Author Topic: What Am I Doing Wrong ? (Read 1199 times)

Preacherman · « **on:** March 18, 2011, 04:19:52 PM »

Resizeing my 223 brass in my Hornady dies using Hornady One Shot on the outside and Lee Lube in the case mouth I have 3 stuck cases. I am following the directions tried some this evening they would go about 2/3 the way and get real tight.
Am I not letting it dry enough or not enough did some awhile back sprayed them and set them in front of an electric heater they worked good.
Any advice
Preacherman

cybin · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2011, 06:46:32 PM »

Pick up some Lyman resizing lube--it is sort of greasy but it works--use it on the outside only and keep using the Lee inside of the neck. I haven't heard of anyone bragging on the one shot lube from Hornady--the Lee lube works well inside the necks of rifle brass and I use it on pistol brass--but it doesn't work well on rifle brass in my experience.

The only stuck rifle brass I have ever had was using Lee lube--a 7mm mag, and a .223---never have had any problems using Lyman lube.

cybin

.22-5-40 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 18, 2011, 07:12:14 PM »

Hello, Preacherman. You might want to try Imperial Sizing Wax. Sinclair International carries it..goo stuff. But the very BEST in my opinion for really tough sizing jobs is Corbin sizing lube. When those cases start to feel like they are gettting tight..STOP.. & back case out of die. Re-distribute lube on case with fingers & try again. I have had to do this a few times on tough sizing jobs. I know it is not as fast as Hornady & others claim..but it sure beats trying to get a stuck case with it's rim pulled off out of a die!

revbc · « **Reply #3 on:** March 18, 2011, 07:31:44 PM »

Preacherman,

Doesn't seem like resizing 223's should be a real chore. I have used Lee stuff, imperial wax, concoction of lee, alcohol, and water, but the best and the easiest is Hornady unique. I think it's a lanolin so it smells good and doesn't clog up a die like imperial. Be sure to use a Q-tip and lube the inside of the neck.

Bobby

Matt3357 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 18, 2011, 07:44:49 PM »

Hmmm, I guess I am on the low tech end of resizing lube. I read once about a cheap easily accessible case lube that every one has in their home. PAM cooking spray. I put about 100 or so 223 brass in a bowl, two quick spurts of PAM, swish it around to distribute the spray and go to town on sizing. Works great and haven't had any negative consequences except for SWMBO yelling at me to return her cooking spray. Oh and about the Hornady stuff, back when I started reloading about 4 years ago, I read story after story about stuck cases with that stuff, that is where a guy had posted about PAM, I tried it and it worked great. Good luck.

Matt

Dand · « **Reply #5 on:** March 18, 2011, 08:40:24 PM »

Preacherman, are your dies new? Is your brass clean? I have never stuck a case but I have found new dies to be a little sticky until some lube gets worked up into them. I usually really goop up the first few cases going into a new die and run them in slow and gentle making sure lube gets worked around by running in and out in short strokes. I'm a total fan of Hornady Unique lube in the little tub. Also use the Imperial graphite on the case necks in and out. Imperial wax is good too.

Brass - had you fired the brass before or is it range pickup? Clean? Could it have come from a max chamber?

And then once I bought some used "bargain" 7mm mag dies. I think they were improperly cut or marked from factory. They scraped up my brass. Finally dumped them and got a good set.

HTH

chutesnreloads · « **Reply #6 on:** March 18, 2011, 09:38:16 PM »

Is your spray lube from last time still in the dies?If it is it may have dried out and become tacky causing your stuck cases.Spraying inside your die or getting the first piece of brass extra coated may solve the issue.Of course cleaning the die and starting over with fresh lube is better.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #7 on:** March 19, 2011, 01:41:00 AM »

sometimes one shot doesnt cut it. If your sizing military brass that was shot in another gun sizing them may be just to much for one shot. Id try some imperial sizing wax or anhydross lanolin for a lube. Only time i use one shot is when i know sizing will be easy like with 3220s 4440s 3030s ect.

