308 Resizing Die Selection

[propman07]

I was working on reloading some 308 on my Hornady LNL Progressive press the other day. I was working on case prep. I bought some range fired 308 brass from Palmetto State Armory that was cleaned. I was working on decapping the brass as well as resizing it. Here is my setup.

Station 1: Lee universal decapper/depriming die
Station 2: empty
Station 3: empty
Station 4: Hornady full length sizer die / RCBS AR Series Small Base Full Length Sizing Die (both with the decapping pin removed)
Station 5: empty

I use Hornady Unique case lube on all of the cases. I basically wipe my finger across the top of the case lube tub and apply it to each case over the entire length of the case, as well as the end of the neck and the opening.

I basically can get through around 10-15 cases before one of them will get stuck in the die. When that happens, I swap dies (that's why I have two listed for Station 4 above) so that I can keep processing brass. When the 2nd die gets a case stuck in it (maybe another 10-15 cases later), I remove that die, then use the case removal tools on both dies to extract the stuck cases. I strip down each of the dies, clean them, spray with Hornady dry lube, assemble, then start the process over.

I was thinking about looking into another resizing die (maybe a Redding) to add to my setup, but I figured that I must be doing something wrong if I am getting cases stuck so often.

I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions on how I could improve my work flow, and if I should look into a different type of resizing die.

All of the 308 that I am reloading for will be used in a LR-308 semi auto rifle.

Thanks for your help.

[thai562]

You should not be doing this on a progressive press, all the pulling force will damage your press over time. You should get a single stage for this. You also need to put the decapping pin back on to the resizing die, because it has the expanding ball on it.
I use a lee single stage with a lee die, and Unique lube, and it is relatively easy.
Also, stay away from military brass if you can, they seem to be a little pit harder to resize.

[J-cat]

It's your lube.

Get some Imperial.

Don't forget to lube the inside of the case neck.

[kenjimatic]

I have an 308 RCBS full length die on my LNL. I haven't had a stuck case yet. I am using imperial wax for my lube. So far the only die that has stuck on me is my 300blk RCBS small base full length die. Case got stuck after 2 sizing/forming from 223 brass.

[propman07]

Thanks for the replies. Below are my comments.

You should not be doing this on a progressive press, all the pulling force will damage your press over time. You should get a single stage for this. You also need to put the decapping pin back on to the resizing die, because it has the expanding ball on it.
I use a lee single stage with a lee die, and Unique lube, and it is relatively easy.
Also, stay away from military brass if you can, they seem to be a little pit harder to resize.

Thanks for the comments. I guess that you're talking about the off center loading of the ram in the progressive press. I may look at a single stage, but for now, with a lifetime guarantee on the equipment, I'll stick with the progressive. I took the pin out of the resizing die, but I still have the expander ball on the tip. I have the decapping done in station #1. I'll keep the military brass usage to a minimum....I think that it a big part of my problem.

It's your lube.

Get some Imperial.

Don't forget to lube the inside of the case neck.

Thanks. I ordered some imperial lube today. I'll give that a shot. I am putting some lube in the case neck, but I'll be sure that I do this as well once I get the imperial.

I have an 308 RCBS full length die on my LNL. I haven't had a stuck case yet. I am using imperial wax for my lube. So far the only die that has stuck on me is my 300blk RCBS small base full length die. Case got stuck after 2 sizing/forming from 223 brass.

Glad to hear that you are having better luck than I am. What kind of brass are you resizing on your LNL? What is your die setup? Are you feeding the brass in by hand, or are you using the case feeder?

Thanks for the replies.

[popeye4]

Ditto on the Imperial Sizing Die Wax, excellent stuff. I've also had good results from the Dillon spray lube, no stuck cases yet. (It is lanolin in rubbing alcohol, also good for the fingers!)

I don't have a problem sizing military brass, but you may want to consider a small base die as much (if not most) military 7.62x51 is fired in machine guns, which can result in stretched cases. You might want to take a look at this: http://www.zediker.com/downloads/oncefired.pdf

[baih777]

don't use this die. RCBS AR Series Small Base Full Length Sizing Die .
it gave me nothing but problems also on my Hornaday. I started using the Dillion lube. a lot better.
before resizing I trimmed my cases to 2.013. this helped also. make sure you lube the inside of the neck also.
my Lee F/L die worked the best.

