Sizing Loaded Rounds.

[arakboss]

What are some efficient ways to resize a loaded round?

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[TTSX]

I'm sorry, what?

 

[arakboss]

I'm sorry, what?

Some use a body die, some use a stripped standard die with modifications. Looking for recommendations from others who have done it successfully.

 

[Alexx1401]

If you mean your rolled round is not wanting to chamber well? Lee makes a die called a Carbide Factory Crimp die that will do that. It adds one more step to rolling but I long ago found it was well worth it to me. It means I no longer have to worry about adjusting my seating die to put the correct crimp. This was often a problem if all cases were not exactly the same. I have found that the die would take home rolls that did not want to feed well and make them feed like factory ammo in picky pistols.

 

[P7M13]

Troublesome issue.
In my experience, this is not one instance where being cheap pays off.
Measure and figure out why it did not chamber, then pull it and either reuse or discard the brass.

That said, rifle or pistol?
For rifle:
You can only resize using a die of the same form factor case but larger diameter bullet so the neck size has no effect.

For pistol, pull the guts on the sizing die.

I believe you can also buy a "body die" which does no neck or shoulder sizing, but the cost of it is a lot of rounds. If you're getting that many bad rounds, give your process more scrutiny.

 

[oremike]

If it's a straight wall pistol case Lee makes a push thru die called a bulge buster. If it's not a straight walled pistol cartridge then disassemble and start over again. It would be a bad thing to get a live round stuck in a die with no good way that's not dangerous to get it out.

 

[DizzyJ]

What are some efficient ways to resize a loaded round?

Any input on the whole story? How many rounds you trying to save

 

[tac]

I would rather eat my own ears than try and resize a loaded cartridge. YMYV.

 

[arakboss]

Any input on the whole story? How many rounds you trying to save

I am interested in the process. No particular rounds that I would run right away. I did acquire 400rnds of 9mm that evidently didn't survive the plunk test in a chamber checker.

 

[Pepe-lepew]

Not with regular dies. Resizing where the bullet is will reduce or eliminate tension on the bullet. The same reason Lee FCD for pistol is a bad idea.

 

[Pepe-lepew]

If it did not pass the plunk test because of the bullet ogive contacting the throat, you can just seat them more if they are jacketed bullets. If they are lead or plated, it risks scrapping lead or plating off. I have successfully done that with poor commercial reloads seated too long with plated bullets. The thing that helped was they did not over crimp the plated bullets.

 

[Alexx1401]

I am interested in the process. No particular rounds that I would run right away. I did acquire 400rnds of 9mm that evidently didn't survive the plunk test in a chamber checker.

Those the Lee Die's I mentioned would remedy them. Run them through one and they will chamber fine. Now one thing that would concern me is where did they come from? I assume home rolled? If so and they are not "quite right" are you sure you can trust the person who rolled them?

 

[Certaindeaf]

^
Absolutely.
And further, any post-sizing die like the Lee FCD won't fix a bullet jamming into the rifling.

 

[Alexx1401]

^
Absolutely.
And further, any post-sizing die like the Lee FCD won't fix a bullet jamming into the rifling.

Definitely, if the rounds are rolled with the OAL too long they would have to be run through a seating die again to shorten them.

 

[arakboss]

Those the Lee Die's I mentioned would remedy them. Run them through one and they will chamber fine. Now one thing that would concern me is where did they come from? I assume home rolled? If so and they are not "quite right" are you sure you can trust the person who rolled them?

He loaded them for his young sons to shoot. I trust the member. He is a busy guy and doesn't have time to diagnose each problem round, he loads thousands of rounds.

 

[arakboss]

If it did not pass the plunk test because of the bullet ogive contacting the throat, you can just seat them more if they are jacketed bullets. If they are lead or plated, it risks scrapping lead or plating off. I have successfully done that with poor commercial reloads seated too long with plated bullets. The thing that helped was they did not over crimp the plated bullets.

I plunked tested a handful of them in a FNS 9mm barrel and around half dropped right in. I haven't determined why the others didn't but I will check them for proper seating length. They are plated bullets.

