October 28, 2013, 12:54 PM | #1 |
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Recalcitrant .223 cases
Hello folks -
I bought a bulk lot of Remington once fired .223 cases and am in the process of reloading them. Most of them are ok, but a few won't size down all the way, freezing up hard about 3/8" from the base. Can anyone let me know what the story is on these things? Thanks much - Dave [email protected] |
October 28, 2013, 12:59 PM | #2 |
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Did you lube them before trying to resize?
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October 28, 2013, 01:03 PM | #3 |
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Of course. I lube all rifle cases.
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October 28, 2013, 01:11 PM | #4 |
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Berdan??
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October 28, 2013, 01:37 PM | #5 |
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Remington .223 cases, headstamp R-P, with Boxer primers (I just popped one out to make sure).
I've reloaded a number of different calibers, rifle and pistol, over several decades and have never seen anything like this before. Could it be that there is something different in the manufacture of these cases? Or were they fired from some particular rifle that messed them up? The real mystery is that the great majority of the cases size down just fine, but the few that don't jam up exactly the same. Oh, and thank you nice folks for your help. |
October 28, 2013, 01:52 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
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October 28, 2013, 03:20 PM | #7 |
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Actually, if they were ran threw a SAW they could be out of whack. You really don't know the history.
You could get the calibers out and look at the face and scratch your head. Play it safe and just set them to the side for now and try to size them on a single stage press. If you are in fact on a single stage press then scrap them. |
October 28, 2013, 04:12 PM | #8 | |
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October 28, 2013, 04:45 PM | #9 |
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It's not uncommon for cases fired in a full auto weapon to be hard to resize. This is one reason commercial operations processing once-fired military brass use profile roll sizing instead of standard sizing dies. Indeed, they can be so large and springy that you have to use a small base die to return them to a small enough size at all. But once fired in your chamber, they should be no harder to resize than the rest.
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October 28, 2013, 08:19 PM | #10 |
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Thanks for your input, guys.
The plot is beginning to un-thicken. I'm using an RCBS single stage press with a standard FL sizing die. I might be able to apply enough force to get the cases sized all the way down, but I don't want to take a chance on getting one seriously stuck and have a big hassle getting it out. It's possible that the batch of cases came from a military facility, and that some of them were fired from a SAW or other fully automatic weapon. I'm not familiar with what such guns can do to cases, but it seems plausible that it might be the source of the problem. Anyway, most of the cases are ok, and I think I'll just toss the problem ones. |
October 29, 2013, 04:41 AM | #11 |
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What lube are you using?
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October 29, 2013, 05:11 AM | #12 | |
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October 29, 2013, 09:43 AM | #13 |
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If he tried resizing brass with a crimped primer, wouldnt he snap the decapping pin in the die? I remember when i started my .308's a few years ago, i had an unmarked nato sneak through and when i put it through resizing it instantly snapped the decapping pin. Also, if the vent hole on the die is.clogged or.blocked, would that cause the case not to enter fully or does that just put those annoying dents in the case neck?
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October 29, 2013, 03:50 PM | #14 |
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I use Lucas White Lithium Grease for sizing military 5.56 and 7.62. It is about $7 for a 10 oz tube at Home Depot. Makes sizing much easier and never had one get stuck. Apply only a light film, maybe every other case.
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October 29, 2013, 04:50 PM | #15 | |
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October 29, 2013, 05:26 PM | #16 |
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Jeff2131,
If what you suggest were the case, none of us using military brass would be able to reload it after initial firing and nobody would sell primer pocket reamers or swagers. I suspect when you say crimped primer, you actually mean you got a Berdan primed case in by mistake. These have two small flash holes either side of center instead of a single, larger centrally located flash hole. 7.62 NATO comes in both Berdan and Boxer cases from different parts of the world.
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October 29, 2013, 05:30 PM | #17 |
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Bump... what lube are you using?
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October 29, 2013, 07:13 PM | #18 |
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Bump ...
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October 29, 2013, 07:14 PM | #19 |
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The .223 is a tiny case no matter what it was fired in, put some good lube on the lower body and size the things.
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October 29, 2013, 07:25 PM | #20 |
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Unclenick, you maybe be right, because when it snapped my decapping pin i threw it in the trash so i never did get the primer out to see if it had two flash holes. Makes sense. I never use 5.56 or 7.62 so i just assumed that the four little dents around the primer meant it was crimped and that if i tried to run in through my die it would snap my pin. With that being said, i dont own a reamer or decrimper tool....i thought they were used BEFORE decapping to cut out those four little dents...hahaha.
Again, being schooled by you guys is great, i keep learning everytime i post or make a comment. Thanx!
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October 29, 2013, 07:38 PM | #21 |
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One more time.
What Lube are You Using?? |
November 5, 2013, 10:25 PM | #22 |
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Thanks for all the information.
I finally decided to take a chance and apply enough force to size the cases all the way down. I was worried that a case would get stuck in the die, maybe separate at the base, and create a huge hassle, but it didn't happen. After getting sized they came out without a problem. I still don't know what caused the cases to bulge like that; the oversize chamber theory seems the most plausible, but at least the situation has been resolved. As for the lube, it's something I bought about 25 years ago. It came in a plastic jar. The jar cracked and the lube started to dry out, so I transferred it to a sealed glass jar. I don't remember what brand it was, but it still seems to work ok. Cheers - Dave |
November 5, 2013, 11:53 PM | #23 |
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Whatever that lube is (or was), throw it away. You don't need to risk the
consequences of a stuck case for any reason. Go spend $3 and get some RCBS Case Lube-2 and use it. |
November 6, 2013, 07:59 AM | #24 | |
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November 6, 2013, 12:17 PM | #25 | |
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