ordering my first press tomorrow and need a few tips to get started

[SnapShot]

those dented necks are almost defiantly a sure tell sign of to much lube used durring the resizing.

you dont need much lube at all. you want to fell that ram somewhere inbeween getting stuck and like butter. (getting stuck ull start ripping your brass apart) (like butter is on the verge of to much lube)

another telling sign that your using to much lube is when you look at a case after getting resized, and you see some of the lube in a ring neer the case head.

be sure to clean your dies before and after use if your noticing dented necks.


as for the scratches, i duno, unless your die is dirty, or you scratched it somehow with dirty brass, never seen that. i have heard that if you use (really dirty brass, undleaned it can scratch your die, and then scratch every case you resize with it)



i found that with the rcbs case lube , dont lube every round, say every 3rd or so, let the ram tell you when to lube.

i agree with scrappydoo. one of those little bottles of rcbs should do over 1000 rounds easy.
to apply it.... this is what i do.... get my case lube pad.. drop about 2 drops (small drops, about the size of 2 drops of water from an eyedropper) of the stuff one 1/4 way up one 3/4 of the way down, then use my finger and rub it into the pad all over, that should be enough lube on the pad to resize 100 cases easy.



dont mix lubes, no scientific data on this, just seems like a bad idea.


the hornady one shot stuff, worked good for me once. but i find that the rcbs lube is easier to use for me. you just gota wipe it off after your done. but the only stuck case ive had has been with the one shot stuff. applied almsot as directed, the can says to wait a few min, i waited like 15.




and as far as your headspace issue with the lee dies, if ya overcranked, or set the die just a hair deeper i think that woulda solved your problem, i was on the verge of ordering me a set of small base dies, before i realized that if i raised the ram, screwed in the die all the way, lowered the ram, then screwed in the die like another 1/8-1/4 turn , set the lock ring, and then, SUCCESS, got that headspace down to where it needed to be.

 

[speedtriple]

Dented cases are from too much lube. Fluid does not compress, and when you have too much of it in there, you have made a hydraulic press and the fluid crushes the brass.

From the photos it looks like the brass is still dirty around the necks. That dirt will scratch the precision surfaces of the dies at worst, allow buildup of crap on them at best. Take you die apart and clean it. If there are still scratches on the surfaces, polish them out with 2000 grit emery cloth. I am guessing that when you took apart the die to remove the decapping pin, you knocked off the buildup of crap from dirty cases.

You might also check how tight you have the cap screw holding down the shell plate on your Lock and Load AP. At least on mine, barely hand tight works best. Anything tighter and the pawls take a beating or I do not get good alignment on every step of rotation.

Gregg

 

[ron]

The dent in the case near the shoulder is from too much lube. RCBS lube is very different than the spray on lubes. I have used both but I like the spray on faster easier to clean off. If a lot of pressure is needed to pull the case out of the die you don't have any lube inside the case necks. I use the RCBS Teflon inside case necks. With the spray on lube I seldom have to lube inside case necks.

 

[deadshot2]

Because I process so many cases at a time in .223, I use Dillon Spray lube which is a mix of Isopropyl Alcohol and Lanolin. The key with spray lubes is to get enough without loading the case and causing these hydraulic dents in the shoulder. I put a bunch of cases in a gallon sized zip lock bag, spray a couple of squirts of the spray lube in the bag, and then hand tumble the cases in the bag to distribute the lube. I then pour them out onto a tray to dry. This gives just enough to keep the cases from sticking yet no dents. I do this a when I'm loading thousands of rounds.

For round at a time processing I use Hornady UNIQUE which comes in a small tub. I only use enough of the lube to put a very thin film on the case. I "touch" the lube in the tub to pick up only what clings to my finger, no digging, no scooping, just a "touch". All you need is enough lube so the case barely feels like it has any at all on it. Another good lube is Imperial Sizing Wax. Both the Unique and Imperial will last a real long time if your using it right.

A note on the Lee rifle dies, they have a relief hole drilled into the shoulder area so excess lube is released through the hole rather than forming dimples in the shoulder. I'd find out why the Lee die isn't working for you as it does a better job than the RCBS if you are prone to over-lubing the cases.

 

[blitz]

i did about 2000 cases with the rcbs spray lube
(a 3 gallon bucket full)
all of them but about 200 or so were done with the lee die, the only ones i did with the rcbs die are the ones that the
headspace was wrong on because the lee die wouldnt do anything to the headspace

but i got the one shot spray lube after running out of the rcbs and i was not having any luck with the one shot and i started really hosing them down with it.

thanks for all the replies i guess this one shot is going in the garbage and i will pick me up some more rcbs spray lube, never had one problem like this with that.

 

[blitz]

also i have adjusted the lee die as far down as it will go, to where i could barely crank the handle down with no difference at all. also with the lee die it has been putting the scratches in it since i got it so it is not a dirty issue.
i tumble about 150 rounds of 223 in my m2 tumbler for about 2.5 hours so they should be clean

 

[blitz]

also i am looking for a good scale under 100$ if anyone has any suggestions they would like to share