can anyone help reloading .204 redding dies

styer · August 13, 2012, 04:13 AM

HI Can anyone help? Ive just put my first lot of hand loads through my redding dies in .204 caliber. All i have done is neck rezised, but for some reason it has stretched the webbing on the one side of the case at the base? The shells are once fired factory loads and are fine to the point of going through the neck resizer. Now the bolt will not close??
Cheers,
Nathan

elkslayer4x5 · August 13, 2012, 11:46 AM

My first thought is did you clean the dies first, usually shipped with some rust preventive, and sometimes metal chips stick inside. Just a guess.

jepp2 · August 13, 2012, 07:13 PM

If you use a full length die to neck size, you will partially full size the brass. This will cause the shoulder to move forward a few 0.001's. If your brass was fired with a heavy load and the shoulder was near max, it cause the brass to be difficult to chamber even though you only neck sized.

When you describe stretching the webbing on one side of the case near the base, it isn't clear to me what you are trying to say.

webbing? Do you mean case body?

base? Do you mean head?

styer · August 14, 2012, 06:35 PM

you both have a good point, i didnt clean the dies, but they look ok. Will do asap.
The bulge is down by the extractor groove, just above it. It was caused by just the nk resize. On another site they said i should wind down the die 1/8 turn down after lowering the ram? Normally you would wind it back up 1/8 of a turn so you dont damage the bullet seater or the die? I did use a graphite powder inside and out on the nk.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

603Country · August 14, 2012, 07:36 PM

Interesting. If I understand this correctly you used a neck sizing die and squooshed (technical term) a case slightly. I'm not sure how that happened with a neck sizing die, but that would explain why the case won't chamber. Assuming that you have the right sizing die, back it out a bit and try another case. If you soot up the neck prior to neck sizing, you can see how much of the neck got sized. If you size just a bit less than the entire neck, you shouldn't deform the case.

styer · August 16, 2012, 06:21 AM

Its definatly the right size. Ive sice checked the case on the calipers and they have bulged by 0.003" i repeated the whole process again with some pulled unfired factory rounds and the same thing happened?? The good thing is i can full length resize and save the case's but i still need to find out whats going on with the nk size.......anyway

FrankenMauser · August 16, 2012, 01:48 PM

It looks like the shoulder is making contact inside the die, and the additional travel in the press ram is causing the bulge.

Back the die off, so it just sizes to within 0.010" of the base of the neck, and see what happens.

However... you didn't specifically say what type of die this is. Is it an actual neck-sizing die, or is it a full-length-sizing die that you're using for neck sizing?

That "bulge" looks like regular expansion (that has been partially re-sized), to me. And... it looks like your chamber may not be symmetrical. So, if you rechamber the case with a different orientation than it had when ejected, it will offer resistance (sometimes substantial).

603Country · August 16, 2012, 03:31 PM

Yep, if you are using a FL sizing die to neck size/partial resize, then you need to back off the die a bit so that you don't mash the shoulder down. I was doing that with my 223 and causing cases to be difficult to chamber until I figured out what was happening and backed the die off a bit. However, if you actually have a neck sizing die and you are scrunching the case down and bulging it, then I think you must have a bad neck sizing die. I haven't tried to duplicate what you are doing, but I don't think my Redding neck sizing dies will do what you describe.

Once you figure out what's happening, I'd be interested in knowing what it was.

handlerer2 · August 16, 2012, 04:51 PM

Did you fire the brass you're having trouble with or were they once fired brass from another rifle? If fired in a different rifle then you need to full length resize.

If you fired the brass that you neck sized then the brass should be fireformed in your rifles chamber, and should chamber after necksizing only.

Perhaps your sizing die wasn't adjusted properly?

Is Redding die set two piece or three piece?

PA-Joe · August 16, 2012, 06:13 PM

When you FL resize you raise the ram with teh shell holder in place and then scree the die down until it touches the shell holder. The you drop the ram and turn the die in another 1/8 turn. To neck size only as others have said back the die out at least 1 full turn and try it. If it doens't resize the neck turn the die in 1/8 until you get the resizing that you want. I would also put a little lube on the case body to stop it from binding on the dies.

wild willy · August 16, 2012, 07:27 PM

I have a Redding .204 neck die I haven't any problems with mine.Have you smoked or marked a case to see how much of the neck you are sizing.How far up do you have the expander ball.

