Newbie Reloading Question

[Jackal2016]

I really don't know why Hornady says to use the "C" (0.375") comparator for the 6.5 Creedmoor when the SAAMI specs refer to a 0.400" reference point similar to a 308 WIN. I use the "D" (0.400") comparator for quick reference and ultimately the chamber to test fit when I set up my sizing die when I work with 6.5 Creedmoor. The 0.400 mark is closer to the shoulder than 0.375 diameter anyway.

And yes, as others have stated, the spent primer should be removed before taking measurements with a dedicated depriming die as the used primers can affect your measurements as they might protrude a little bit from the case head. ie the little dimple/ridge that is formed from the firing pin in many factory guns. Remington in particular comes to mind here, lol.

Server won't let me up load my saved page for the 6.5 Creedmoor from SAAMI (32 MB) so here is the link. See Page 39, or (51 on the PDF) for their reference point.

https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ANSI-SAAMI-Z299.4-CFR-Approved-2015-12-14-Posting-Copy.pdf

Saved page is apparently the whole PDF, not just the page for 6.5 Creedmoor, so I see why it's too large now, lol.

 

[cw308]

swissky
If there is a Harbor Freight in your area or on line , look a the single drum tumbler , I've been using it for years , does a great job , uses 1 pound of SS Pins , I use it for small cleanings 50 - 100 45acp cases or 50 308 cases. I like wet tumbling much better , makes the cases look brand new cleans inside and out , even primer pockets.
Your Tikka in 6.5 CM great hunting rifle and a excellent round , if your reloading for hunting don't size case headspace lower then .002 .003 may be better , you want all your rounds to chamber easily and eject . Benchrest shooting for pinpoint accuracy , triggers are set in ounces , rounds have very little wiggle room for that 5 shot one hole group . You should get 1/2" groups at 100 yards by setting up your die for full length sizing , setting up with full contact , shellholder to bottom of die by just removing the slack without can over . Go with listed OAL listing in the load book for the bullet and powder used. Can start slightly lower then mid range for powder charge , incerase charge by .3 grains each change . With using OAL of the load book length , usinging that length , check what the base to ogive measurement is , that's what you want to go by for accurate measurements , Some bullet tips may be longer or shorter , so go with base to ogive . By just playing with powder charge you'll find what load shoots tight groups . If your not going to be shooting long distances the lower powder charges in most cases will be the most accurate from 100 to 300 yards . Take your time and work on shooting form. Again , Great Rifle and Round.
Chris
PS: I shoot benchrest with some that are always looking for the perfect load and by the time the think they found it it's time to change the barrel , it starts all over again. Shooting should be fun not frustrating.

 

[K22]

Hey Chris,

I have a Tikka T3x Superlite chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. I'm using this to get my feet wet in the reloading world. I was able to just purchase the Redding Competition Shell holder set from a guy on this forum which I look forward to having.

Check the Redding Shell holders when you receive them to verify that they are indeed the value stamped on the shell holder; don't just assume that they are correct - they probably are but check them.

I had a friend who was having trouble achieving the sizing results he want while using them. When I checked them I found two that were off - I can't remember the details, it was a while ago.

I'm not saying that this is an wide spread flaw in these shell holder, he may have just gotten a set where a couple were off. Once that was identified, he was able to make the necessary adjustments to produce the results he wanted.

 

[divingin]

I really don't know why Hornady says to use the "C" (0.375") comparator for the 6.5 Creedmoor when the SAAMI specs refer to a 0.400" reference point similar to a 308 WIN. I use the "D" (0.400") comparator for quick reference and ultimately the chamber to test fit when I set up my sizing die when I work with 6.5 Creedmoor. The 0.400 mark is closer to the shoulder than 0.375 diameter anyway.

I really don't know why Hornady says to use the "C" (0.375") comparator for the 6.5 Creedmoor when the SAAMI specs refer to a 0.400" reference point similar to a 308 WIN. I use the "D" (0.400") comparator for quick reference and ultimately the chamber to test fit when I set up my sizing die when I work with 6.5 Creedmoor. The 0.400 mark is closer to the shoulder than 0.375 diameter anyway.

