Another run out question

[KT]

I'm working on a buddy's 6.5 creedmoor brass. Yep Hornady.

For the life of me I can't get the runout on the brass down. It averages around .003 to .006. This is on the brass only.

I have tried FL sizing, Neck sizing, Using an expander mandrel, and I just can't get rid of the run out. I'm using redding dies.

Any suggestions? Is the brass just garbage or am I doing something wrong? I don't have this problem with my lapua brass.

Also the brass has been fired twice and annealed.
KT

 

[necchi]

Sometimes, once they've gone out so far no amount of adjustment at the bench seems to help.
I've had brass like that and just shoot'm with light loads and scrap bullets to form them back to the chamber/neck again.

A small rubber O-ring under the lock nut on the stem of the seating die can help the button to center on the neck when pulled during the sizing process. Just don't over tighten the lock nut,, just enough to hold it in place. Again this may not straighten the already bent stuff, just help next time it's sized.

 

[fdshuster]

KT: Try seating the bullet(s) in "steps". Seat about 1/3, lower the ram rotate the case approx. 1/3, seat 1/3, repeat, & final seat. I've found this to help a lot.

Of course, try other suggestions as well.

My number of rounds, per box of 20, usually only involve 1 or 2 rounds that will have more than .001" of R/O, and it's always the same cases ( I mark the base), so I write that off as a piece of defective brass from the time it was formed.

If you're getting excess R/O with all rounds loaded, then there is a major problem.

 

[ordnancemarine]

+1 to what necchi said... The oring trick works well... I believe it's a #7 sized o ring from ace hardware... i bought a few just to have on hand... keeps my loads under .001 runout.

 

[Leaddog]

+1 to what necchi said... The oring trick works well... I believe it's a #7 sized o ring from ace hardware... i bought a few just to have on hand... keeps my loads under .001 runout.

It's a #17 and most places have them. I got my O rings at Home Depot. My runout was reduced from .0005 to almost zero using Redding bushing dies, a Rockchucker press, and Lapua neck turned brass (.308).

 

[KT]

The brass has been fired twice already. I haven't even made it to seating a bullet yet. I was measuring R/O on the brass after I sized it. And no matter what process I used I couldn't get the R/O out of the brass.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if I have an excessive amount of R/O in the brass before I load and seat the bullet I will have an excessive amount after as well?

I measured another lot of brass he just purchased about 1 month ago and the R/O on that lot is alot better than this lot. Do I chalk it about to a bad batch?

Also looking at the at head of the case to wear the body starts, that distance seems to be not even. I put the cases in my 21st century neck turner and there was a good bit of wobble in that area. However it is rather difficult to measure the distance from the head to the start of the body.

This is the only place that I can think of that would be causing the R/O

What do you think?

 

[mikecr]

It comes out of the smoking chamber with almost no runout, right?

 

[bozo699]

What is your fired outside neck diameter? and what is it after the sizing is done? My guess would be your taking it down to much in one step, of course this is just a guess as there is limited info to go on. What kind of dies (style) are you using?
Wayne.

 

[KT]

I'm not sure of the dia after firing since I have resized, expanded and neck trimmed them all.

I can tell you that after the expander mandrel they measured .291
After I neck turned them they measured .289

I threw them in the sonic cleaner and I will will resize with the neck die today and see what the measurement is.


The dies are Redding neck and FL non-bushing dies. With a Redding Comp seater die.

KT

 

[necchi]

And no matter what process I used I couldn't get the R/O out of the brass.

Right, it got screwed up.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if I have an excessive amount of R/O in the brass before I load and seat the bullet I will have an excessive amount after as well?

Yes, that's why you want you just use light-medium loads and inexpensive bullets.

Do I chalk it about to a bad batch?

A learning experience yes, but not a bad batch of brass.

What do you think?

Load a couple, shoot them. measure after they come out of the chamber and prior to any sizing process.

 

[Zia Hunter]

I would check the runout at each step of the reloading process to try to isolate the problem. Check your fired brass before working than after each step to compare. I would also check the neck thickness for consistency. If you have variations in the neck wall thickness, this will increase the potential for runout. I have installed o rings on the decapping pin lock ring (Redding Dies) on my FL dies to allow the expander plug to float which helps. In addition, make sure the inside of the necks are properly lubed and the expander ball/plug is smooth and polished. I use 600 grit paper to do so.

When I neck size, I do not use and an expander plug since all the brass is neck turned first to constant thickness. I neck turn all new brass for my non-gas guns when before firing.

 

[necchi]

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude. Point is they just got botched up that's all, don't worry about it, it's part of the learning process.
We all started somewhere and have messed up brass too. They're not lost, just shoot'm again. If they come out straight then you know it's something in the process that your learning. Ya just have to figure it out next time you size'em,

I had a lesson from a Gent years back I'll never forget.
Archery Tournament, me shooting Mens "Hunter division" next to me on the line was a top notch state champ shooter in the target class, nice guy, we had visited before.
Well he was shooting poorly that day, I never made a comment when he blew a shot and neither did he, after the last flight was over I asked him what was happening that he was off that day, He said;
"I'm learning something, I just haven't figured out what it is yet"
The guy was a cool head,,