Please Help Reloader Newbie

[timberelk]

What tools would you recommend? Wouldn't it also depend on the chamber? If the chamber is tight then cramming over the die may barely set the should back not mater what dies you use correct?

 

[timberelk]

I just realized you are going to mag feed your cartridges, in which case,
I would suggest investing in some of those different height shell holders from, Redding, I believe. These allow you to run the case all the way up in the die, completely sizing the entire length of the neck. I single load my rifle, so neck tension under recoil is not a concern to me. The method I use to bump shoulders back leaves a bit of the neck unsized. Probably not good in a magazine fed rifle , dont know. Probably better to buy the right stuff.

Yes I will be mag feeding my ammo

 

[nmbarta]

Even most br guys don't neck size. For the most part, neck sizing has gone away, it doesn't offer any real advantages.
You need good calipers and a headspace comparator. I would get a concentricity gauge as well so you can check the run-out on your finished rounds.
Yes it does depend on your chamber, that's the whole point. Your sizing your brass to fit YOUR chamber, not just crushing it back down to it's original size.
Yes you are correct, on my 280ai I set the die to touch the shell holder and it bumps the shoulder .002.
It actually depends more on how the smith originally headspaced your rifle. They use go and no-go gauges which leave room for slight differences in chamber dimensions.
By bumping the shoulder, you are essentially correcting any headspace issues you may have. I use the same method on belted cases, which, depending on the chamber, will switch the case from being headspaced off the belt, to being headspaced off the shoulder (or datum line).

 

[L.Sherm]

Go to my post #15 it will cover about all cartridges. You can us a comparitor but they a caliber specific. And yes if you have a tight chamber you may have to cam over. If you measure shell holders there not all the same thickness so it's not a bad idea to keep shell holders to the specific die so your bump is consistent

 

[timberelk]

So a little off topic but I took my firing pin out and wanted to see if the bolt would close easily with Hornady factory ammo.

It was not difficult to close the bolt but it certainly was not as easy as no ammo (the bolt would all but drop with gravity)

So after inspecting the copper jacket of the bullet, it appears that they are being very slightly pushed into rifling which is what believe is making the bolt take a slight bit of effort to lock into place without the firing pin in.

Is this normal for factory ammo?

 

[timberelk]

The once fired brass takes much more effort to close the bolt (without the firing pin) than the factory ammo but again it's not as easy as when there is no Ann in the chamber (bolt handle all but falls with gravity)

 

[nmbarta]

With just the firing pin removed an no case there is no resistance, but unless you remove the ejector, you will feel some resistance with a case and no firing pin.
is the once fired brass sized?

 

[timberelk]

With just the firing pin removed an no case there is no resistance, but unless you remove the ejector, you will feel some resistance with a case and no firing pin.
is the once fired brass sized?

Oh... that makes sense. Yes it is once fired through my gun. And the loaded rounds are Hornady factory

 

[L.Sherm]

Typically factory ammo will not be into the lands. But who knows for sure. Seat one a little deeper and see what happens, what grain of bullet?

 

[L.Sherm]

Fired brass will be harder to close the bolt if it's not resize.

 

[nmbarta]

if the ammo and chamber are SAAMI spec, that will not happen. That can cause a number of different problems, depending on how far into the lands its seated.
clean the bullet with steel wool, turning the bullet in the wool so the small scratches run the opposite way of the grooves then try it again. You'll be able to see better.

 

[L.Sherm]

You can color the ogive with a black sharpie also.

 

[timberelk]

Colored the case and ogive... can seem any rifling marks but the sharpie mark at lip at the shoulder is removed each time.

I'm thinking the resistant I am feeling with the bolt is from the extractor pushing the shoulder against the chamber.

Are extractors difficult to remove on these howa 1500s?

First picture is before I chambered the round

 

[timberelk]

This is the once fired Hornady Whitetail brass. No crackers or signs of vet pressure so I doubt the bullet is contacting the rifling