August 13, 2012, 04:13 AM	#1
styer Junior Member Join Date: October 23, 2011 Posts: 3	can anyone help reloading .204 redding dies HI Can anyone help? Ive just put my first lot of hand loads through my redding dies in .204 caliber. All i have done is neck rezised, but for some reason it has stretched the webbing on the one side of the case at the base? The shells are once fired factory loads and are fine to the point of going through the neck resizer. Now the bolt will not close?? Cheers, Nathan

August 13, 2012, 11:46 AM	#2
elkslayer4x5 Member Join Date: June 30, 2006 Location: Lane County, Oregon Posts: 66	My first thought is did you clean the dies first, usually shipped with some rust preventive, and sometimes metal chips stick inside. Just a guess. __________________ "Skin that one out, and I'll get ya another! Last edited by elkslayer4x5; August 14, 2012 at 10:47 AM.

August 16, 2012, 01:48 PM	#7
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	It looks like the shoulder is making contact inside the die, and the additional travel in the press ram is causing the bulge. Back the die off, so it just sizes to within 0.010" of the base of the neck, and see what happens. However... you didn't specifically say what type of die this is. Is it an actual neck-sizing die, or is it a full-length-sizing die that you're using for neck sizing? That "bulge" looks like regular expansion (that has been partially re-sized), to me. And... it looks like your chamber may not be symmetrical. So, if you rechamber the case with a different orientation than it had when ejected, it will offer resistance (sometimes substantial). __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

August 13, 2012, 07:13 PM	#3
jepp2 Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2008 Location: Loveland, CO Posts: 1,476	If you use a full length die to neck size, you will partially full size the brass. This will cause the shoulder to move forward a few 0.001's. If your brass was fired with a heavy load and the shoulder was near max, it cause the brass to be difficult to chamber even though you only neck sized. When you describe stretching the webbing on one side of the case near the base, it isn't clear to me what you are trying to say. webbing? Do you mean case body? base? Do you mean head?

August 14, 2012, 07:36 PM	#5
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	Interesting. If I understand this correctly you used a neck sizing die and squooshed (technical term) a case slightly. I'm not sure how that happened with a neck sizing die, but that would explain why the case won't chamber. Assuming that you have the right sizing die, back it out a bit and try another case. If you soot up the neck prior to neck sizing, you can see how much of the neck got sized. If you size just a bit less than the entire neck, you shouldn't deform the case.

August 16, 2012, 06:21 AM	#6
styer Junior Member Join Date: October 23, 2011 Posts: 3	Its definatly the right size. Ive sice checked the case on the calipers and they have bulged by 0.003" i repeated the whole process again with some pulled unfired factory rounds and the same thing happened?? The good thing is i can full length resize and save the case's but i still need to find out whats going on with the nk size.......anyway

August 16, 2012, 03:31 PM	#8
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	Yep, if you are using a FL sizing die to neck size/partial resize, then you need to back off the die a bit so that you don't mash the shoulder down. I was doing that with my 223 and causing cases to be difficult to chamber until I figured out what was happening and backed the die off a bit. However, if you actually have a neck sizing die and you are scrunching the case down and bulging it, then I think you must have a bad neck sizing die. I haven't tried to duplicate what you are doing, but I don't think my Redding neck sizing dies will do what you describe. Once you figure out what's happening, I'd be interested in knowing what it was.

August 16, 2012, 04:51 PM	#9
handlerer2 Senior Member Join Date: April 26, 2010 Location: Yellowstone Co, MT Posts: 489	Did you fire the brass you're having trouble with or were they once fired brass from another rifle? If fired in a different rifle then you need to full length resize. If you fired the brass that you neck sized then the brass should be fireformed in your rifles chamber, and should chamber after necksizing only. Perhaps your sizing die wasn't adjusted properly? Is Redding die set two piece or three piece?

August 16, 2012, 06:13 PM	#10
PA-Joe Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: NEPA Posts: 909	When you FL resize you raise the ram with teh shell holder in place and then scree the die down until it touches the shell holder. The you drop the ram and turn the die in another 1/8 turn. To neck size only as others have said back the die out at least 1 full turn and try it. If it doens't resize the neck turn the die in 1/8 until you get the resizing that you want. I would also put a little lube on the case body to stop it from binding on the dies.

August 16, 2012, 07:27 PM	#11
wild willy Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2006 Posts: 404	I have a Redding .204 neck die I haven't any problems with mine.Have you smoked or marked a case to see how much of the neck you are sizing.How far up do you have the expander ball.