reloading once-fired brass for bolt action

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wtfTG

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I have once-fired/fire-formed brass from my new 22-250, and was ready to start reloading. I have only reloaded my 223 semi-auto previously and am now wanting to reload my bolt action 22-250 with fire-formed brass.

I mistakenly just full-length resized the once-fired 22-250 brass and not neck resized and had the bullet dropping into the case on a few of them. So I stopped and suspected a mistake. Seem to remember somewhere someone saying fire-formed bolt action brass only needs neck resizing since the case is fire-formed to the chamber, but can't find the thread. SO:

Do I need to just neck resize or full-length and neck resize my bolt action fire-formed brass?

Thanks for the help and direction!
terry
 
You may do either. Run a box of neck-only and try them out. If satisfactory, proceed. If not, add full-length to the routine. You'll need to full-length resize after several reloads, anyway, and trim for length.
 
I mistakenly just full-length resized the once-fired 22-250 brass and not neck resized and had the bullet dropping into the case on a few of them.
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I have no ideal how that is done; all of my full length sizing dies full length size the case back to minimum length. That includes the case body, shoulder and neck. If you did not have the primer punch/neck sizer ball assembly installed in the die there is no way you are going to be able to shove a bullet into the neck without effort.

I would have suggested you back the die off the shell holder .003" when adjusting the die to size. If the case will not chamber adjust the die down to the shell holder and try again. And if that does not work adjust the die 1/4 additional turn after contact.

F. Guffey
 
To what extent did you "full length resize"? One man's concept of full length resizing might be to size just down to the shoulder but not setting the shoulder back, while another man's concept of full length resizing is setting the shoulder back. Which ever you did is probably fine as long as proper chambering resulted and the shoulder was not pushed back excessively. But I would favor sizing without setting the shoulder back if not necessary to do so. If bullets can be pushed into the case, it sounds like the expander button needs to be reduced in diameter. Remove the expander, chuck into a drill and spin against emery paper.
 
Maybe he ran it through a 243 die? Or the die has the wrong expander? Try switching the recapping pin/expander from the 223 die? Cuz sumpin ain't right.
 
In my experience neck sizing is far over rated. In the current market place, common brass(like the 22/250) is fairly economical so the virtue of making the brass last longer is lessened. In addition, you would have to be doing some very precise shooting to see an appreciable difference in accuracy(based on my observations of 3 different 22/250 rifles).
I shot a 22/250 for years hunting coyotes using full length sized brass. Half inch groups were common with the occasional cloverleaf. I did find I needed to trim after 2 loadings and neck turn at 4-5. Needless to say, I didn't see a big case loss due to FL sizing.
If you're looking for better accuracy you'll need to neck turn anyway. The current generation of brass seems to be fairly cockeyed with thick/thin/non-concentric necks.

I'm not sure how you could FL size and "had the bullet dropping into the case on a few of them". FL sizing sizes the ENTIRE case (well , not the case head) back to close to minimum specs.
 
Maybe he ran it through a 243 die? Or the die has the wrong expander?
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Or maybe he ran them through a bushing style sizing die without a bushing.

Terry, give us some details on your sizing die. Brand, model, etc.
 
Thanks for the thoughts and replies.

I am using the Redding Premium Series Deluxe 22-250 die set. I got new Lapua and Norma brass and ran them through the FL die before fire-forming the brass. No problems with the first loads. Now trying to reload the fire-formed brass I'm using the same FL die without change from the first reload and now:
1. Unable to use my Little Crow Gunworks WFT because the cases won't seat completely in the trimmer and seem to be too big for the trimmer now even after the FL die
2. Intermittent very loose necks with some bullets simply falling in the case and some others easily being pushed in the case.

I'm using the same FL die. I forget it also resizes the neck. However when I used the neck resizing die I did get tighter necks without the bullet slippage.

Thanks again!
Terry
 
wtfTG, if believe you could squeeze in few more WTFs in there if you had kept typing. You have a most impressive collection of reloading tools.

I have no problem trimming cases, I can trim for length, I can trim for neck length, I can trim with or without a pilot but I have two different neck pilots. One allows me to trim the neck on a fired case and the other is smaller in diameter; that means can I trim after sizing and before. Then there is the trimmer that allows me to use the man-tool; the file. That is one of my favorite tool because it is one of the most accurate trimmers I have.

Then there is the trimmer that uses case holders, not a problem but it helps if helps if the reloader has a case holder for fired and sized cases.

F. Guffey
 
Seem to remember somewhere someone saying fire-formed bolt action brass only needs neck resizing since the case is fire-formed to the chamber, but can't find the thread. SO:
Click to expand...

wtfTG, I suggest you back away and start over starting with fire forming, I chamber a round, pull the trigger and then eject a once fired case. If I want a case to fit my chamber I form first and then fire. Most take a short cut, they chamber a round, pull the trigger and then become case formers.:rolleyes:

I would suggest you start with a full length sizing die and full length size your cases and then after you have some experience you can start changing methods and techniques.

