Mind "the pause" when sizing

[lb-ft]

I theorize that hitting the shoulder twice with no dwell probably matches the benefit of hitting it once with dwell.

Read on here years back the hit twice with no dwell but making sure to rotate in between the hits would provide consistent shoulder sizing AND added benefit of more concentric loaded ammo. I’ve used that method ever since and the results are very good.

An important detail is that I adjust the expander ball well down in the case so that even though I hit the shoulder twice, the neck only gets expanded once.

Yes I know, standard dues with an expander are the devil. Sorry guys, I don’t shoot BR and what shooting I do is on a budget. Thankfully though, the results on paper and LR steel belie the budget aspects

Oh, and Royal case lube in the pump spray bottle is amazing.

 

[ppaul]

A temptation when using a single stage is to try to optimize productivity, so I can see others doing what I was doing and just slamming it up and down and move on.

I bulk lube my cases in a gallon ziploc with a lanolin homebrew, so I'm just counting on the "pause" and not doing anything productive.

If you are getting consistent results I would argue that you are being productive!

 

[Uncle Ed]

Just remember that if you pause too long you can get Manopause and heat flashes waiting for the case to size.

MANOPAUSE.COM | A Website For Men Over 50‎
https://www.manopause.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhv6y9K6f6QIVGqSzCh240whzEAAYASAAEgKJVfD_BwE

MAN·O·PAUSE:
\ 'ma-nə-ˌpȯz , 'ma- \

1. (noun) a man’s state of mental and physical chaos caused by hormone imbalance, sometimes turning him into an asshole.

Let me know if you think my humor sucks and would rather read a F. Guffey posting?????

P.S. I buy bulk once fired Lake City 5.56 and 7.62 brass and size them with a small base die and pause at the top of the ram stroke.

 

[xswanted]

Does one need to hold the ram down or can you let go of it when the shell is in the die?

Trying to figure out if the time can be utilized for other things.

 

[Papa Charlie]

Does one need to hold the ram down or can you let go of it when the shell is in the die?

Trying to figure out if the time can be utilized for other things.

It will stay down on its own.

 

[mensajd]

I've been using Redding competition shell holder sets to control the amount of shoulder bump. They are a set of shell holders whose headstamp facing surfaces are sequentially lower than default redding shell holders so that even when bottoming the die against the shell holder, you won't oversize the brass. Set with a medium amount of cam-over and a consistent lever pull, my results were very consistent without having to worry about pausing for "dwell." YMMV, but I trust my MEASURED results (using a comparator both before and after sizing).

 

[Uncle Ed]

Does one need to hold the ram down or can you let go of it when the shell is in the die?

Trying to figure out if the time can be utilized for other things.

I use a 1973 Rockchucker press that has a little slop in the linkage. I use Redding competition shell holders with the dies making hard contact with the shell holders with press cam over. I count one thousand one to one thousand four for the pause, this can vary by brass hardness and if sizing once fired brass from another chamber. My hardest cases to size are Lake City 7.62 cases that were fired in a machine gun with their fat chambers.

I check the cases after sizing with my Hornady case gauge and double check again after they sit for a day or two to see if the shoulder moves. If the cases are fired in your chamber then spring back is not as big a problem. "BUT" pausing does reduce spring back after sizing making the case shoulder more uniform.

I also use a JP Enterprise case gauge with my Lake city cases after sizing and this checks case body diameter.

Below a Dillon .308 case gauge with a "FIRED" Lake City 7.62 case in the gauge.

.
Below the same case in the JP Enterprise gauge showing its smaller diameter closer to minimum SAAMI diameter. If the sized case passes a plop test in the gauge and drops out without binding the sized case will fit in any chamber.The same cases are checked with a Hornady cartridge case headspace gauge for proper shoulder setback. Just remember the case body and shoulder can spring back more a few days after sizing.

 

[Gappmast]

Yeah, the dwell time does help! And I will add that how much dwell time might be needed depends a lot on the state of the brass, like whether or not it's been annealed . . . or, how well it's been annealed.

Note too, that one will most often find that there's spring back to the extent that if you measure the neck a day after, the brass will have sprung back a little more. I simply mention this as something reloaders should keep in mind.

I think the "next day spring back" is less with annealed brass.

 

[Ccrider]

Interesting...I noticed a lot of times my shoulder measurement was longer AFTER resizing. I always figured it was the expander ball stretching the brass. I started leaving it in there for a few seconds or sometimes hitting it twice and the problem went away. I’ll just let it sit a few seconds and see what happens

I think it’s the die resizing the base that makes the case longer just before it Gets to where it is moving the shoulder back.

 

[bozo699]

I just started doing this. I anneal after each firing and am using Lapua brass. A 4 Mississippi count seems to be about right for me.

The key to accuracy is consistency!.....If your going to anneal do it every time,.... I do and my neck tension and shoulder bump shows it.
Wayne

 

[bozo699]

Just remember that if you pause too long you can get Manopause and heat flashes waiting for the case to size.

MANOPAUSE.COM | A Website For Men Over 50‎
https://www.manopause.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhv6y9K6f6QIVGqSzCh240whzEAAYASAAEgKJVfD_BwE

MAN·O·PAUSE:
\ 'ma-nə-ˌpȯz , 'ma- \

1. (noun) a man’s state of mental and physical chaos caused by hormone imbalance, sometimes turning him into an asshole.

Let me know if you think my humor sucks and would rather read a F. Guffey posting?????

P.S. I buy bulk once fired Lake City 5.56 and 7.62 brass and size them with a small base die and pause at the top of the ram stroke.

I thought you was Fguffy under-a different alias
Wayne

 

[PopCharlie]

The key to accuracy is consistency!.....If your going to anneal do it every time,.... I do and my neck tension and shoulder bump shows it.
Wayne

Agreed. I'm still learning about neck tension. I have learned that thickness variance is a big deal. Having necks that are consistent thickness, either by sorting or by turning, improves groups. Consistency is the key, but it is difficult to maintain.

PopCharlie