Quote from: Preacherman on March 18, 2011, 04:19:52 PM

Resizeing my 223 brass in my Hornady dies using Hornady One Shot on the outside and Lee Lube in the case mouth I have 3 stuck cases. I am following the directions tried some this evening they would go about 2/3 the way and get real tight.
Am I not letting it dry enough or not enough did some awhile back sprayed them and set them in front of an electric heater they worked good.
Any advice
Preacherman

Preacherman · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2011, 04:02:50 AM »

Thanks the dies are not new brass is clean dies may be dirty I have sized hundreds of 223 with them before with Lee stuff thought I would up grade to Hornady so much for that.
Will clean the dies and maybe try pam later.
I have had 2 stuck cases using hornady
Again Thanks.
Pearcherman

carbineman · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2011, 04:23:33 AM »

I have had excellent results using One Shot. It's all I use, I suppose my time is coming though where it won't work. I assemble all my super clean cases in a plastic loading block and then holding the **well shaken can**at a slight angle to make sure I spray the inside of the case mouth and the whole side of the case, I commence spraying like painting on a car back and forth starting from one side of the case block moving to the other end of the case block till I cover the whole length of the cases in the case block with One Shot.

After turning the case block, I then spray from another side of the case block until I have all "four" sides of the case block covered well with a fair amount of spray.

I spray a shot into the die, install the die, wait a few minutes and size away. No kidding I've never had a problem. Maybe you are not using enough spray, or have not shaken the can enough, maybe a bad can of spray. Whatever method you settle on, I hope it works for you!

Matt3357 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2011, 04:31:48 AM »

Dang that is alot of spray Carbineman. It sounds like you have that stuff everywhere when you are done. If it takes that much to get it to work, I would be looking for something else.

Matt

shot1 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 19, 2011, 04:35:15 AM »

I have used one shot lube for years with no problems. You must not be spraying enough or not letting it dry. Set your cases in a loading block with the neck up and spray then down good letting some get into the inside of the neck that way you don't need to use the Lee lube. Give your size die a shot up in it and let everything dry for about 5 minutes.

huntswithdogs · « **Reply #12 on:** March 19, 2011, 06:28:03 AM »

Like Carbiner and Shot, I've not had any problems with the OneShot spray. It's all I use. I spray the cases, sitting in a loading block, from 2 sides(back and front) making sure I get lube inside the necks. That can needs to be well shook before using or you only get whatever the liquid is. When the cases have dried for a few minutes, then I start running them thru the dies. The only 2 cases I ever got stuck ,was when I forgot to lube the brass before running it up into the die. Both times I was in a hurry to load and had gotten distracted from my routine.

I clean my dies every year or so, whether they need it or not. Rubbing alcohol and long cuetips are the ticket!

HWD

BIG Dog454 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 19, 2011, 10:30:38 AM »

Won't use one shot myself. I likewise have had stuck cases with it.
BD

helotaxi · « **Reply #14 on:** March 19, 2011, 11:12:25 AM »

The biggest thing that I found with One-shot is to shake the can. When you think it's shaken well enough, shake it some more. I had 3 stuck cases before a more experienced reloader (who swears by the stuff) told me to shake it until you feel dumb.

My process is to tumble the brass for a good bit if it is dirty. I then lay the cases out on a cookie sheet and spray them just like I'm putting a light coat of spray paint on the cookie sheet. Then I shake the sheet a bit to move the cases around and repeat. After letting it dry for a bit, I go to work.

Another tip is to polish the inside of your sizing die. That made a big difference in sizing effort. I used a bore mop that fit fairly tightly (don't remember what size) and some Mother's Aluminum and Mag polish and chucked the bore mop in a cordless drill and went to work moving the setup in and out of the die for more uniform polishing.

Graybeard · « **Reply #15 on:** March 19, 2011, 11:21:05 AM »

The only thing I've ever used that stuck more cases than the Hornady One shot lube was Redding's version of Imperial Sizing die Wax.

