Dented brass when resizing

[DCT]

Tried a search and could not come up with any ansewers.
When I resize 223 brass it dents the shoulder. I have tried resetting the depth of the die so it wouldn't go in so far and it makes it hard to close the bolt on my rifle.
Any suggestions?

[Old Syko]

My first suggestion would be to go back to one of your manuals (how many do you own and which ones?) and read up on brass preparation.  They all tell you the causes of case dents (too much lube and/or a plugged vent hole in the die) and explain the cures.  Backing the die off certainly isn't the cure.

[huntducks]

My first suggestion would be to go back to one of your manuals (how many do you own and which ones?) and read up on brass preparation.  They all tell you the causes of case dents (too much lube and/or a plugged vent hole in the die) and explain the cures.  Backing the die off certainly isn't the cure.

Too much lube

[Bill T]

If you are denting the cases at the shoulder it is most likely being caused by too much case lubricant. What happens is as the case is pushed into the die it pushes the excess lubricant down the neck of the case on to the shoulder. Then as the shoulder is bumped up against the inside of the die this excess lubricant has nowhere to go. What then happens is it hydraulically forces a dent in the shoulder of the case itself.

Try using your case lubricant more sparingly. It really doesn't take much. Another thing a lot of reloaders overlook is to lubricate the inside of the case mouth to allow the expander plug to pass through the case neck more easily. If you do not lubricate the inside of the case neck you can easily distort the shape of the case when the expander plug passes back up through the case neck. This can cause difficult chambering because it can allow the shoulder of the case to be pulled forward slightly. You can apply case lubricant to the inside of the neck easily with a Q-Tip.  Bill T.

[DCT]

Thanks for all the replys.
My problem was to much lube, I guess 223's are a little pickey compared to 30-06 or 30-30's.
Thanks again for the help.

[charles p]

I use to get lube dents when using liquid lubes.  I now prefer Lee lube - a white grease type product that I apply with my fingers.  I only lube necks.  Haven't had a lube dent in 15 years but they used to occur when I used the oily pads.

[scratcherky]

I was taught to never lube the shoulder or outside of the neck. Never had dented case. I suggest only sparingly lube the case body and inside of the neck.

[shot1]

Get you some Hornday One Shot spray lube. READ THE DIRECTIONS on it. I sit my cases in a loading tray neck up and spray them down getting some inside the case neck and give the size die a little shot up inside it. LET IT DRY a few minutes then go to sizing. Never had a single problem. I have used about 90% of the lubes on the market over the past 32 years and I like the One Shot the best.