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Resizing and trimming...

Pinecricker

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Dec 23, 2014
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can any one suggest an intuative way for correctly setting dies to do partial resizing, and for determining the correct length to trim cases? I trimmed to book spec, but an still getting a tight fit. No way to tell if its not resized enough, or not trimmed enough, if that makes sense. Its a rifle with a custom cut chamber with a short throat, so the book specs don't always match. One article I read mentioned a special gauge could be necessary.

Any insights are much appreciated. Thanks!
 
Trimmed to book length won't prevent chambering but maybe 1 in 1000.

I use a bump gage to measure a once fired case, measuring case head to shoulder, making sure there's no primer in the brass.
For sizing, I light a candle, take a once fired case and roll the shoulder thru the flame to "smoke" that shoulder. I set my sizer to be several turns up off the shell holder and run the sizer down the case. I adjust the sizer down till it just touches the smoke on the shoulder. I then remeasure the newly bumped case. I should be bumping the shoulder only a cpl thou.

Usually, screwing the sizer down till it hits hard on the shell holder will bump the shoulder back about .010 which is way too much.
 
I always full length size all my brass. I have tried neck sizing and found some tight bolt closings ,so now I full length size and no more problems.If you are trimming to book specs,I dought that your trim length is giving you any problem.I myself have never had that problem.
 
Pinedricker, with the custom chamber, you may need to trim and uniform the outside of the case neck. mtmuley
 
My first quess on your situation is you are not getting enough shoulder bump on your resizing, trimming OAL a couple thousandths is usually not the problem.

It would help to know a couple things before just keyboard guessing.
- what cal. are you reloading - is it a belted mag.?
- what dies are you using and what is your die set up procedure?
- is your problem on new brass, once fired or multiple fired brass?
- what bullets are you reloading and how close to the lands are you seating them?
- last but not lease is, how hot of loads are you pushing these bullets?
- are you using brass only shot out of this rifle and is your brass all the same manf, lot number etc?

What is your definition of "still getting a tight fit"? A little resistance in closing a bolt is exactly what a couple of my custom rifle chambers require to shoot to their max potential. If I bump the shoulder more than that to get "no resistance" on my reloads my accuracy on paper shows it.
 
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