[William T. Watts]

Never mix cases (headstamp) or once twice three times fired etc, the reason for segregation is the hardness of brass varies from manufacture to manufacture and how many times a case has been fired. Depending on the hardness of the brass and how many times a case has been fired a case can and will spring back a bit after resizing (a good micrometer will prove this point). I usually purchase a Wilson cartridge case gage with each new caliber I start loading for. You can drop one of your fired cases in the gage and see how much the case has stretched, it also can be used to set your resizing die for minimal working of your cases when they are resized. One other thing the type press you have may influence how much or how little the resized case are varing, the more rigid the press the less flexing etc! Soot on a case usually means there's not enough pressure for the case to seal the chamber fully! If you have a shooting range nearby you may be able to find someone who handloads to give you a bit of help, most handloaders I encounter are willing to help if a person shows they have an interest in their hobby. Good luck. William