[propman07]

Ditto on the Imperial Sizing Die Wax, excellent stuff. I've also had good results from the Dillon spray lube, no stuck cases yet. (It is lanolin in rubbing alcohol, also good for the fingers!)

I don't have a problem sizing military brass, but you may want to consider a small base die as much (if not most) military 7.62x51 is fired in machine guns, which can result in stretched cases. You might want to take a look at this: http://www.zediker.com/downloads/oncefired.pdf

Thanks for the reply. I found a DIY recipe that others were having luck with involving 99% alcohol and lanolin. I mixed up a batch of this and used it on some 223 that I reloaded. It worked okay on the 223, but I had stuck cases on the 308 brass. I'm going to give the imperial stuff a shot.

Thanks for the link. That was an interesting read. I have a Lyman case gage that I checked all of the brass with before I started doing anything. I found that most (if not all) of the brass I had would not "plunk" into the case gage all the way but would have the base sticking out between 3/8" and 1/4". I also checked to see if I could put the case into the gage backwards (to see if the end of the case would fit the gage), and found several that did not fit as well. After I sent these pieces through the resizing die, about 75% of them would "plunk" completely into the gage. The 25% that did not required a small amount of sanding of the base, done by placing the very end of the case in a wrapped piece of sand paper, and giving it a couple of twists.

don't use this die. RCBS AR Series Small Base Full Length Sizing Die .
it gave me nothing but problems also on my Hornaday. I started using the Dillion lube. a lot better.
before resizing I trimmed my cases to 2.013. this helped also. make sure you lube the inside of the neck also.
my Lee F/L die worked the best.

I may have to pick up a Lee F/L die, and give it a try. I thought that you were supposed to trim the case after F/L resizing? Any reason why you are doing it before? curious.....

Thanks for the reply.

[baih777]

I was having the same problem as you. I started measuring my cases. some measured 2.018. the expander was getting stuck and not coming out. it looked like the case was too deep into the die. yes your suppose to trim after resizing. but after I trimmed them down and chamfered the edges, I could do 40 to 50 cases before one got stuck.
I also use more lube inside the neck now.
3rd time around resizing the same cases is easier.
make sure you test your non primered cases in your rifle to make sure they fit the chamber and the bolt closes.
my first 20 i set the die as per instructions and it was not right. I needed a extra 1/16 turn deeper. the ammo wouldn't chamber.
I now know how to take bullets apart.

[propman07]

I was having the same problem as you. I started measuring my cases. some measured 2.018. the expander was getting stuck and not coming out. it looked like the case was too deep into the die. yes your suppose to trim after resizing. but after I trimmed them down and chamfered the edges, I could do 40 to 50 cases before one got stuck.
I also use more lube inside the neck now.
3rd time around resizing the same cases is easier.
make sure you test your non primered cases in your rifle to make sure they fit the chamber and the bolt closes.
my first 20 i set the die as per instructions and it was not right. I needed a extra 1/16 turn deeper. the ammo wouldn't chamber.
I now know how to take bullets apart.

Thanks. It sounds like I might have to take a look at some of the cases that I have, and see if they are that long. I may look into trimming them first (initially), then resizing them.

I did the same thing....I reloaded about 25 rounds (ladders, in groups of 5) to test out a load recipe. I checked each round with the case gage, and they went "almost" all the way in. Not a single round would chamber in my rifle. I took all 25 apart, and adjusted my resizing die a little lower. After that, I checked in the case gage....each and every round went all the way into the gage....best part was that all of the rounds worked great in the rifle.

[baih777]

Thanks. It sounds like I might have to take a look at some of the cases that I have, and see if they are that long. I may look into trimming them first (initially), then resizing them.

I did the same thing....I reloaded about 25 rounds (ladders, in groups of 5) to test out a load recipe. I checked each round with the case gage, and they went "almost" all the way in. Not a single round would chamber in my rifle. I took all 25 apart, and adjusted my resizing die a little lower. After that, I checked in the case gage....each and every round went all the way into the gage....best part was that all of the rounds worked great in the rifle.

if you start going thru springs for the shellplate, I have a mod for that too.