I think they're trying to hit the midpoint of the shoulder. With a smaller neck, you have to have a smaller diameter to get halfway from the base-shoulder junction to the neck-shoulder junction.

 

[cw308]

The RCBS Precision Mic is the easiest way to accurately check the base to datum and base to ogive settings . The Mic. is caliber specific. I have the Hornady Comparators but favor the mic., pretty simple to use.
Chris

 

[swisski]

I may have to pick this up, looks like it could help troubleshoot my issues. Thanks!

 

[6MMsteve]

don't lube the shoulders I only lube the bottom 2/3 rds of the case wall....I could be wrong though

 

[swisski]

don't lube the shoulders I only lube the bottom 2/3 rds of the case wall....I could be wrong though

Interesting. I’ll try this as well, I had been lubricating the shoulders not knowing

 

[swisski]

Something I just thought of, and won’t be able to try till tomorrow when I’m off shift- but does anybody know if you can fit a loaded cartridge into the Hornady headspace comparator bushings?

If so, I still have some loaded factory Hornady cartridges I can get a headspace measurement off of, and that will allow me to compare to the brass that I sized twice to see where they fall relative to the factory rounds. My concern now is the ones that I ran through the sizing die twice are below minimum spec for headspace, even though the close nicely with my bolt. This will at least give me an indicator of what unfired factory rounds are measuring compared to what I have sized.

 

[wagonman]

yes you can measure loaded rounds in your comparator gauge, and getting lube on shoulders will give different amounts of shoulder set back from case to case you want no lube on shoulders during sizing.

 

[swisski]

yes you can measure loaded rounds in your comparator gauge, and getting lube on shoulders will give different amounts of shoulder set back from case to case you want no lube on shoulders during sizing.

Noted, thank you

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

You can drop a new factory round into the Wilson case gage and often be slightly below the lower shelf. A Lyman ammo checker could be a better tool for you to use for adjusting your sizing die, although I prefer to use the bolt minus the firing pin and spring. When using the comparator make sure you put it on the blade the same each time and orientation of the insert is the same. Make sure there is no lube on the case when using the case gage or comparator.

 

[cw308]

There is another attachment that measures the ogiive to base setting . Getting the alignment perfect with the Hornady Comparators is why I went with the RCBS Precision Mic. Check it out , the bullet adjustment that comes with the mic. is a waste of time.

 

[Dave Marshall]

If you are using the die manufacturers instructions to set up your sizing die, you are probably sizing your brass way too small. Those instructions are only to get you to a starting point. Start by screwing the dies down to the shell holder and then backing it off 1/4 -1/2 turn. Then take a piece of brass fired IN THAT RIFLE, lube it up and start sizing it. Measure the headspace and advance the sizing die down until you start actually changing the headspace. If you get to the shell holder and still haven’t changed the brass dimensions, you’ll need to modify your dies or shell plate. Once the shell holder hits the bottom of the die, that’s as far as it will go without modifications.

You need to compare the headspace measurements of brass FIRED IN THAT RIFLE. to the headspace measurement of the brass you are trying to resize. You want about .003” shorter headspace than the unsized fired case. This is where your comparator comes in. Don’t be worried about SAAMI dimensions unless you are sizing the brass way under minimum. Factory ammo will probably measure .005” under minimum anyway. Firing the brass you “over-sized” below minimum should be safe, but the cases will stretch more causing shorter usable brass life. Try to keep your headspace difference under .003”. This will help prevent over-working of the brass. You can size your brass back to SAAMI minimum if you want, but the cases will fail sooner.
Use a thin coat of lube over the entire case surface including the shoulder. Imperial wax is the best lube for non-bulk processing. Use it sparingly, a little goes a long way.