On a different note. If a FL sizing die is not sizing the last little bit of case near the case head, what do you do? I have heard of people shaving material off the top of the shell holder? With my Lee 350 Legend FL sizing die it appears that there is a portion of the case that doesn't get sized but does need to enter the chamber.

 

[ma96782]

I once tried it with some re-loaded .308 Winchester rounds. The ammo wasn't chambering in my FAL. So I figure that it probably just needed a re-size with my F/L die. But then.....due to the bullet and expanded neck, I gave up on that plan very quickly.

Did I mention that I had a lot of ammo? Anyway.......it was FREE.

Lesson to learn.....
I won't again. Yup.

So then, I got to pulling the bullets with a kinetic puller. I ended up with a mauled hammer.

Next, I bought the special die and puller type of affair. Yup....that worked and it was quicker too.

Bottom line. I ended up with components to re-use/recycle and fertilizer.

Aloha, Mark

 

[Pepe-lepew]

I plunked tested a handful of them in a FNS 9mm barrel and around half dropped right in. I haven't determined why the others didn't but I will check them for proper seating length. They are plated bullets.

On a different note. If a FL sizing die is not sizing the last little bit of case near the case head, what do you do? I have heard of people shaving material off the top of the shell holder? With my Lee 350 Legend FL sizing die it appears that there is a portion of the case that doesn't get sized but does need to enter the chamber.

Typically a case that has expanded near the base where the die does not touch was loaded to over pressure or was used in a semi auto that unlocks too early. Common in 40 and 9mm. Cheap brass should just be recycled.

 

[ma96782]

On a different note. If a FL sizing die is not sizing the last little bit of case near the case head, what do you do? I have heard of people shaving material off the top of the shell holder? With my Lee 350 Legend FL sizing die it appears that there is a portion of the case that doesn't get sized but does need to enter the chamber.

I thought about stuff like that problem (with 9mm brass) on many an occasion.

Besides the brass problem itself.

It might just be.......
A case where the gap (between shell holder and die) needs better adjustment? The die manufacturer says __x inches__ between them.
Or
A case of tolerance stack (mixing brands of dies and shell holders, see above)?
And/or.....
Thinking about "modifications to the shell holder"?
Rrrrrright.......you can only shave sooooo much. And IIRC, the shell holder "kissing" your carbide dies is NOT usually recommended by the die makers. So then......thinking about the case as it enters into the die. Yeah, your carbide is like a doughnut. It's not a straight cylinder. OK, Ok, ok......there is some of that brass that will not be getting resized no matter how much you shave off of the shell holder.

Hummmmm........
LOL, simple solution (assuming that the ammo ain't all that bad).
Buy another gun or in some cases a new barrel. With a chamber that is a little more forgiving.

Aloha, Mark

PS......I've also heard of brass that runs between rollers that will shape/resize 9mm brass to "better" specs. Though......not really a solution (or tool) for the regular home reloaders.

 

[Alexx1401]

I plunked tested a handful of them in a FNS 9mm barrel and around half dropped right in. I haven't determined why the others didn't but I will check them for proper seating length. They are plated bullets.

On a different note. If a FL sizing die is not sizing the last little bit of case near the case head, what do you do? I have heard of people shaving material off the top of the shell holder? With my Lee 350 Legend FL sizing die it appears that there is a portion of the case that doesn't get sized but does need to enter the chamber.

If you want to find out if the reason they are not cambering is do to "bulging" at the base, close to the rim? Use a marker to color the case, try to drop them into a chamber or a go/no go Gage. Give a slight push, then pull them out. If they are showing rubbing at the base something caused that and I would not use them. This will be VERY rare now days though. Used to see this with brass that had been used in a full auto gun that fired from an open bolt but its rare to see that stuff now. Almost always if a round is not wanting to drop free into the chamber or gauge the problem is going to be at the mouth. Since the case's are belled to allow the new round then re crimped when the round is done. The crimp is where the problem almost always comes in. The crimp has to be adjusted carefully to make sure you get enough. If all cases are not really close in length you can get some with over or under crimp. Over crimping is what will cause the binding problem. This is why when I first discovered the Lee die to do the crimp I thought they were the best thing since sliced bread for strait wall pistol rounds. Made things SOOO much easier.