[Pauliedad]

Just went through this a few months back and what I landed on was that small base full length dies are the only way to go for me and my 3 rifles. One bolt and two .308 semis.
Regular sized full length were a non starter for the semis and still a little tight for the rem 700.
At the time I did not know that Dillon dies were small base (they are) and also bought some rcbs small base full length dies.
As J-cat stated, the real issue is lube. I've always used a couple of pumps of Dillon case lube on .223 and all is well. Not the case for .308
Those bad boys need the goo baby. Once I got enough lube on there I was no longer straining and getting every 15 case stuck. As it turns out the adjustment of the die is ultra critical and I think its a tad more fussy on a progressive because the plate does flex ever so slightly. Once I found that sweet spot accounting for that flex, I am a progressive press, .308/7.62 resizing dude. As it turns out the Dillon die is my preferred. Less friction vs the rcbs. Both gave me consistent sizing but the Dillon ran smoother.
As for trimming before sizing, that just sounds nuts. I've gone through a few thousand mixed head stamp cases and I trim AFTER I re size. No issues.

[propman07]

if you start going thru springs for the shellplate, I have a mod for that too.

Curious....I haven't had trouble with springs yet, but I would like to know more about the mod.

Just went through this a few months back and what I landed on was that small base full length dies are the only way to go for me and my 3 rifles. One bolt and two .308 semis.
Regular sized full length were a non starter for the semis and still a little tight for the rem 700.
At the time I did not know that Dillon dies were small base (they are) and also bought some rcbs small base full length dies.
As J-cat stated, the real issue is lube. I've always used a couple of pumps of Dillon case lube on .223 and all is well. Not the case for .308
Those bad boys need the goo baby. Once I got enough lube on there I was no longer straining and getting every 15 case stuck. As it turns out the adjustment of the die is ultra critical and I think its a tad more fussy on a progressive because the plate does flex ever so slightly. Once I found that sweet spot accounting for that flex, I am a progressive press, .308/7.62 resizing dude. As it turns out the Dillon die is my preferred. Less friction vs the rcbs. Both gave me consistent sizing but the Dillon ran smoother.
As for trimming before sizing, that just sounds nuts. I've gone through a few thousand mixed head stamp cases and I trim AFTER I re size. No issues.

Thanks for the reply. I will try one of the Dillon dies (made by Redding, or so I'm told) I'm reloading for two semi .308s as well. I'll make sure to use a lot of the case lube, and make sure that I have the die set up correctly.

[Pauliedad]

It hasn't happened to me yet but there are threads out there that show what happen to cases if you put too much lube on. You get an inward dimple. So much lube it puddles and can't go anywhere. Again, hasn't happened to me yet but if any dimples show up then maybe back off on the goo.
Didn't know about redding making Dillon's dies but that would make sense.

[Syntax Error]

Personally, I ended up getting a Forster Co-Ax to resize my .308 cases, as my LNL AP had a lot less mechanical advantage. I found that my FAL has a somewhat loose chamber, allowing the base of the case to expand a little more than a usual .308 or 7.62 gun (probably for reliability purposes), and resizing was simply a ***** on the LNL. I got the Forster (was thinking of getting a dedicated single stage for resizing anyways), and found it was a lot easier. Another oddity I found was that using Imperial Sizing Wax actually made it harder to resize than easier on the Forster, and when I went to Lee lube, it was a lot easier. I guess it has something to do with the viscosity of the two lubes, and how Lee is water-based, allowing it to flow better in the die, leading to less resistance? I use a normal Lee .308 full length resizing die and I've found that the shoulder is bumping back consistently, no need for a second try in the resizing process. I still case gauge cases just to make sure, but it seems that the Forster is a lot more reliable in full length resizing .308 brass than my LNL AP ever was. Lee claims that their die is in-between a normal .308 die and a small-base .308 die. Whether that's true or not, I have no idea, but it's been working fine so far. Knock on wood, the reloaded cases are working well in my FAL with the looser chamber, and my SA National Match M1A, with a tighter .308 chamber, no problems.