when full length resizing is just not enough

[the boy]

Just looking for some advice. Recently had an FClass rifle put together in .260AI. when full length resizing, I am still getting hard bolt closure and thats with the die at the limit of it's travel (caming over).
options to get more bump back on the shoulder would be machine the base of the die or take a little off the shell holder.
Are shell holders available already machined down?

 

[AlNyhus]

How far are you bumping the shoulders back?

 

[GLShooter]

Redding makes the shell holders you need IIRC I just grind teh top of the SH by about 0.010 and call it good.

 

[jds holler]

I've had a problem with "tight bolt" syndrome on a particular rifle before, and after determining that the problem wasn't neck OR shoulder problem, I took some of the tight cartridges I'd loaded and shot them.. and voila!!-- easy bolt.

I can only concur that the expansion and contraction of firing caused the case to fit the chamber mobetta.

I wound up getting a small base die, which prevented tight bolt from then on, and can now set my shoulder bump accurately for that chamber. Haven't had to use the small base die for more than one cycle with new brass. jd

 

[LHSmith]

Redding makes the shell holders you need IIRC I just grind teh top of the SH by about 0.010 and call it good.

Actually, the Redding Competition shellholders go in the opposite direction that the OP may require.
Small base dies are usually the answer.

 

[dgeesaman]

Does your sizing die reduce diameter at the .200 line at all? How much has that diameter grown since virgin brass?

 

[243winxb]

Check rifle with Headspage gauge.

Or send 3 fired brass, with die & shell holder , to the manufacture. Call first.

 

[6Creed73]

I keep a small base die around for all of my calibers, just in case. I've found that eventually the base will expand enough and needs to be sized back down. Not sure that's what you are experiencing, but it doesn't hurt to have a small base die for those "just in case" moments.

 

[10XSHOOTER]

Check head space. maybe chambered too short

 

[fkimble@charter.net]

When you are full length sizing with cam over, when ram at max up position, is there a gap between top of shell holder and bottom of die? If so you need to screw the die down a little more. If no gap, then take a couple thou off the top of shell holder. It's much cheaper than screwing up a die.

Frank

 

[doctorh]

Take your shell holder out of your reloading press. Put case into shell holer,you we notice some play up& down. Make a shim and insert,you will need to but hold in it if you are depriming when resizing.this will give you at least extra five thousands more bump.

 

[LHSmith]

Take your shell holder out of your reloading press. Put case into shell holer,you we notice some play up& down. Make a shim and insert,you will need to but hold in it if you are depriming when resizing.this will give you at least extra five thousands more bump.

Might have to remove the S/H retaining clip for this to work.

 

[NorCalMikie]

When you are full length sizing with cam over, when ram at max up position, is there a gap between top of shell holder and bottom of die? If so you need to screw the die down a little more. If no gap, then take a couple thou off the top of shell holder. It's much cheaper than screwing up a die.

Frank

There is NO CAM OVER if the bottom of the die isn't touching the shell holder.
If you want the case to go up a little higher into the die, take a bit off the "shell holder".
Either sand it down on a flat surface OR chuck it up in a drill or drill press and run it down on a well oiled stone. Measure before and after to see how much you have actually removed. When you get it to where you want it, "mark it and set it aside so it won't get mixed up with the standard shell holders.
Sure beats messing with different length dies.

 

[NorCalMikie]

The case won't go further UP into the die because of the thickness of the shell holder. The only way to get it "there" (higher) is to shorten the shell holder.

 

[jackieschmidt]

The OP needs to answer Al’s question he asked in post #2.

 

[DaveTooley]

All presses have some amount of spring. After running a case into the die look at the gap on top of the shell holder. I have never been a fan of sharp shoulders past 30 degrees. There's cam over when the die touches the case and then there is real cam over.

 

[Pres100]

How many times have the cases been resized? Are you annealing the cases? Could they be springing back out of dimension and causing the hard bolt closure?

 

[divingin]

Measure before and after to see how much you have actually removed. When you get it to where you want it, "mark it and set it aside so it won't get mixed up with the standard shell holders.

What difference would that make? I'd assume you don't normally run the mfr's suggestion with hard contact between die and shellholder (if you want the brass to last); so a short shellholder just means you have slightly more of a gap than a normal one does. For a given die setting, swapping shellholders affects nothing (until you get that hard contact again.)

 

[the boy]

When you are full length sizing with cam over, when ram at max up position, is there a gap between top of shell holder and bottom of die? If so you need to screw the die down a little more. If no gap, then take a couple thou off the top of shell holder. It's much cheaper than screwing up a die.

Frank

Hello Frank
there's no gap between shell holder and die. maybe taking a bit of the shell holder will do the trick

 

[the boy]

How many times have the cases been resized? Are you annealing the cases? Could they be springing back out of dimension and causing the hard bolt closure?

three firings with palmer brass. and yep, annealed ever time prior to resizing.