Can I salvage brass with wrong headspacing?

[K9TXS]

After a recent move, my reloading room is back up and running. I came across a bag of new brass that had been formed to 20 Vartarg and inside the bag was a note; Wrong Headspacing.

I remember doing this well over a year ago but just couldn't throw the new brass away. I put information in the bag and stored it until now.

Is there a way to salvage this brass? Would fire forming using COW method work?

 

[jamesh]

Run a 22 or 6mm expander through the neck then resize it to proper headspace.

 

[Ccrider]

Depends on how far back you have pushed the shoulders. May also be able to jam bulwts and blow shoulder out.

 

[joshb]

Depends on how far back you have pushed the shoulders. May also be able to jam bulwts and blow shoulder out.

That might work. A false shoulder is the better method.

 

[rogn]

How wrong is the headspace?

 

[NorCalMikie]

Un turned necks and a standard full length sizing die will probably get you the neck tension needed to keep the bullets in place.
If the brass will chamber and the bolt close without resistance,
load, bullets seated to a jam into the lands and fire.

 

[ebb]

What Mikie said

 

[Zero333]

False shoulder is the best way.

If you gonna jam the bullets you have to make sure they're jammed hard, and not just in the lands.

 

[CharlieNC]

A measure of how much the headspace is off would provide a more accurate response.

 

[Ccrider]

That might work. A false shoulder is the better method.

Please explain how to do a false shoulder.

 

[Bob L.]

Please explain how to do a false shoulder.

A false shoulder is formed by expanding the neck to a larger caliber, then resizing a portion of that neck to the original caliber. The case then head spaces on the new false shoulder on the neck rather than the existing case shoulder. I use this to fire form 6BRX from 6BR cases.

 

[joshb]

6ppc, I think it was. I bought some lightly used brass but it was too short for my chamber. I tried the “jamb the bullet” method but they just pushed into the case and I got misfires. Then I tried the false shoulder method. I ran a 6.5 expander into the cases, then carefully sized down the neck with a bushing die until my bolt would “just” close on the case. That worked!

 

[searcher]

The false shoulder is the best bet. The COW method might not blow them out fully or equally the same. Jamming the bullet might not be a good idea if you have pushed the shoulders waaaay back - which is why fellas asking how far back you pushed them. It works really well.

 

[bozo699]

It would help to know how many thou they were pushed back from saami or chamber spec!....
If there not pushed to far you could partial size with a f/l die and it will pull the shoulder back a bit otherwise any of the three mentioned,... COW, heavy jam or false shoulder. I’ve use all three with success blowing 6br forward.100 creating 6brx and Dasher with the false shoulder being the most consistent and uniform. Good luck.
Wayne

 

[Hohn]

A false shoulder is formed by expanding the neck to a larger caliber, then resizing a portion of that neck to the original caliber. The case then head spaces on the new false shoulder on the neck rather than the existing case shoulder. I use this to fire form 6BRX from 6BR cases.

How much of a neck up is required? Just one caliber up (say, .243 to .257)?

 

[joshb]

Usually, that’s enough.

 

[Bob L.]

I use a 6.5mm mandrel to neck up since that is what I have. Using .257 would be better since it works the brass less.

 

[59FLH]

Wrong thread