Also, unless you are trained in the use of high quality micrometers and taking accurate measurements, you’re going to see variances in your numbers. For most of us using middle of the road calipers as our only measuring tools, variances around .003” are going to be pretty common and not worth worrying about.

 

[cw308]

Kind of confusing information . As far as lube , lube the case body , neck and inside of neck when using the expander ball, keep it off the shoulder. Your sizing for hunting the case length of .003 is perfect , same for semi auto for proper operation. Just look at what .003 looks like on your caliper and .001
When I was going down that rabbit hole for benchrest , I removed the
ejector spring to a weaker spring causing the ejector to stay flush with bolt face . The thinking behind this is the ejector was putting pressure on the base of the case , causing it to misalign. . I use a single shot follower on my Rem. 700 so the round just layed on the follower after firing , only good thing about that was I didn't have to pick my brass off the ground. New reloaders should go one step at a time and at first don't go deep into the weeds.

 

[swisski]

Thank you all for the helpful advice.

After some further research, I've found the cases I twice resized actually are consistently about .001" longer in headspace than the factory Hornady unfired rounds I compared them too. I also switched to the .400" bushing for my comparator as I did see SAAMI spec shows that reference per measuring headspace for the 6.5 creedmoor. At any rate, I feel better now about the potential headspace issues being too far below minimum as they seem they should be just fine.

 

[swisski]

I still have yet to discover how to make my die correctly size on one press, but I haven't tried again with ensuring I'm not putting lube on the shoulders. Once I do some more resizing with the other once fired brass, I'll see what I can achieve. Thanks again!

 

[cw308]

Once you get the Competition Shellholders , use the #10 which is the lowest deck height , using full contact , keep changing Shellholders until you reach the desired headspace . You can try each one in your chamber until the bolt closes without any resistance , try giving alittle wiggle room not loose only enough to self center on your expander ball shaft .

 

[searcher]

Something I just thought of, and won’t be able to try till tomorrow when I’m off shift- but does anybody know if you can fit a loaded cartridge into the Hornady headspace comparator bushings?

If so, I still have some loaded factory Hornady cartridges I can get a headspace measurement off of, and that will allow me to compare to the brass that I sized twice to see where they fall relative to the factory rounds. My concern now is the ones that I ran through the sizing die twice are below minimum spec for headspace, even though the close nicely with my bolt. This will at least give me an indicator of what unfired factory rounds are measuring compared to what I have sized.

Generally, pushing the shoulders back further than necessary will result in one of a few things - if done MUCH further than they should. The rounds will occasionally not fire and those that do my have erratic velocities. Your accuracy will suffer as each round can position the bullet at different distances from the lands from one another due to the "slop" of the round in the chamber. You may have a primer blow out, expelling hot gasses on your bolt, pitting the face of the bolt and in extreme cases, cause your action to jamb shut. The hot gasses can present a safety issue if safety glasses are not worn - depending on where your rifle vents such gas. You will note primers partially protruding from the case when you extract the fired case from the chamber. You may notice very flattened primer faces, due to the "slap" they incur when being thrown back to the bolt face upon firing. All said though - if you didn't set the shoulders back more than around .008" on a round that had already been fired - you will likely encounter no safety issues. The case will blow back out a bit - but it will usually take several firings even without any shoulder setback to get them back to where they fill the chamber. Everybody who has reloaded for a time has accidentally done this to some extent - so I'd not be too concerned unless your gauge shows you are back a lot more than this. Unfortunately - I know all of this from first hand experience since the age of 14.

 

[cw308]

Sizing as the instructions state will allow your rounds to fire safely in any rifle of the same caliber and using the measurements from the load books. Load books seating bullet lengths in Over All Lengths which isn't the best for really accurate rounds do to bullet tips being off. In reloading your in most cases looking for a custom fit for your chamber and barrel. It is a very safe hobby as long as you follow the directions , ask questions when unsure of something , try calling the manufacturer , ask questions on forums . As time goes on you'll try different dies , gauges and every new gadget out there. Hope you have space in your gun cabinet . Load Safe.
Chris