Fix for buckled shoulders

[VenatusDominus]

Why don't you turn the necks?

Don't have the equipment at this point, but that may be my next purchase.

 

[JustMe2]

This is virgin brass that I never ran through a sizing die. Initially the only case prep I did was to chamfer/deburr the necks. After I buckled two cases, I checked for the cause and discovered the necks were too small (ID measured 0.289). I then ran my remaining unloaded cases into my sizing die just enough to push the mandrel through the neck to open it up.

The mandrel on my die measures 0.2625. Due to the thickness of the brass there is more spring back in the brass than with the Hornady brass I have previously loaded, and more tension at the same neck diameter. My solution has been to run the cases through the mandrel multiple times until it goes through effortlessly and then apply some hBN to the inside of the case necks to act as a dry lube. This has resolved the problem.

Well there is your problem, not neck tension. Your problem is you did not size your brass and the factory necks were too small. You not sizing your brass is a cardinal sin for reloading. Sometimes you get lucky and get away with cutting corners and sometimes you won't. You got caught this time.

 

[Alibiiv]

I recently received an order of 6.5 PRC Peterson brass. The order was on backorder for almost six months. While seating Hornady 147 ELD-M bullets, I buckled shoulders on two of the cases. Figuring the necks were to tight, I ran my expander button from my Redding Type-S Full Length Bushing Die through the remaining cases to open the necks up but still managed to buckle another 3 case shoulders. With brass being scarce and having waited 6 months for it, I wasn't happy about losing even 5 cases. So I did a search the net and couldn't find anything about salvaging buckled case shoulders, so I came up with my own solution.

First I tried using my die to resize the case, but the bulge prevented it from fitting in the die. Then, using my RCBS collet bullet puller (one size larger 7mm collet) and secured it around the case neck and then tried lowering the ram on my press, but no joy. Next, I pulled the bullets using a RCBS collet bullet puller, salvaged the H1000 powder (also hard to come by currently) de-primed the case and then annealed the shoulder and neck. Again, using the RCBS bullet puller I secured it around case neck and lowered the ram just enough to pull out the buckle. Then I ran the case though my Redding die without the busing and finally ran the button back though the neck. The case will now chamber in my rifle and will fire form out any remaining minor deformity on the first firing.

Pictures: 1. buckled case; 2. case being annealed; 3. case the RCBS collet; 4. case after being "pulled"; 5. case being sized in Redding die; and 6. final case.

Annealing turned out to be the key to pulling out enough bulge that case could fit in the Redding die.

At what stage of the reloading process were/are you in when the cases buckled? If you were in the seating stage then there's a good chance that your seating die is screwed down too far, hitting the mouth of the case and squashing the necks/case in. If this in fact the case, place a resized case into the press, run the ram all the way up with the resized casing, "then" screw the seating die down until it stops turning because it has hit the mouth of the case. Back the seating die out 1/2 turn and lock the die.

 

[VenatusDominus]

Well there is your problem, not neck tension. Your problem is you did not size your brass and the factory necks were too small. You not sizing your brass is a cardinal sin for reloading. Sometimes you get lucky and get away with cutting corners and sometimes you won't. You got caught this time.

I have been reloading for over 30 years, but all my experience has been with once fired brass, which I always size. This was my first experience with reloading virgin brass and all of my research indicated that, other than chamfer/deburring, Peterson brass was good to go from the factory and didn't need sizing. Obviously that isn't the case.

 

[VenatusDominus]

At what stage of the reloading process were/are you in when the cases buckled? If you were in the seating stage then there's a good chance that your seating die is screwed down too far, hitting the mouth of the case and squashing the necks/case in. If this in fact the case, place a resized case into the press, run the ram all the way up with the resized casing, "then" screw the seating die down until it stops turning because it has hit the mouth of the case. Back the seating die out 1/2 turn and lock the die.

I was seating the bullets when the case buckled. The seating die was set properly because I can run an empty case (no bullet) all the way into the die without any resistance. The problem turned out to be the necks were too tight (0.259 for a 0.264 bullet) and needed to be opened up.

 

[Alibiiv]

I was seating the bullets when the case buckled. The seating die was set properly because I can run an empty case (no bullet) all the way into the die without any resistance. The problem turned out to be the necks were too tight (0.259 for a 0.264 bullet) and needed to be opened up.

I've been using a Sinclair mandrel die for the past 3-4 years now and very happy with the results. Have mandrels for every caliber that I reload for. With the mandrel sizing the neck tension it helps with the donut issues and I do turn the necks. When I resize I remove the expander then go to the mandrel next. I also use a universal depriming die which adds another step to the reloading process.

 

[Mikecr]

I would have done the same as @VenatusDominus.
Just load virgin necks for fire forming, and run into the high seating forces, and deal with it then.
Never had a problem with it for a standard factory cartridge.

I don't see this as a thickness issue, but a factory forming issue. They're not sending out brass (that brass) ready to load.
Seems near the wrong cal