6 dasher

[Brawley_z06]

ive been loading for this rifle for about a year now. i run lapua 6br brass. has about 5-6 firing. i loaded some rounds last night and i noticed when i ran my mandrel thru it felt like it was doing not hardly even touching the brass. when i seat the bullet i can move the bullet in and out by hand and even pull the bullet. i am running a 266 bushing in a fl sizing die and a 21st century 242 mandrel. any help would be great, thanks in advance

 

[quest450]

do you anneal after every firing, sounds like springback issue

 

[Brawley_z06]

Use a smaller bushing, maybe loose the mandrel

ya i was thinking of going to a 265 bushing

 

[Brawley_z06]

do you anneal after every firing, sounds like springback issue

yes. the ones that are loose when i run the mandrel it feels like it dont even touch the inside of the case

 

[quest450]

I'd use a pin gauges to measure neck ID after you resize to see if or how much variance there is

 

[Brawley_z06]

Or smaller, Bullet hold is your friend until it isn’t .

is i go done to smaller bushing you think i would be fine still with the 242 mandrel the ones that are good it holds good its just some of these that im having issues with now. i wouldnt think id need to pitch the brass

 

[Brawley_z06]

I wouldn’t pitch any brass just add more grip.
A .242 mandrel only gives you .001 dimensional difference on the bullet, that would be a disaster on the target in my BR-A.

what do you suggest?

 

[quest450]

smaller bushing will solve your problem but you're sweeping neck tension issue under a rug
I think you need to get to the bottom of it and fix your inconsistency, if you add more neck tension you will still have inconsistent seating pressure and bullet release and that will show on a target, if you're just plinking steel a smaller bushing is a great solution but if you're a target shooter you have to address neck tension

 

[quest450]

Awesome advice, mark how would you go about finding the issue ?

That's a tough question Frank, not knowing many details it's a shot in the dark
were the necks turned ?
AMP annealed or flame (inconsistency)
I went away from mandrels and my agg's improved BUT good neck prep is a MUST !
Sometimes you just have to sacrifice a batch of brass and start from scratch

 

[Bill Norris]

As mentioned drop down in bushing size and down in mandrel size. 3 to 4 thousandths below loaded neck diameter with bushing and then two thousandths below bullet diameter with mandrel and give it a try. This is the method subscribed by one of the best F-class shooters in the field. Erik Cortins.

 

[Brawley_z06]

As mentioned drop down in bushing size and down in mandrel size. 3 to 4 thousandths below loaded neck diameter with bushing and then two thousandths below bullet diameter with mandrel and give it a try. This is the method subscribed by one of the best F-class shooters in the field. Erik Cortins.

ya i just ordered a 265 bushing and 241 mandrel. my loaded diameter is 267-267.5

 

[Brawley_z06]

That's a tough question Frank, not knowing many details it's a shot in the dark
were the necks turned ?
AMP annealed or flame (inconsistency)
I went away from mandrels and my agg's improved BUT good neck prep is a MUST !
Sometimes you just have to sacrifice a batch of brass and start from scratch

yes annealed with annealez. no the necks are not turned. this a prs gun not a bench gun. it shoots well the way i have been doing it but now i just noticed some of these cases with this issue

 

[quest450]

yes annealed with annealez. no the necks are not turned. this a prs gun not a bench gun. it shoots well the way i have been doing it but now i just noticed some of these cases with this issue

tighter bushing is your best solution....you can only squeeze so much blood from a rock I guess

 

[Bill Norris]

ya i just ordered a 265 bushing and 241 mandrel. my loaded diameter is 267-267.5

A .264 bushing may even work better. Dont be afraid to bring neck diameter down a bit more. U have to consider springback into the equation.

 

[Brawley_z06]

A .264 bushing may even work better. Dont be afraid to bring neck diameter down a bit more. U have to consider springback into the equation.

went ahead and ordered one of those also lol

 

[Bill Norris]

I turn necks- my 6 mm loaded round OD is .265, I have tested several bushings at 500 yards, .262 shoots ok , .261 shoots much better while a .260 might be better yet. Time will tell.

Yes Sir, I find in a lot of cases neck tension is our friend especially at longer distances.

 

[Brawley_z06]

Yes Sir, I find in a lot of cases neck tension is our friend especially at longer distances.

how much neck tension do u aim for bill?

 

[Bill Norris]

how much neck tension do u aim for bill?

I try to get .003 interference fit between inside diameter of the case and bullet measurements. This has been the most consist setting for me with all of my rifles. So with a .243 bullet I like to see .240 inside diameter case prior to loading. Brass thickness, number of firings on the brass, inside case neck surface, etc. will play a part of course with bushing and mandrel usage.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

ive been loading for this rifle for about a year now. i run lapua 6br brass. has about 5-6 firing. i loaded some rounds last night and i noticed when i ran my mandrel thru it felt like it was doing not hardly even touching the brass. when i seat the bullet i can move the bullet in and out by hand and even pull the bullet. i am running a 266 bushing in a fl sizing die and a 21st century 242 mandrel. any help would be great, thanks in advance

Probably the brass. Ensure you are getting a good anneal.

Also, if it was a new bullet you were loading or a new lot of the same bullets, check the bullet diameters at the pressure ring to be sure it’s not the bullets

 

[shoot4fun]

yes annealed with annealez. no the necks are not turned. this a prs gun not a bench gun. it shoots well the way i have been doing it but now i just noticed some of these cases with this issue

IMO you don't need to spend for a AMP Annealer but you DO need a flame annealer that utilizes two torches to get more uniform annealing results.
The only annealing I have ever done is with a Bench Source flame annealer. I have always used two torches and (quickly seeing how poor a job the small bottles of propane did) a 20 pound tank with dual supply lines.
Another thing, if you are leaving brass in the flame too long it will defeat any good you are trying to achieve.
When you see a yellow flame flare up (on a clean case neck) you have burned off some of the ingredients of the brass recipe. Then you will have brass that is inconsistent forever more (junk).
*****DISCLAIMER*******
Not an engineer nor am I a metallurgist. Also not a wordsmith so I may not be technically correct.
Usually, the flames thrown here are hotter than I see when I'm annealing!