Deformed necks on ejected 222 brass.

[Hunter2678]

I recently replaced the ejector spring in an old 722 action I bought for my 222 build. Prior to that, it must have had the original in it because it didn't deform any of the necks upon my perceived "weak" case ejection. Now with the fresh spring, I'm getting flats pressed into the spent casing's necks due to the stronger OEM Remington spring. This is happening to Hornady and Lapua brass, no turn necks. Anyone else have this happen to their 222 brass? It's super annoying, guess I'm gonna have to scour my shop for that original spring..

 

[Ggmac]

It does no harm , resize and it's gone .

 

[Hunter2678]

True, if you use an expander ball on your resizer,...I don't, I use a bushing die and therefore I need to run all the cases through with an expander mandrel before I resize...

 

[shoot4fun]

True, if you use an expander ball on your resizer,...I dont, I use a bushing die and therefore I need to run all the cases through with an expander mandrel before I resize...again annoying.

If you are not turning necks for consistency then you should be using the expander ball with you bushing die. The bushing will push any "high spots to the inside and neck tension will be inconsistent. I use Redding dry lube media to keep the inside of the neck from dragging on the expander. It takes half a second to dip the neck into the jar and it really makes things smooth. It doesn't have to be cleaned out and seems to get rid of those unexplained flyers too.

 

[Hunter2678]

If you are not turning necks for consistency then you should be using the expander ball with you bushing die. The bushing will push any "high spots to the inside and neck tension will be inconsistent. I use Redding dry lube media to keep the inside of the neck from dragging on the expander. It takes half a second to dip the neck into the jar and it really makes things smooth. It doesn't have to be cleaned out and seems to get rid of those unexplained flyers too.

Good catch, just realized thats where Ive been going wrong. it. Im so used to using bushing dies on all my other guns since they get turned necks. thanks

looks like theres 2 kinds of that dry lube..?

 

[shoot4fun]

Good catch, just realized thats where Ive been going wrong. it. Im so used to using bushing dies on all my other guns since they get turned necks. thanks

looks like theres 2 kinds of that dry lube..?

Only one kind but it comes two ways. Get the one that already has the media in it. The media is little ceramic balls that help get the right amount and consistency in the neck. The less expensive jar I have to replenish the media when the lube gets low. It last a long time.

 

[Hunter2678]

Only one kind but it comes two ways. Get the one that already has the media in it. The media is little ceramic balls that help get the right amount and consistency in the neck. The less expensive jar I have to replenish the media when the lube gets low. It last a long time.

gotcha..thx

 

[Richard Jones]

If you are not turning necks for consistency then you should be using the expander ball with you bushing die........

Or a mandrel?

 

[BoydAllen]

It is common to trim springs a little at a time until they just lob the case clear of the action. The spring that you replaced may have had this done to it. In any case, you should do it to your new spring, a half turn at a time. As a point of reference, if I drop one of my turned neck 6ppc cases and dent the mouth, even though I remove the dent before sizing, and it looks perfect after, it takes one firing for that case to be fixed. If I try to use it as part of a group, the shot will be a flier to one degree or another. If you are trying for best possible accuracy, I would not want to use an ejector that dented case necks. I have a .244 neck .222 built on a 722. You cannot simply remove the ejector on that model because the extractor is not riveted, and it is indexed by the ejector. My ejector works and does not dent my thin necks.

 

[Hunter2678]

It is common to trim springs a little at a time until they just lob the case clear of the action. The spring that you replaced may have had this done to it. In any case, you should do it to your new spring, a half turn at a time. As a point of reference, if I drop one of my turned neck 6ppc cases and dent the mouth, even though I remove the dent before sizing, and it looks perfect after, it takes one firing for that case to be fixed. If I try to use it as part of a group, the shot will be a flier to one degree or another. If you are trying for best possible accuracy, I would not want to use an ejector that dented case necks. I have a .244 neck .222 built on a 722. You cannot simply remove the ejector on that model because the extractor is not riveted, and it is indexed by the ejector. My ejector works and does not dent my thin necks.

Noted, it did cross my mind to trim the spring also, however, I was hoping not to have to go through all that if I didn't have to. I have youngn's and my time is pretty limited for tinkering on things such as this. This gun is a varminter so I need it to eject/repeat. My dedicated target gun is ejectorless so I'm on the same page with you when it comes to that. This 722 has been a reliable half to 3/4 moa gun so far, but I will get the occasional flyer every ten to twelve shots or so. Id assume its due to some neck deformities among other things..

 

[shoot4fun]

Or a mandrel?

As in Lee Collet Die.

 

[Richard Jones]

As in Lee Collet Die.

Was thinking more expander mandrel.

 

[jepp2]

Anyone else have this happen to their 222 brass? It's super annoying, guess I'm gonna have to scour my shop for that original spring

I routinely replace my ejector spring with a much weaker one. Eliminates the dented case mouth. I know, it doesn't hurt the brass significantly. PM me your mailing information and I will send you one you can fit to the desired ejection location.

 

[LHSmith]

Another point to consider is a stiff ejector spring could be putting more bias on the cartridge by pushing the bullet more out of line with the bore centerline.

 

[Hunter2678]

Another point to consider is a stiff ejector spring could be putting more bias on the cartridge by pushing the bullet more out of line with the bore centerline.

I've been keeping an eye out for this, haven't seen anything yet that makes me think this is happening, its a sub moa gun with minimal effort needed for load development. 20.6 of H4198, and a 53gn vmax is doing pretty good so far. Im sure I could squeeze a little more out of it but simply don't have the time right now.

 

[BoydAllen]

On a forum such as this one, we tend to assume that accuracy goals are more lofty, but as you have pointed out, your needs are being met at the level that you are at. Should you find the time, you now know how to fix the problem.