I won't use either again. I've used nothing but the RCBS pump spray lube for well I don't know how long but ever since they started making it.

revbc · « **Reply #16 on:** March 19, 2011, 12:32:09 PM »

Preacherman,

If you were using Lee lube before, the problem may be your dies have rusted internally. The Lee lube is water based and will rust your dies if your not careful with it. Take them apart and inspect in good light, use some JB paste or mothers to polish them if they are rusted. Clean well and IMHO use the Unique from Hornady, never had a stuck case with it. (Won't rust your dies)

Bobby

jhalcott · « **Reply #17 on:** March 19, 2011, 02:56:07 PM »

I've had stuck cases with One Shot. I THINK I was spraying the cases with out getting the lube thinned enough. OR was using a can that had no more lube in it! I am another fan of Imperial sizing wax.. I have used other brands like Dillon's spray and RCBS with no problems. I have ALSO had brass fired in other guns that had LARGE chambers.Mil surplus cases sized in a small base die OR bench rest die will be hard to size some times. Especially the brass fired thru a machine gun!!

gcrank1 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 19, 2011, 03:15:42 PM »

Just used the stuff last week at a friends; stuck 3 45-70 out of 15.
Once I 'finger lubed' the rest with the old RCBS everything went much 'slicker'.
Now, I admit to using it like my friend said, set them upright in a shoe box and spray all sides. One batch dried and stuck 2, next batch wet, stuck 1, quit with it. It was noticably harder to size with the stuff, wet or dry, than my old standby.
BTW, this brass was used but was ceramic media polished to bright.

Preacherman · « **Reply #19 on:** March 19, 2011, 04:04:43 PM »

I took the dies apart cleaned them no rust shiny as new. Tried some PAM still stuck a case tried it again finally forced one out came a gush of stuff out the vent hole after that sized 100 cases no problems either the Pam worked or the vent hole was plugged and causing pressure on the up stroke and causing a vacum on the down stroke, anyway going to switch to RCBS lube and a pad.
Thanks for your help.
Preacherman

carbineman · « **Reply #20 on:** March 20, 2011, 05:41:55 AM »

Quote from: Matt3357 on March 19, 2011, 04:31:48 AM

Dang that is alot of spray Carbineman. It sounds like you have that stuff everywhere when you are done. If it takes that much to get it to work, I would be looking for something else.

Matt

Hey Matt, I use enough One Shot to get the job done. It might be more than needed but it works and I like the fact I am not rolling the cases or have a pad to contend with. I like it cause to me it is easy, and Hey it works for me.

Use of One Shot has always been controversial with some swearing by One Shot and others swearing at it. Just look at this thread.

Whatever works for you is the path one should follow. Sounds like the OP solved his problem with the vent hole in his die or by using cooking spray.

LONGTOM · « **Reply #21 on:** March 21, 2011, 04:44:33 AM »

I have always used ONE SHOT from the very first time I started reloading and have never stuck a case.
I think that the reason some have stuck cases is that they don't hold the can at an angle that will alow the spray to get inside the neck. (Just a guess on my part)!
Just my experence using ONE SHOT.

LONGTOM

gcrank1 · « **Reply #22 on:** March 21, 2011, 06:16:47 AM »

Tom, The 45-70s I stuck were deprimed seperately (Lee Universal Decapper, very handy), no decap rod or expander button in the sizing die at all.
I suggest that if it works for you, great, but think beforehand how you will have to remove a stuck case (always a possibility anyway, but we rarely deal with it) from a die, some are much worse than others.
For instance, if a rim edge pulles off you can rotate the shell holder to a 'new bite' (still no guarrantee). If the decap rod and button are in there you cant just unscrew it and pull it out so you can rap down with a punch on case.
This 45-70 die had a 10x32 (?) hole only, no room for a punch, and when the rim/heads came off it required removing the die, chucking in the lathe, CAREFULLY tapping the inside of the case with a tap that wouldnt bite into the die, removing die from lathe and mounting in a die plate on the bench vise, screwing in a bolt, setting a Cresent wrench on the shank and against the underside of the head and hitting it with a hammer.
More than a fair bit of messing about, that! And THREE times.

charles p · « **Reply #23 on:** March 21, 2011, 12:15:34 PM »

Get yourself a tube of Lee lube. It is a white paste. Assuming you are right handed, put a dab about the size of a butter bean on the top of your left hand. When you pick up a case, hold it in your left hand and touch a finger on your right hand to the paste, and apply a thin coat of paste to the cartridge (or just the neck). Now you are ready to size the brass without ever handling it a second time. Run it through your sizer. I suppose you could prime it at the same time also, but I prefer a hand primer.

If you have any Lee lube left over when you finish, open the tube and using an index finger, force the excess lube right back into the tube.

About every 4th or 5th case, you can probably skip the lube step for one case, then back to the lube process detailed above. Couldn't be easier and it is not messy.

Never had a dent since switching to this system.