauge. I also did the bolt drop test in the gun and I got the free bolt drop on them!

I was able to measure another 10 cases before sizing and then resize them as well and check them after with the mic and in the gun
and all good!

The only item I have a question on now is that the brass that had the shoulders already (a few that were in the + .002 range) shorter as measured on the mic would be down to .000 or less when resized with the same die setting? I thought they would all be resized to the same shoulder setback dimension but I guess not? So I guess I would need to sort for those prior to resizing and adjust my die differently for those shorter cases so as not to get any shoulder bump since they already chamber in my gun and the bolt drops freely? Does that make sense.

Thanks everyone for your help! I think I am making some progress!

 

[Critter Picker]

The cases that are already at .002 should not be shortened farther by running them through the die set at .002. If you are concerned ,just neck size them.

Glad you got it figured out.