Help with neck tension, Redding premium precision die set

[Citadelgrad87]

I am working up my first precision loads. I bought some 1x Lapua brass from a local cger. It chambered easily in my rifle, and was primed, so I decided to neck size and not deprime.

So I pulled the decap pin and sized 100 rounds. Weighed powder, but when I went to seat, the bullet destroyed the case neck. See the photos. It is pushing the neck down and wrecking the shoulder area.

I retraced my steps and determined the neck sizing die was missing the expander ball.

I put the ball from the fl die on the neck size die, Dumped and re weighed each charge, and sized the neck again.

Went to seat the first projectile and got the same result.

I get that the neck tension is off. I don't understand why it is and what to do about it.

Photos coming.

[Citadelgrad87]

Photos

[ironhorse1]

You should try chamfering the inside of the case neck.

Check the sizing ball as it should be .001"-.002" undersize. It would also help to lube the inside of the neck with Motor Mica so the ball does not stretch the neck or move the shoulder forward.

irh

[Citadelgrad87]

You should try chamfering the inside of the case neck.

Check the sizing ball as it should be .001"-.002" undersize. It would also help to lube the inside of the neck with Motor Mica so the ball does not stretch the neck or move the shoulder forward.

irh

It's a boattail bullet and it's not catching on the neck, it's seating partly normally, then it just pushes the whole neck down several thousnadrhs, distorting the shoulder. See the pics.

[J-cat]

The brass you bought, was it annealed?

[Citadelgrad87]

The brass you bought, was it annealed?

It was 1x lapua, fired from a bolt gun, but about half of it is clearly unfired.

[Elcid]

Is your bullet seater adjusted properly?

[Citadelgrad87]

Is your bullet seater adjusted properly?

It is according to tbe instructions. I understand why this happened the first time. The expander ball was missing.

With the ball in place, it makes no sense to me.

[J-cat]

It was 1x lapua, fired from a bolt gun, but about half of it is clearly unfired.

How can you tell?

[ironhorse1]

Ok boat tails it is but the neck can still be very rough and still requires chamfering. I do both the inside and outside to remove any burrs.

As above it would appear that the die is trying to crimp before the bullet is fully seated and is setting back the shoulder.

Reset the die on a dummy round and make sure you are not crimping the neck.
Crimping is not required.

irh

Also check the case OAL. Trim if needed.

[Citadelgrad87]

How can you tell?

The guy told me it was 1x. I spoke to him at length about precision loading, he is local to me. He has a good I trader rating. He does not tumble his brass between loading for his bolt gun.

Many of the cases are dark inside from firing. But many are absolutely clean inside, shiny like a mirror. So either he lied and stainless tumbles, but only half his brass, to be stored with untumbled brass, or it's new. I use dry tumbling and have never had cases that clean inside.

[Elcid]

The expander is in the resizer.

Check your seating die. It can push the shoulder down if not properly installed.

[beenawhile]

Does an empty case bottom out in the die? You may have the die body too far down. If it is back the body out and readjust the seater down.

[J-cat]

The guy told me it was 1x. I spoke to him at length about precision loading, he is local to me. He has a good I trader rating. He does not tumble his brass between loading for his bolt gun.

Many of the cases are dark inside from firing. But many are absolutely clean inside, shiny like a mirror. So either he lied and stainless tumbles, but only half his brass, to be stored with untumbled brass, or it's new. I use dry tumbling and have never had cases that clean inside.

New Lapua brass is annealed and shows annealing discoloration on the neck and shoulder.

[J-cat]

Here’s what it looks like: The cases were annealed then tumbled.

The annealing forms an oxide on the inside of the neck. The oxide is very abrasive, and you cannot seat bullets against it without some sort of lubrication. Typically cases are tumbled in carnauba wax, or lubed with shellac prior to bullet seating when new military ammo is manufactured. Lapua brass is annealed and waxed as well. There is no issue seating bullets in new Lapua brass. But if you anneal and don’t lube then you will experience extreme friction when seating bullets, and if the neck is too soft it will crush the shoulder with the bullet.