M1A .308 Case Sizing issues w/ Dillon 650XL

[sounish]

I'm starting to reload my once shot .308 brass casings, some are Federal, some winchester.
The issue I'm coming up with is the sizing on the base of the case.
I measure a factory load never fired bullet/casing. The bottom lip before the retraction ring measures .467.
I measure an un sized once fired case and it measures .472. When I run the case, well lubed through the resizing die, the best it will size down to is .471.
When I side the resized brass into the M1A chamber it doesn't go in all the way. If I let the breach slam home, it gets jammed and can't retract the bolt without a solid bench bump on the breach handle.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[XDRoX]

Your first course of action would be to make sure you can't turn your resizing die down any lower. Even a quarter of a turn could do it.

If that doesn't work you need a small base die.

[30Cal]

I'm assuming you have FL dies and a case gage? How do you know it's the head area and not the shoulder?

[17+1]

Sounds like die out of adjustment.

[Corbin Dallas]

Make sure you load all stations with brass when setting the sizing die.

[damndave]

Are you using full length sizing dies?

If so, it sounds like you need to turn the die down more.

Does it move freely in your case gauge?

[jdberger]

Remember that the M14 family is tough on cases.

Go small base.

[Gunsrruss]

My 2 cents worth

This is what I do....Get a small base die from RCBS. When you install it on the press make sure the ram is all the way up. Screw down the die till it touches the ram. Then give it an extra half turn forcing the ram down a little. Brass fired out of automatics like an M1A normally need to be sized better, this is because they are still expanding as they are being tossed out. This same principal goes for .223 and 30.06 (M1 Grand ) Military brass will be harder to size also.
I also take the RCBS lube pad and spray it with Dillon lube then let it dry. After that I roll the cases over the pad once and size. Never try to size a wet piece of brass, it will get stuck most every time..( hydraulic lock ) Trust me I learned all this stuff the hard way

[anyracoon]

I do all my 308 brass prep on a RCBS RockChucker first, than load on my 650. Also a case gauge is a must have/use.

[sounish]

I was re trying the sizing die with it turned all the way down to the shell plate. I was able to get some good sized cases using the PPU brass. I then tried to size a Winchester 308 brass and the brass got stuck in the sizing die when I was bringing it back out. The retraction ring just snapped.
So now I have a case jammed into the sixing die and will have to send it back to Dillon for a replacement.

I also noticed that when I was retacting the other cases it was very difficult to get them out of the die, pulling the handle down made a horrible sound and I thought the whole press was going to break. I use the Dillon spray lube just before I sized the cases.
Should I be letting the cases dry as Gunsruss suggests?

This really sucks

[RandyD]

Call Dillon, they should be able to give you some good advice. I had a similar problem with my 30-06 brass from an M-1 Garand, and I was advised to use a small based die. Like the other members suggested, try the small based die, it solved my problems. I am not sure, so ask the Dillon rep when you call, but I believe their 30-06 and .308 dies are small based.

[morrow]

I was re trying the sizing die with it turned all the way down to the shell plate. I was able to get some good sized cases using the PPU brass. I then tried to size a Winchester 308 brass and the brass got stuck in the sizing die when I was bringing it back out. The retraction ring just snapped.
So now I have a case jammed into the sixing die and will have to send it back to Dillon for a replacement.

I also noticed that when I was retacting the other cases it was very difficult to get them out of the die, pulling the handle down made a horrible sound and I thought the whole press was going to break. I use the Dillon spray lube just before I sized the cases.
Should I be letting the cases dry as Gunsruss suggests?

This really sucks

OK, some things to note. First and foremost as someone else said, make sure all stations being used are loaded with brass before you lock a die down. Leave your sizing die and expander/decapper pin loose, bring the ram fully up with all used stations loaded with brass, and then tighten down the die lock nut and the pin.

Second, yes if you're using Dillon spray lube (or any of the alcohol+lanolin spray lubes) you need to let it dry for a few minutes. I personally give it 5 minutes. You need the alcohol to evaporate away. What I do is I dump the brass into a box, like a beer flat or a shoe box. lay them down, give a spray, shake, another spray, shake, let them dry for 5 minutes. It's also a good idea to lube the inside of the case necks. You can use dry lube for this, or your Dillon spray lube. If using your Dillon spray lube first stand them up in the box and give a spray or two, then knock them over, spray, shake, and let dry. If you use non-dry lube (like your Dillon lube) inside the case necks you will need to tumble them in dry media (or wipe them out) to get the lube out from inside after you size/deprime. Some people get by with just brushing out the case necks so they're smooth for the expander ball and not bother with lube. I personally do neither --- I just have a carbide expander ball and it seems to work fine.

Third, are you lowering the die until it touches the shell plate, then lowering the ram, and then giving the die an extra 1/4 or 1/2 turn, or even more if needed? You need to do this in increments until you've bumped the shoulder back enough for it to fit in your chamber. A case gage is VERY helpful, Dillon has stainless steel case gauges so IMO they're the best. If you don't have a case gage you can use your gun's chamber however you will want to size it enough so it comfortably fits in the chamber (this is why a case gage is so useful in autos/semi-autos). If using your chamber as a gage and you size it just enough to seat in the chamber, that's not enough. It needs to be 'slightly loose' to feed reliably. You will most likely have to give it a 1/2 turn or more if it's a FL sizing die to get mixed brass to feed reliably in an M1A.

Fourth, if you've followed all suggestions listed above and it still doesn't work, the chamber in your M1A is too tight for the FL sizing die. You will need to buy a small based die at that point.

[FLIGHT762]

Should I be letting the cases dry as Gunsruss suggests?

YES, let the Dillon lube dry for a few minutes. The alcohol will evaporate off and the Lanolin will do it's job. Not letting the alcohol evaporate will cause just what you experienced.

I put the cases into a small box. Spray then with Dillon lube and shake the box and spray a little more, shake again. Let the cases sit a few minutes, then resize. Dillon lube has been my go to lube for large batches for years. I've never had a issues with it.

[Pete1979]

Try to slide a resized case into the chamber backward about 1/2 an inch carefully, it will tell you is its the case head or the shoulder but be careful. I have the same problem with Lake City OFB, I gave up sizing on the Dillon and do that step on a Forester press. I also gave up using the Dillon spray lube on M1A cases, it works but the rub on Hornady lube seems to be the slickest (And Messiest). Make sure you trim them all to minimum length and make a habit of shining a light down the case before resizing. I threw out a bunch of cases last week that were stretched.

[sounish]

Just got the 308 sizing die back, so will start putting into practice a lot of the above suggestion from all of you.

Thanks for all the advice