Help. Setting up Redding body die. Major FUBAR...

[Danattherock]

Just compared two groups of loaded rounds. 25 in one 28 in the other. Same 4/5x fired, weight sorted, trimmed to thou, prepped Lapua brass from same box. No neck turning, but otherwise quite uniform. Only variable that is different between batch one and batch two is the sizing dies used. Same technique in all aspects. Loaded on Rock Chucker. Same classic rock station playing.

Batch one, Redding deluxe FL sizer with carbide button expander. Bullets , 77 SMK moly, seated with redding deluxe seater. Average runout on 21st Century concentricity gauge measured on bullet is 4.5 thou.

Batch two, Lee neck collet die then Redding body die. Bullets, 77 SMK moly, seated with redding deluxe seater. Average runout on 21st Century concentricity gauge measured on bullet is 1.5 thou.

So I can see a substantial amount of the runout was being created during the sizing operation. I bought a Forster Ultra seating die but it was faulty and is going back to Forster for repair. I'm eager to see what impact it has, if any, upon getting it back.


Dan

 

[Dans40X]

60 replies!!!!
Keep it simple.....KISS

Full Length size your brass by setting shoulder back .003"-.004"
trim brass to length
prime by hand
charge by throwing
seat bullet w/.003" press fit to eliminate crimping
shoot

It's a gas gun
Mag fed
Treat it as such

IF & when it shoots under 1/2MOA........shoot it.

A 1/2 MOA "circus rifle" will win the Nat'ls @ Perry.......IF you do your part....all week!!

 

[Danattherock]

Ha ha. Agreed. I wasn't going to post here again as everyone has lost interest, understandably. But since you posted, I will add this.

I could care less about this particular gun. Just a toy, a gun I bought on a whim. It shoots fine, shot a 0.172" last weekend. It was only three shots though, which doesn't count. I did shoot a 0.501" seven shot group prior to that. Good for my skill level, and I'm eager to see how this load shoots when I'm done with it. I'm more concerned with the process and some more longterm goals I have.

I just recently learned of runout reading a thread here and found myself eager to minimize it. This neck collet and body die certainly did that. Always fun to seek out a weakness and eliminate it. One of the many things that makes Handloading worthwhile. Hopefully the addition of the Forster Ultra seater will help out as well.

Either way my runout is half of what military standards state for match grade ammo. Not bad for two weeks worth of effort. Thanks to all here that drastically sped up my learning curve, the poster above me included.



Dan

 

[dieselmudder]

Actually im pretty interested in it. Tthats some awesome work for an AR platform. I'm working up loads for one as wel,. kinda nice sittin back lettin you do all the hard stuff..... In all seriousness though, I'm not going for the kind of accuracy that you've reached. if i can hold MOA i'll be happy. My intent is for predator/varmint hunting. won't be working out past 500 around here. Seeing what is possible with enough time, and R&D is good though, may venture down that road at a later time. Keep up the good work!!!

 

[Brians356]

It doesn't take extraordinary effort to get many AR-15s to shoot 1/2 MOA these days. I used to assume I'd have the edge with my Rem 700 VS, but no longer. For hunting, the easy follow-up shots are a definite advantage. I still resist the form factor and the controls.

 

[swampthang]

the rock river a.t.h. 223/5.56 i have is really super accurate for a gas gun.
i weight sort lake city brass, load to mag length and with 24.5 gr of h-322 behind a sierra 65 gr will produce 3/4 inch 5 shot groups day in day out at 300 yards. and shoot .159 at 100 yds.
im tickled pink with it. i bought it for my grandsons to deer hunt with but have found it very enjoyable for me too. 5 deer with it this yr. all headshots- longest 187 yards. .... works for me. good luck.
ps you should see concentricity go down with the forster die. i love redding dies but alot of the guys i shoot with say that the forster dies produce less run-out than even the redding.

 

[jmitchell135]

I have had similar stuck case issues (223 & 6.5 Grendel) and found that if I lube and let the brass sit, then lube again, everything works better. I think you are under lubed.

 

[waldo1979]

I bought a bottle of Dillon spray to try last week, dented a few shoulders. Just a basic lanolin/etoh mixture, but $12/bottle locally. I used too much obviously, but I didn't spray much, less next time if I use it again. Just bought it to test out. Seems like a fast way to lube many cases. Main interest for it is my Dillon 550 223 loads.

I use Dillion spray lube. The instructions say setup is 5-10 minutes but in cold weather you really have to wait 30-45 minutes. I lay my brass out on some paper towels on a "cookie sheet" (actually a plastic lid to a storage bin). Give a light spray, roll them around, spray again and then let them sit to set-up. I align all the spray so the slightest amount gets inside the necks.

As far as stuck cases, I'd say not fully cleaning the dies would be issue #1.

I use a redding national match set for my .223 24" krieger/RRA space gun. Still working out concentricy issues, next step is a different press.