Couple sizeing ques. new redding carbite button

[GSP7]

First question. About how many loads to you go until you need to bump your shoulder back? I know that depends on how hot your load is. Just a generaly.


I got a new carbite button for my redding 6.5x55 dies, just trying it out on some norma brass thats been loaded 4 times, just neck sized, not anelled yet.
Okay this batch of brass with 4 loads/about7/8 neck sized only, im going to bump the shoulder back/full size, tight bolt close in chamber then anel and trim.

Ok first piece with the new carbite button, no lube in the neck I neck size it and the button pulls out great. I check the brass in my chamber/ tight fit,... so im going to full size this batch.
Now have turned the die down on the shell holder for full length size/shoulder bump and the carbite button is sticking bad,"donut"?) on several pieces of brass and I have to realy jerk the press handle up to get it out. I measure for streched brass and its only about .001 longer ...good.

Ques 2. Do you thing im hitting that "donut" at the base of my neck I have heard about, with the carbite button?

Ill lube the necks and put my old size button back in for now

Thanks Rick

 

[GSP7]

Quote "you need to lube the necks"

"Carbite Size Button Kits, makes inside neck sizing smoother and easier without lubrication". Thats right out of the redding catalog.

Why is my carbite button die sticking hard in the neck on retraction? Thats my question.

Is this no lube with a carbite button die a crock?

 

[WhelenMan]

I just bought one of the bushing dies and used it for the first time earlier this week. I immediately replaced the sizer button with the non-sizing smaller diameter decapping pin retainer that came with it. I always assumed that most people did that with the bushing type dies and started that way. No problems and the first 50 rounds bullets seated great. If I was going to size my neck with a button as the final pass I see no reason to use a bushing type die. You should have received a non-sizing decapping pin holder with the dies. Put that on with the decapping pin in it and see what happens.

 

[GSP7]

I be useing Standard dies not bushing dies. Got the cabite button upgrade.

 

[WhelenMan]

Sorry for the wrong answer. I don't know how I made the jump to thinking you were using a bushing type die. If your buttons are both the same diameter it sounds like you need some lube. It'll help the brass anyway. I've always used the Lee case neck lube for the insides of necks for years. I tried motor mica and regular sizing lube and wax all and liked the Lee sizing lube the best. It's a little more labor intense but I like the finished product better. Just a little between the fingertips and then applied to the inside of the case neck by spinning a lubed q-tip inside the neck. It dries with no grease but I still clean the inside of the necks again anyway. I noticed that on the nitrated bushings Redding says you can use them without lube but then they make the statement that they recommend lube.

 

[memilanuk]

Normally the carbide expander balls work better with bushing dies... they are smaller, harder, floating/self-centering, and generally cure 99% of the 'ills' commonly attributed to the use of an expander. I guess I don't qualify as a 'serious' reloader as I've been using them for years.

Because they have a smaller surface area that actually contacts the ID of the case neck, and are made of harder/slicker carbide... there's only a few things that make them hang up like you mention. Sometimes if you have a lot of carbon in the necks,i.e. haven't either tumbled or brushed the case necks) you'll get that. But generally it comes from sizing the case neck down way too far, and then trying to pull the ball back out thru it. This can come from two things: most plain F/L dies squeeze the crap out of the necks, and some brands of brass tend to have really thick necks,IIRC Norma is one of them).

As I said, the carbide expander ball works great w/ a bushing die, as you can adjust the neck sizing to where the ball just kisses the inside of the neck on the way out. If you are using thick-necked brass in a non-bushing F/L die... I think you are going to have problems either way because if you remove the expander as some have suggested, you're going to have extremely high neck tension, and difficulty seating bullets into that undersized neck. Lubing the heck out of the case necks may help, but then you will probably need to remove most/all of that lube before charging the case with powder.

YMMV,

Monte

 

[BoydAllen]

Heavy resistance when pulling an expander ball back through case necks will cause concnetricity,ammunition straightness) problems. Also, I think that you are talking about expander balls. If you use this standard term, there will be less confusion, since some shooters refer to bushings as buttons. One good way to get around these issues is to use a Lee Collet die to neck size in conjunction with a Redding Body die. The Lee die does not require lube, the body die does.

 

[expiper]

What size neck bushing are you using?? Culd it be tooo small...dont go more than .003" smaller than loaded neck dia. Try sizing a few ctgs without the busing in the die...just do the body and get the right ammount of resize,,good feel and fit in YOUR chamber))...then put the bushing in...if the bushing is the rite size ...you will not and do not need to expand them bak out!!! Roger

 

[memilanuk]

Guys, read his posts. He's not using a bushing die. Standard F/L sizing die,which tend to size the necks too small to begin with) coupled with thick-necked Norma brass.

 

[robbor]

I only use buttons on new brass clean up all the dings.
Ive even started removing the buttons from normal dies and with all the extra tension they shoot really good.

 

[BoydAllen]

I noticed that you wrote that you adjusted the FL die to touch the shell holder. Do you have any way to measure how much you have moved the shoulder back? ...if not you need one...more than you needed a carbide expander ball. Also, bottom line you need a better die, if you want the best ammunition. Lest you think that I don't understand your situation, I did the same thing about three decades ago. For guys that are looking to upgrade their reloading, and live close to me, I usually just lend them one of my less favorite concentricity gages, and tell them to use it to "look at" their reloads. This usually gets them to change something, after trying everything that they can think of to try and make the numbers smaller, and failing.

 

[Rust]

When using any expander button, I clean the inside of the case necks and use a little lube, regardless as to whether it is a steel or carbide ball. Less drag, better results.