Can I resize a loaded round?

[J-cat]

ive got a feeling they are not trimmed

so sizing wont do squat

Unless he has a custom match real short chamber, or these cases have been reloaded more than three times, trimming is not necessary.

[CSACANNONEER]

Unless he has a custom match real short chamber, or these cases have been reloaded more than three times, trimming is not necessary.

Really? I've had once fired brass that needed trimming to be within spec.

[freonr22]

what is oal and case length now?

[J-cat]

Really? I've had once fired brass that needed trimming to be within spec.

Your cases grew .030" after one firing? Mine usually grow .005-.010".

[ar15barrels]

You can resize them in a Redding body die. It only sizes the case body and leaves the neck alone.

Redding specifically says not to do that.
If you check the loaded neck diameter and find that they are all smaller than the opening at the top of the body die, there's no problem using a body die to bump the shoulder back.
Just make sure you are lubing the cases as a stuck loaded round would really suck.

It should go without saying that you don't want to do ANYTHING in the press that could potentially set the primer off during this.
That precludes you from being able to run the loaded rounds through a casefeeder.

Sort through all the rounds with your headspace gauge and set aside the long ones.
That way you are not doing any more of them than you have to...

[ar15barrels]

i would not recomend sizing them because basically you are putting a live round in a "chamber" (ie the die) and it has the potential of going off....its not worth it....

You obviously would remove any priming system and swager from the press when re-sizing live ammo...

Can you give me a logical explanation HOW the loaded cartridge might go off while it's actually IN the body die?
The shellholder or shellplate have an opening where the primer is sitting so there's no actual force on the live primer while re-sizing the case.

[ar15barrels]

Really? I've had once fired brass that needed trimming to be within spec.

Within spec for brass or for chamber?
The specs for brass and chambers are QUITE different, like to the tune of 0.030" to 0.050".
They are so much different that Sinclair makes a tool for measuring neck length to actually determine what trim length can be used in any particular chamber.

[Triple R Munitions]

You obviously would remove any priming system and swager from the press when re-sizing live ammo...

well it would be kinda hard to put a live round in a die with the spindle still in it

Can you give me a logical explanation HOW the loaded cartridge might go off while it's actually IN the body die?
The shellholder or shellplate have an opening where the primer is sitting so there's no actual force on the live primer while re-sizing the case.

well now that you said that, i guess there is nothing around the primer... so maybe there is not a good chance of it going off. i have sized some rounds that are too big, but not many....just didnt feel good about putting it in the die....

i just dont want to be the first one to have one go off....

R

[ar15barrels]

well it would be kinda hard to put a live round in a die with the spindle still in it

You can't use a regular sizing die that sizes the neck.
You specifically have to use a redding body die as it has no neck and it has enough clearance for a loaded neck to fit through it.
If you use a regular die, it squeezes the neck down which makes the bullet too small for the barrel.



That die all the way to the left is the body die.
Notice how short it is compared to the sizer and seater dies in that toolhead?
That's because the body die does not have a neck or any hardware on top to hold a decapping stem.

[Triple R Munitions]

wow....i did not know they made one of those.... maybe i can salvage those 10k rounds now.... are they pretty easy to buy? what are they called? "a body die"?

do you know how much smaller it makes the projectile if it is sized in a F-L die?

R

[ar15barrels]

wow....i did not know they made one of those.... maybe i can salvage those 10k rounds now.... are they pretty easy to buy? what are they called? "a body die"?

do you know how much smaller it makes the projectile if it is sized in a F-L die?

R

Most full length dies will squeeze the neck down 0.010" MORE than is necessary to hold a bullet.
Therefore, the bullet will be about 0.010" smaller.
Since brass expands after sizing a LOT more than lead and copper do, if you re-size a loaded round in a regular die, there's a good chance that the bullet will no longer stay in the neck.

Load yourself a dummy round without powder and primer and try resizing it in a regular die.
Then measure the bullet diameter afterwards.
Don't be surprised if you stick it in there though.
If you do, bring it to me and I'll get it out for you.

Midway has Redding's body dies:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=401556

I have one if you want to try it.
I use it on my 1050 after the powder charging station as a case sizing checkpoint.
If a case gets into the press that was NOT sized enough, it goes VERY tight into the body die and this causes me to stop the press and set that case aside.
If the cases ARE sized enough, they fit into the body die loose enough that I don't feel it during press operation.

[Triple R Munitions]

well i will get back to you tomorrow with this test....i have plenty of ammo to test on....

R

[ty423]

I pulled 5 bullets. The powder was weighing in around 18.5gn Bullet weighed in at 55gn. I checked the case length and they were all over max. 1.764-1.772. I then checked the sizing with my Lyman case gauge. The head stuck out about 0.030 more than the top step of the gauge. I'm guessing the sizing was done but incorrectly and the cases were not trimmed.

Soooo.... I resized it with my full sizing die without the decapping pin. Then trimmed the case to 1.750-1.752. deburred/chamfered then Resat the bullet powderless with a OAL of 2.260. At this length the neck barely reaches the bottom of the cannelure. I checked it again in the case gauge and the base is about 0.005-0.010 above the top setp. I tried chambering into my Sig 556 and it would get stuck in there but definitely not as bad as before. I had to use abit of force on the bolt to eject the round but nothing like before where I had to slam the buttstock while pulling on the charging handle.

am I not setting up the die correctly? not enough lube? I've tried a factory LC XM193 round in my Lyman case gauge and the head sits flush with the bottom step and length is perfect. The die is screwed down all the way to the shell plate.

[ar15barrels]

I resized it with my full sizing die without the decapping pin. Then trimmed the case to 1.750-1.752. deburred/chamfered then Resat the bullet powderless with a OAL of 2.260. At this length the neck barely reaches the bottom of the cannelure. I checked it again in the case gauge and the base is about 0.005-0.010 above the top setp. I tried chambering into my Sig 556 and it would get stuck in there but definitely not as bad as before. I had to use abit of force on the bolt to eject the round but nothing like before where I had to slam the buttstock while pulling on the charging handle.

am I not setting up the die correctly?

Screw the die down a little tiny bit more until the cases sit flush in the gauge.
Press frame flex is keeping you from fully sizing the case.
It's not uncommon to have to go 1/4 turn more after flush with the shellholder before you get properly sized cases.

[ty423]

Screw the die down a little tiny bit more until the cases sit flush in the gauge.
Press frame flex is keeping you from fully sizing the case.
It's not uncommon to have to go 1/4 turn more after flush with the shellholder before you get properly sized cases.

I will try that.. all I did was hand tighten the die down as far as I could and then locked it into place. I'll try a open end wrench on it..but 1/8 turn at a time.