Scratchthejeepguy Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 So I've noticed this many times before, but am getting sick of it and thought I'd ask the experts. Like I said, this has happened before, but with range brass that I figured had been reloaded a few times maybe. But a few days ago, my buddy came out with his AR and shot 120 rounds of .223 and 5.56 store bought, factory ammo. I don't remember the brand, but they weren't anything crazy or anything, and were probably bought at Cabelas or Gander Mountain. I think some of it was some white box Israeli stuff, and I don't remember the other stuff. He let me have all the brass, since I took the time to root through the weeds to find it. I found almost all 120 cases. Like I said this has happened before with my 3 rifles, so I don't think it's a "his gun" problem. For background, here's how I reload my .223/5.56: 1. I pick up my range brass, then bring them home and toss them in the vibratory tumbler with corn cob media for about 2 hours to clean em up a little. 2. Then I separate in one of those plastic rolling seperators that most of you have. 3. Once they're cleaned up a bit from the corn cob, I line them up, lay them out, and spray them with hornady lube. 4. Then I full length re-size and deprime in one step on the Lee single stage press. 5. Then I wet tumble in SS pins for a few hours. 6. Then let them dry. 7. Run them through my Dillon XL650 the rest of the way. 8. Shoot then repeat.... My problem is with step number 4. The Lee shell plate holder. Of the about 120 cases that I just recently did, which I KNOW we're just once fired, some of them are hard to go in and out of that little shell holder. I'd say about 10-15 of them were noticeably hard to get in and out. And about 5 of those 10-15 were so hard, I pulled the shell holder out of the press with the case, and I had to use two hands to separate the case from the shell holder! The majority of them slide in and out no problem, and I've never noticed a problem with other calibers. Any ideas as to why, or does anyone else have this problem? Out of spec shell holder maybe.....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blairmckenzie1 Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 I use my 650 to FL size (casefeeder is nice). Just take the rest of the dies out, or have a separate tool head with just a sizing die. Maybe check your die set up too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueOvalBandit Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Are you letting One Shot fully dry before sizing? You need to, if you don't let the carrier flash off it seriously degrades performance. Shake the can WELL too. Also might want to clean your dies too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mic2377 Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Does the white box Israeli stuff seem hot? It could be it is some really hot ammo and the reason it isn't fitting in the shellholder is that the case head area has expanded due to excess pressure. I have found a few cases and I have had the same problem, even though they were also once-fired only. You could confirm this by checking the dimensions before/after firing to watch for expansion. Just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchthejeepguy Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 I'm letting the lube dry about a minute before I put it in the shell holder. I don't see what cleaning the dies could have to do with the shell holder though... This happens as I'm putting the spent case into the shell holder before it ever goes into the die. I'd try measuring before and after shooting the cases, but I'd have to measure each and every case, and somehow keep track of each case separately since its not every one. It's not just the Israeli stuff that's causing the problem. Those really tough ones have different headstamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 (edited) Are you using One-Shot? That's really more for pistol cases than rifle. Try a Lanolin lube like Dillon: http://www.dillonprecision.com/#/content/p/9/pid/23666/catid/8/Dillon_Case_Lube__8_oz__Bottle_ I'll just add, I think almost every time I hear of a stuck case.. the person was using One-Shot, or nothing Edited June 24, 2013 by D.Hayden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too_Slow Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 What you are describing sounds like either extractor or ejector damage on the rim of the case. Is there any apparent burrs or damage there? Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 I doubt the case lube has anything to do with the head of the case fitting into the shellholder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 lol.. sorry - I read the completely wrong.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchthejeepguy Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 What you are describing sounds like either extractor or ejector damage on the rim of the case. Is there any apparent burrs or damage there? Brian No, no apparent damage to the cases. I just did a wet tumble with them, I'll grab a shell holder and see if they still stick, then I'll get out the calipers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchthejeepguy Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 I made a quick video showing my problem... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainmcphersn Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I've had the same problem with Lee shell holders. I believe the slot is oversized and when centered, the rim is only contacting on the sides of the U when it should have 180 degrees of contact (IE: the entire curve of the U slot). Some of the brass gets the rim deformed when being pulled out of the resizing die. I remember finding burrs or deformed areas on the top (groove) side of the rim. If oriented the same way, the cases would slip in and out of the holder, but if turned, the burrs would catch. Take a look at the top of the case rims and see if there is any damage on the sticky cases. I have thought about getting a different brand shell holder but have not been doing any 223/5.56 reloading recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob DuBois Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 What does the extractor groove measure, If it's running just one or two thousands over think I would do a slight polish on the shell plate with a small piece of sandpaper or a small file. Don't get carried away here just enough to get the sticky cases in the shell plate. Measure the height of the shell plate and the extractor groove might need just a little off the top of the shell holder. Lee's first stage sizing die is a little tighter than other brands, this is why I like their dies plus an outstanding primer punch design. I haven't used Lee's shell plate but it no surprise it's tight their dies are. It's easier to take metal off than put it back so just a few thousands should get you up to speed. Didn't see you were trimming cases, while it's not the question sometimes takes some effort to remove a stuck case from a rifle's chamber. I use a Lyman trimmer with a drill attachment. Stand it up in a drill press. It held .004 for the last batch of trimmed brass 700 rounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchthejeepguy Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 What does the extractor groove measure, If it's running just one or two thousands over think I would do a slight polish on the shell plate with a small piece of sandpaper or a small file. Don't get carried away here just enough to get the sticky cases in the shell plate. Measure the height of the shell plate and the extractor groove might need just a little off the top of the shell holder.Lee's first stage sizing die is a little tighter than other brands, this is why I like their dies plus an outstanding primer punch design. I haven't used Lee's shell plate but it no surprise it's tight their dies are. It's easier to take metal off than put it back so just a few thousands should get you up to speed.Didn't see you were trimming cases, while it's not the question sometimes takes some effort to remove a stuck case from a rifle's chamber. I use a Lyman trimmer with a drill attachment. Stand it up in a drill press. It held .004 for the last batch of trimmed brass 700 rounds. I'm a little scared to polish the shell holder since the majority of my cases drop in and out so freely. I don't want them to be too loose in there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushmeat Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 You're right to be scared. Opening up your shellholder will allow out-of-spec rounds to get by. "mic2377" gave a pertinent response to your issue. I use a Lee Turret press, dies and shellholder. If a case doesn't fit into the shellholder, I discard it. I have never had a failure to extract. Throwing away a few free cases is cheap peace of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Buy - or borrow - another brand of shellholder and try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganTom Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 I get about 5% of once-fired range brass that don't fit into my shellholder, I just put the oversize ones in the scrap bucket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 I think you are measuring the wrong part of your brass. Try measuring inside the groove. I have found a few brass that the groove is shallow and tight to the lip of the shell holder. Spec should be about .330 You could use a marker on either the brass or shell holder to see where the interference is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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