resize a loaded cartridge ?

[mikeinct]

"I am available for Adoption ."..OK Don, you are on the list...It is a long funny story...Some other time, I'll tell.....Uncle Mike

 

[Bc'z]

I’ve always been told do stupid stuff and you win stupid prizes...if it were me I would pull the bullet dump powder deprime and start over.Safety first,safety last.and safety always.

I agree except for deprimeing.
You'll be forcing anvil against a fuel source, that could get real exciting.
I've always left primers in place, nothing comes in contact with them. Just pull bullets down and dump charge, resize fill back up.

 

[hpshooter]

"The only way I would have attempted to size a case that was loaded would be a body die or bushing die with the bushings out "

Well, I will tell one on myself. Once in the distant past I made the poor decision to resize a .222 Remington with a seated projectile. Had I done it as Stan suggested all would have been fine but since this was in the pre bushing die days I have a Pacific Durachrome sizing die with a loaded round stuck in it on my Darwin trophy shelf. I was wise enough to remove the decapping stem and vividly remember the "Oh ----" moment when I felt that negative stuck case feed back through the operating lever.

 

[dcali]

While not commenting on the safety of SIZING loaded rounds, the above is exactly what happens when you seat a bullet.

The difference is that you don't get stuck cases when seating. I'm not sure that sizing loaded rounds is inherently dangerous, but I can imagine people doing stupid things without thinking it through and getting into trouble. If there's anything about reloading that I've learned when reading about reloading accidents, it's not to cut corners or get complacent. Sizing loaded rounds strikes me as both.

 

[Rsadams]

Ok , why chance a $20,000+ hospital bill or losing a finger or eye OR worse for 80 rounds... At least pull the bullet and dump the powder... The number one rule in reloading is Safety first....

 

[Ken]

I just faced the same question. Pull'um start over. Why burn barrel life on suspect rounds. Besides, think of the fun you can have

 

[John Russell]

I have 80 loaded cartridges from my old 6 mmBRX ...Can I just shove the shoulder back 5 to 6 thou. & use in a different rifle ??? I removed the decapping pin from my FL sizing die..I managed to shove the shoulder back enough to match the new chamber..Can this ammo be used safely ???

From your question, it is not clear if you did it yet ("Can I...) or you already did it.

If you did it, they can be shot, but the bullets will undersized and they will not be accurate, so you will just be fireforming.

In the future, you can run loaded ammo through a Redding "Body Die" with zero problems and zero threat of a dangerous out comes.

 

[ClassCat]

Don't be foolish. Take them apart and then resize. If you want to save the primer , pull the de-caping pin.

 

[dickn52]

I have seen some of the most creative self harming stuff on this page.

 

[Webster]

I’ve always been told do stupid stuff and you win stupid prizes...if it were me I would pull the bullet dump powder deprime and start over.Safety first,safety last.and safety always.

It's called the Darwin Effect. Elimination of the weak from the gene pool by doing stupid stuff.

 

[STS]

You resized the neck with the bullet in place. Lead and gilding metal are "dead" metals, but the brass will spring back; this allows radial clearance between the bullet and the case. If the bullet is seated with the shank below the neck-shoulder junction, a donut may be present; the donut gets impressed on the bullet shank and prevents axial movement of the bullet.

Lead is a dead metal, gilding metal (jackets) is not. The “expand up” method of bullet making is part of the process of cup and core bullets. The core and jacket expand up during core seating. The core stays at that diameter and the jacket tries to contract and grips the core. Just a point of clarification.

 

[Tommie]

Confession:
Against EVERYONE’S advice I body sized 100 loaded 22-250 AI rounds. I lived to tell the tale.

(Insert Darwin Award comments below)

 

[divingin]

I would not do this. Putting a loaded round into a press and then pushing it into a die sounds like a dangerous proposition. Sounds a lot like how a rifle works, one that is pointed at your face when you push that ram down.

Nah, I disagree.

It would be tough to set off a primer from compressing the other side. You would need to exert enough force on the hollow part of the anvil to equal the small diameter firing pin hitting the cup (actually, probably more since the cup isn't deforming.) How much powder do you think makes it through the flash hole? If stick powder larger than about Varget size kernels, damn near none. If the kernels *are* small enough to get into the primer proper, they also need to bunch up on the case side of the anvil to crush the pellet, which is also pretty unlikely.

That said, it would also be prudent to pull and resize. I wear a seatbelt despite the rather low probability of needing it on any particular drive.

 

[GrocMax]

FL bushing die with bushing removed or a body die, something that has lots of clearance around the neck. Do it with the door closed, then wash your hands afterwards. Don't discuss it with your friends.

Oh and your seating depth will change.

 

[pirate ammo]

this place is getting into the danger zone..

 

[270WinDude]

I know how hard it is to admit defeat and start over. I may or may not have some rounds sitting around that I need to get around to pulling from my first batches. I''ll probably wait until I'm desperate for the bullets or the powder. So did you resize all 80 rounds for your new gun?

 

[Milo 2.0]

Confession:
Against EVERYONE’S advice I body sized 100 loaded 22-250 AI rounds. I lived to tell the tale.

(Insert Darwin Award comments below)

Darwin my ass, I'd make a Bud Light Real Men of Genius commercial for guys like us.

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[mikeinct]

I know how hard it is to admit defeat and start over. I may or may not have some rounds sitting around that I need to get around to pulling from my first batches. I''ll probably wait until I'm desperate for the bullets or the powder. So did you resize all 80 rounds for your new gun?

Nope..only got one apart..the resized one...Threw that bullet into the scrap heap..I hate pulling down ammo..But I need those cases...Thanks to all..We had a good time w this...Over & out...mike in Ct

 

[Webster]

Confession:
Against EVERYONE’S advice I body sized 100 loaded 22-250 AI rounds. I lived to tell the tale.

(Insert Darwin Award comments below)

Sizing obviously not likely to fire a primer but if it did you would have at least 30,000 PSI in a die that cannot hold the pressure. The die would burst with steel and brass particles launched at high velocity. Plus high temp and pressure gas in your face. If I do something that creates a lot of extra work, I consider it punishment for my mistake. You are issued one set of eyes.