Trouble resizing .308 winchester

[BillyBoy 57]

I am having to use excess force to resize my 308 win brass. At least I feel it is excess as compared to my 270 win. and 223 rem. which is what I usually reload. I have reloaded 308 win with this exact equipment ,but it was 25 years ago at least . I have them lubed properly and am doing nothing different than the other 2 cartridges mentioned . Thanks in advance !

[ballardw]

Were the cases from the same rifle you were using before? If your previous experience is reloading bolt gun fired brass and this is from a semi-auto it may be the chamber in the new rifle is a tad more generous. Of if the brass is "once-fired", new to you, may have been last fired in an such an auto and just needs more metal movement.

[thegatman]

Sometimes the type of brass plays a role in the process. Military brass is thicker and harder to size.

[BillyBoy 57]

My brass is winchester , some older federal and was all fired in a bolt remington 788 which I no longer own . I am loading it for a savage model 10 I recently bought . I applied more lube to the cases and much better now. To me it seems that the 308 just requires more to resize it . I appreciate you guys ! I am thinking I ran into this the last time I worked with 308 win . which was in the early 90's . I recently bought a few of the Lyman " ammo checkers " for my brass is all fitting nicely . I think I am good to go for now ,

[Unclenick]

Compared to 223 Rem, you are working a larger piece of brass, so that requires more force. Compared to .270 Win, you are setting back a 40° shoulder instead of a 35° shoulder, so the sine of the half-angle is about 15% bigger on the .308 Win, causing it to take about that much more force to reshape the shoulder, assuming wall thickness and all else is equal.

[mehavey]

I applied more lube to the cases and much better now...

OOC... what case lube ?

[BillyBoy 57]

I have always used rcbs lube on the pad . I have had "dents " in my cases in the past from too much lube so It comes down to getting the proper amount with out over doing it . Unclenick, Your explanation explains why it does take more "effort " on the lever of the press . Thanks !

[mehavey]

RCBS Case Lube... Check.

Also... run a twisted-up paper-towel into the die and scrub out all the old lube.
You might be surprised...

[hdbiker]

I started using Imperial Sizing wax sparingly, my issues went away

[BillyBoy 57]

mehavey , I did clean up the inside of the die yesterday before I posted here . There was some debris in there , not much but enough to turn a Q-tip black . After reading these posts I see there are quite a selection of lubes I have not heard about . I know hornady makes one in a spray saw it on their site .

[mehavey]

w/ wax especially, though, beware old buildup if die picked up/used after long hiatus.

BillyBoy.... Stay with RCBS given you are using it -- it's "reloader standard"

.

[BillyBoy 57]

Thanks mehavey , All I have ever used is rcbs lube , just thinking next time I order components I may try some spray lube . The rcbs pads tend to get filthy dirty pretty quick , spray most likely a little less messy .

[Unclenick]

In theory, that is right. However, you will find more reports of stuck cases by people using spray lube than with any other. There are arguments about why, such as not letting the carrier evaporate properly or inadequate coverage. Just be aware that you may be getting into other issues with it.

[BillyBoy 57]

Thanks Unclenick , May be a case where " if its not broke , dont fix it ".

[gwpercle]

Clean out the sizing die and polish insides with a little 0000 steel wool wrapped around an old bore brush . Final polish with J-B Bore Compound smeared on the brush/steel wool which should slick up the insides nicely ... be sure and clean out all polishing compound .
If still having problems ...size in steps . Size 1/2 way on the first pass then adjust die down to full length size .

I had some 303 British military cases that had been fired in WWII Machine Gun... I had to size in 3 steps . If case gets hard going into the sizing die... STOP ...it will be just as hard to remove from the die ... and that's when the rim rips off !!!
Gary

[Bart B.]

My favorite lube is a 50-50 mix of STP engine treatment and Hoppe's number 9.

[BillyBoy 57]

Never heard of home made lube before , I have seen receipes for home made gun cleaner though .

[Shadow9mm]

I have been using spray lube for a while now as it's easier with the larger batches I like to do.

Clean your die and spray it out.
Spray your cases.
Let both sit for about 2min

I have had stuck cases with both spray lube did home brew lanolin lube. In the case of the spray lube, it was from trying to size too soon. Gotta let it sit until the carrier evaporates off.

[mehavey]

Spray Lube is like Longfellow's Little Girl...

There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad ...
She was horrid.

[jetinteriorguy]

The closest I can relate to sizing .308 would be my 6.5CM. I’ve loaded around 3000 rounds in the last five years just using the home made spray using anhydrous lanolin at 10/1 with alcohol. Never had any issues with either difficulty sizing or sticking. Two things I do, first be sure all the alcohol has flashed off, and second I always rub the cases with my fingers to be sure the lube is completely distributed over the case when I pick them up. I’ve also loaded somewhere in the range of at least 10,000 .223 cases with no issue’s. This is full length sizing on an Orange Crusher press.

[GeauxTide]

I had similar experience. My 788 has a larger chamber than my 700, so I bought RCBS Small Base dies. More effort, yes, but both drop in.

[hounddawg]

another home made lanolin mix fan here. I keep a tin of Imperial open for those that don't feel right.

[Paul B.]

I've used the RCB pad, lanolin mixes and STP straight and thinned a bit with solvents but these days I use the Imperial Sizing Wax exclusively. It just plain works.
Paul B.

[pbcaster45]

I know this thread is pretty old but the best stuff I've ever tried for tough resizing jobs has to be Rooster Labs CFL-56 sold by Meister Bullets in Ozark, MO. I'm a geezer and need all the help I can get when it comes to Lake City brass for my M1A! Feels like it cuts down the effort at least 50% compared to everything else.

I've been bragging on it since 2007 and nobody has ever reported back. I wish just once someone would try it and call me a liar.

[mehavey]

Case-forming lube, right?