F. Guffey
 
I got new Lapua and Norma brass and ran them through the FL die before fire-forming the brass. No problems with the first loads.
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The new brass probably didn't need neck sizing, so if your die wasn't forming the necks the first time through, you wouldn't know it anyway. Are you sure it's not a bushing type FL sizing die? If it isn't, take the decapping pin out and measure the expander ball diameter.
 
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F. Guffey: there were certainly a lot of -CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED-'s flying around the room last night as I was trying to reload.

"If I want a case to fit my chamber I form first and then fire." How do you do this??? Too new at this to understand how this happens without firing a round in the chamber.
 
F.Guffey said it all. I have found my chamber size from trial & error. Setting my F/L sizer to give me .001 space from shoulder to bolt face. F. Guffey is there a gage I can order that will give me that measurement. I'm not talking about a Go & No Go, don't want to set a barrel, just get an accurate chamber measurement.
 
F.Guffey said it all. I have found my chamber size from trial & error. Setting my F/L sizer to give me .001 space from shoulder to bolt face. F. Guffey is there a gage I can order that will give me that measurement. I'm not talking about a Go & No Go, don't want to set a barrel, just get an accurate chamber measurement.
 
Check out comparators and bump sizing on you tube for bolt action rifles. Compare collet vs bushings, etc. Brass can grow into a whole art by itself.
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Not part of your question, and not to hi-jack your post, but will mention it just to illustrate a non-inclusive approach to brass for safety:
Some folks neck size ar-15 and can get away w/ it. Many can't and some even have to small base size to get the once fired to feed correctly. For ar-15's, if you neck size, you better know your shoulders and chamber or it can be a disaster. Also learn primer cup thickness as that can enhance issues in some cases when dealing w/ that free floating firing pin.
 
I use the RCBS Precision Mic, setting up dies for headspace & ogive adjustments a pleasure. They are caliber specific. Tried bushing & neck dies, worked best for me was the standard RCBS standard F/L die with the expander ball, I remove the primer before I clean & six my brass. I don't neck turn.
 
I mistakenly just full-length resized the once-fired 22-250 brass and not neck resized and had the bullet dropping into the case on a few of them. So I stopped and suspected a mistake
Click to expand...

There had to be some kind of mistake, though I cannot imagine what, based on what you said.

regular sizing dies size the neck FIRST as the case enters the die. How you could actually FL size a case without sizing the neck is beyond me.

Unless, of course, your die is the wrong one for the caliber??
 
If I fire new factory ammo or virgin brass through any of my bolt actions, I neck size only on subsequent reloads. If it's once fired brass that I've purchased, I run it through the FL sizing die and neck size after that once it's been fired in MY rifle.

You will typically find that after 3-5 loadings of neck sizing only, the brass will need to be resized in the FL sizing die. I bump the shoulder back .001"-.002" so that the brass will chamber easily again, and neck size again from then on until the brass starts to become slightly harder to chamber. Then it's time for a shoulder bump again.

By doing this you minimize overworking the brass, which definitely increases the useful lifespan of it.
 
wtfTG
I am using the Redding Premium Series Deluxe 22-250 die set
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The Redding Premium Deluxe 3 die set, as you know comes with a FL sizing die, a NK sizing die, and a seating die with micrometer. I have a few of these sets myself.

It also comes with a carbide expander button that comes installed in either the FL or NK sizing die. The other die will have the standard steel expander ball. Depending on which die I'm currently using, I swap the decapping stem with the carbide neck sizing button between the FL and NK sizing die.

You outta remove both and measure the diameter of each with a micrometer to compare them. If your having issues with bullets falling into the case with one, but the neck sizing die seems to produce better neck tension, one of the expanders may be the incorrect size.

It's possible that you may have gotten a carbide button or steel expander ball in one of the dies that is out of spec, and the other is the correct size for .22 caliber. That is the only way I could see a bullet just falling into a case after resizing. Redding dies are known to be of very good quality with very tight tolerances, but occasionally something slips through that may be out of spec.

Did your Redding die set come in a black box with gold labeling? If so, it is the Premium Deluxe set. If not, then you have either a bushing die set or a standard Deluxe set.
 
"...mistakenly just full-length resized..." S'ok. It's one or the other and neither is wrong. Sooner or later you'd have to FL resize neck sized brass anyway.
Your options are to set up the FL die to neck size only. Lots of trial and error involved. Or buy a neck sizer die.
"...the bullet dropping into the case on a few of them..." Indicates the sizing wasn't done consistently. Highly unlikely the expander button wasn't the correct one with only a few being too big. Just resize 'em again.
 
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