Trevormyrtlebeach
Inactive
I recently purchased a Hornady .30cal neck sizing die for 7.62x54r, 30-40 Krag, and possible future .30 cal cartridges I may come to use. I first tried it out on 30 some odd 7.62x54r cases by following the included instructions; they all came out perfectly. However when trying to size the necks of the 30-40 Krag cases, the first two buckled at the shoulder. Surprised, I removed the die and proceeded to set it back up in my RCBS RCII. Again, following the instructions provided with the die I tried and came up with the same result.
Obviously I am doing something wrong, it’s advertised to be compatible with 30-40 Krag and customer reviews on MidwayUSA.com confirmed it so.
The procedure for sizing is to first insert a case into the shell holder and extend the ram all the way up, followed by screwing the die with the expander ball and decapping pin assembly removed. Then screw in the die in ¼ turn increments while visually checking the case neck until the entire neck has been resized while being careful not to alter the shoulder. Up to this point I had had success, it was when the decapping and expanding assembly was inserted that the trouble began. The instructions say to remove the case from the shell holder, insert the assembly into the die, raise the ram fully, and adjust the decapping pin down so that it is about 1/32” below the floor of the shell holder. Completing the setup, I put a lubed case in the shell holder and raised the ram. There was some stiff resistance at first, I assume being the ball pushing through the case mouth and neck, after which the resistance was less. The ram still rising I could feel the neck press into the die body and continued to raise the ram until I could not go any further. Not hearing the primer drop out or feeling the lever cam over tripped my spidey senses so I pulled the case out. The result was the case shoulder looking something like a bendy straw.
At this point I knew I was missing a step but was perplexed because I had followed the instructions to the ‘t’.
I guess my question is because the 30-40 Krag has a much longer neck than say the 7.62x54r or even .308, is the top of the case mouth contacting the decapping and expanding collet where it cinches against the die body before the ram is raised all the way? I mean did it work for other people because they did not size the entire neck? Am I wrong to try and resize the entire neck?
I’d appreciate any expert advice.
Obviously I am doing something wrong, it’s advertised to be compatible with 30-40 Krag and customer reviews on MidwayUSA.com confirmed it so.
The procedure for sizing is to first insert a case into the shell holder and extend the ram all the way up, followed by screwing the die with the expander ball and decapping pin assembly removed. Then screw in the die in ¼ turn increments while visually checking the case neck until the entire neck has been resized while being careful not to alter the shoulder. Up to this point I had had success, it was when the decapping and expanding assembly was inserted that the trouble began. The instructions say to remove the case from the shell holder, insert the assembly into the die, raise the ram fully, and adjust the decapping pin down so that it is about 1/32” below the floor of the shell holder. Completing the setup, I put a lubed case in the shell holder and raised the ram. There was some stiff resistance at first, I assume being the ball pushing through the case mouth and neck, after which the resistance was less. The ram still rising I could feel the neck press into the die body and continued to raise the ram until I could not go any further. Not hearing the primer drop out or feeling the lever cam over tripped my spidey senses so I pulled the case out. The result was the case shoulder looking something like a bendy straw.
At this point I knew I was missing a step but was perplexed because I had followed the instructions to the ‘t’.
I guess my question is because the 30-40 Krag has a much longer neck than say the 7.62x54r or even .308, is the top of the case mouth contacting the decapping and expanding collet where it cinches against the die body before the ram is raised all the way? I mean did it work for other people because they did not size the entire neck? Am I wrong to try and resize the entire neck?
I’d appreciate any expert advice.