full size 308 much harder than 223?

[nidm]

I prepared a few hundreds 223 brass already with full size die.

Now just get into 308. I used the RCBS single stage press, RCBS case lube and Hornady customer grade dies

However, this time. I feel the resize is much harder, specially when pull the brass out of the die. I did 10 of them, and decided to stop for suggestion.

Also attached picture of one brass after full size, the white rings can be seen in the picture.

is it normal? something I did wrong? thanks

[Tommy Gun]

Just to add my experience. Most of the time it comes down to which type of case you are sizing. I had a lot of mixed stamp casings to resize and some were smooth amd some did require a little more pressure to resize. Just make sure they are properly lubed and you should be gtg. Because I don't know how you were driving them into the die, if you hesitate that may cause that. Unless these are your previous handloads, the case may have been deformed. I'd put into a trimmer at your specific length and see how much you trim off. Would be a good indication on how much it had to mold.

[nidm]

did a couple more by lube the neck(inside) a bit, get a little easier. also did a measure of the length before and after, which extend .002-.003 in

[TexasJackKin]

It can also depend on the chamber the brass was fired in. A slightly looser chamber will make the brass harder to resize back to factory specs.

[smoothy8500]

Full Length re-size 308 is just requires more effort. The neck expander button also takes more effort too. A little lube in the neck helps as you have seen.

[SixPointEight]

More brass, thicker brass, longer case. Yes, 308 is harder to resize

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[baih777]

Try adding a small amount of lube to the inside of the neck.
Is the brass once fired from your gun or military brass that you bought ?

[tonyjr]

1st off , I run my dies thru the vibrator to semi polish . [ then the sonic with WD 40 - I then put on top of vibrator in a bunt baking pan { the one with a hole in center so it catches on bot and can not fall off } with paper towels to kind of dry
Before , I used ground mica as a lube - does not work well on the 308 .
I forgot about depriming with the frankford hand deprimer .
Now it is invert into cases block - spray with lube , deprime and resize on press - then vibrator .
FYI - I have the loadmaster and decap with Lee's universal , the sizing die and then the belling die . I still reprime by hand . I am still working on my procedure . I did buy another turret , so now 2 for the 308
The 308s are a lot more work than the pistol cases .

[huckberry668]

Sizing effort has to do with:
1. fired brass size. Military brass are harder to size especially those out of machine guns. The saving vs headache is not worth it. I don't use them anymore.

2. Amount of lube has everything to do with sizing effort and consistency (shoulder to head length). Too much lube puts dents in the shoulder and too little will get brass stuck in the die. Be sure to lube inside of neck, it's important. Not enough you're stretching the shoulder, and not such thing is too much. Don't use mica, it's not a very good lube.

3. Die, the die finish has a lot to do with effort. Small base dies will need even more effort. My 25 year old RCBS sizes best, my Forster small base is a pain no matter how much lube.

Additional tips for precision,

4. Get a set of head-space gauge comparator so you know the actual numbers out of the sizing die. Too much sizing and you're decreasing potential precision and brass life. Measure the brass out of your rifles chamber (remove primer first) and size brass to .002" under.

5. Separate by head-stamp. different head-stamp will size differently. Adjust your die and measure according to each head-stamp.

[mjmagee67]

Using good lube (Dillon Lube) I've never noticed a major difference. It may be a little harder, but not earth shatteringly harder.

[tonyjr]

I tried Hornaby - did not like it . Just got Lyman - will see if I like it any better before I give away the Hornaby .

[SixPointEight]

Lol.
Hornady

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[robert101]

I bought some once fired mixed head stamps previously. They were so far over spec that I had to resize in stages (screw the sizing die down in 2 or 3 stages) to get them back to SAAMI size. It wasn't a lube issue. The heads were fine it was the case mouths that were enlarged maybe due to being fired in a very loose chamber. Anyway, after that initial step, I've probably put 8+ reloads into those cases and they perform very well.