Sizing after loading

Flesher

New member
I'm fairly new at reloading, and I think I made a mistake on a run of 6.5 CM ammo. I don't think I had the sizing die seated enough, and my bases are not properly sized. They will not cycle in my AR10. I have about a hundred of these loaded up.
My question is, If I took out the de-primer/neck sizer, from my die, would it be possible to re-size the outside casing to the full length, with the bullet in?
Experienced advise would be appreciated.
THX
 
Unless you are using a bushing die I'll say no. A standard FL sizing die sizes the neck down to create tension to hold the bullet, when you seat the bullet it expands the neck out a little. If you try and size with the bullet in place it will press the neck back into the bullet or crush the case.

If you are using a FL bushing die, removing the bushing and spindle turns it into a body die and you size loaded ammo although it is not a recommended practice.
 
You don't have a lot of options since they are already loaded. Any way you do it, your going to have to pull the bullets and dump powder. If your that far, may as well just knock the primers out and re-adjust your die and start over. Anyway that's how I see it.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleUpYou could do it with a Redding Body Die.

A Redding body die would be the only way I'd feel safe doing it and even with one of those I'd be a little extra cautious and at the least wear safety glasses but I usually shy on the side of caution and wear safety glasses for just about everything anymore.
 
Pull the bullets, dump the powder, remove depriming punch, adjust die then resize. You might want to hand wipe off the sizing lube rather than tumbling the sized cases since you could get media blocking the flash holes if tumbled. If you deprime then go ahead and tumble clean but save the primers for plinking/fouling rounds. Wear safety glasses when depriming live primers! I've never had one go off in over 50 years of reloading but I have never deprimed 100 in a row.
 
Use a collet die bullet puller, dump powder. Pull the firing pin from your bolt and make sure your sizing die adjustment is correct. Or get an ammo checker for your cartridge. You may need a small base die if the brass was fired in a different rifle. No need to punch out primer if you pull decap/expander and or firing pin. Always check that a unprimed sized brass will go into battery in your AR platforms, before loading.
 
Get an inertial bullet puller, start from square one. Next time your run rounds in an AR, purchase a SB (small base) sizer die, it'll work your brass more, but it will squeeze your webbing and will eliminate a lot, A LOT, of headaches.
 
Shoulder

Bullet

A digital caliper works best with these. Not required though. But highly recommended.

OAL




Next time you reload you need to take a fired new case and measure it.

Then set up your sizing die do bump the shoulder back -.003-4. Note each cycle the number will decrease as the brass work hardens and springs back.

The curved OAL gauge is the one you want for the AR platform.


Folks get lured into reloading thinking you don't need any of these tools. Then you end up buying them all.

I have had a couple rifles with short throats. If i would not have checked the OAL i would have been jamming the bullets into the lands big time.



 
Interesting, I've been loading for 50 years and don't have any of those tools. Maybe I'm just an
old fart that learned to load before those were invented.

You really need to do a little detective work and find out why they don't fit, headspace to long, bullet seated to long, seating die not adjusted correctly creating a bulged shoulder. If your heavily compressing the powder it can push the bullet up a little over time.

Does your sized brass chamber ok, if so it can be one of two things, your bullet is not seated deep enough, blacken the bullet and see if it is hitting the lands if so seat your bullets deeper. If they aren't hitting the lands more than likely your seating die is out of adjustment and your hitting the crimp ring in the die when you seat the bullets and bulging the shoulder.

If your sized brass doesn't chamber, Blacken the brass and see where the problem is, more than likely your not setting the shoulder back enough.

These are simple things to check without having to buy a plethora of gadgets.
 
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Having the proper tools, such as a caliper and a set of shoulder bump gauges or bullet ogive gauge, used properly takes the guess work out of things. Are they required, no, but they're definitely useful tools and like I said they take the guess work out of it.

I'm going to guess the OP doesn't have his FL die screwed down far enough. If it were the bullet being seated to long and jamming in to the lands preventing the bolt from closing it would have likely stuck the bullet in the lands and pulled it out of the case, either all the way or enough to be noticeable.
 
Body die. I've done it hundreds of times--mainly after rebarreling and the new chamber is a tad tighter than the old one. Never had a problem.
 
I have sized a lot of loaded ammo with a standard Redding body die. You have to take care to make sure the dia of the loaded round neck is not larger than the over size opening in the body die. Body dies are designed to not touch the neck. Care must be taken as European brass is thicker in the neck than American brass...do your due diligence.

The same thing maybe accomplished with a Full length Redding S die with NO BUSHING IN IT....maybe.

Using a sharpie, blacken the neck on the case, carefully run the loaded round though the body or S full length sizer to see if the neck on the case is touching the die. How much it is touching will be a factor. I have never seen it touch with Rem, Win, Fed, or PMC brass....Lapua & Norma I don't know.

I have had loaded ammo that has expanded back out over 7 years or so. Brass has a memory of the first chamber it was shot in. Over time, brass can expand back out....thus the need for a body die to size them back down. When I have ammo that has been loaded from brass that I bought once fired, I cycle the ammo through the gun prior to going hunting when it has been loaded for a couple of years.
 
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Originally Posted By: spotstalkshootUse a collet die bullet puller, dump powder. Pull the firing pin from your bolt and make sure your sizing die adjustment is correct. Or get an ammo checker for your cartridge. You may need a small base die if the brass was fired in a different rifle. No need to punch out primer if you pull decap/expander and or firing pin. Always check that a unprimed sized brass will go into battery in your AR platforms, before loading.

A good "ammo checker"is a LE Wilson cage gage.. I have em for most of the calibers I load. Check the cases after sizing and then the fully loaded round just after bullet seating.

How about a "Lee Carbide factory crimp die?" Dont have to apply a lot of crimp but that die sizes on he waay in and on the way out. I used on my 9mms as they didnt want to chamber--die fixed it..

Look on youtube for an explanation on use of that die--might fix your problem.
 
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I been reloading since the 60's, it's not that rare of a thing to do.
Just figure it out and try not to do it for at least another year er so, lol.
I use a puller , Lyman is my favorite, slow down, & start over.
 
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