reloading

[tonetone 0]

hello all

having a big problem starting out reloading, my bullet heads are way to loose in the case neck! i can press them in with my little finger infact the bullet virtually falls in. im using a lee kit, deprime and neck-resized my once fired federal ammo. then i primed and charged with BLC-2 (25.5gr) then changed dies to the bullet seater but the 55gr nosler ballistic tip are so loose it is totally impossible to work with. sounds like i need a crimping die?? checked everything and the dies have 223 stamped and the bullet heads have 22 calibre (224) on the box. i have the lee manual which i have read.

some advice would be great please

cheers tone

[dicehorn 38]

hello all

having a big problem starting out reloading, my bullet heads are way to loose in the case neck! i can press them in with my little finger infact the bullet virtually falls in. im using a lee kit, deprime and neck-resized my once fired federal ammo. then i primed and charged with BLC-2 (25.5gr) then changed dies to the bullet seater but the 55gr nosler ballistic tip are so loose it is totally impossible to work with. sounds like i need a crimping die?? checked everything and the dies have 223 stamped and the bullet heads have 22 calibre (224) on the box. i have the lee manual which i have read.

some advice would be great please

cheers tone

 

 

Is your Lee neck sizer new or second hand? If it is second hand - that could be your problem - the neck expander ball could have worn down well below the manufacturer's specification

 

Personally I have always steered well away from Lee reloading kit, but I do know that some of their stuff is OK.

 

I have always used either Redding or RCBS stuff and never had a problem

 

There are some that crimp their cases, however, I feel that with the right equipment there is no need to carry out that procedure.

 

Have you a friend nearby who reloads 223 - using his neck die could narrow your problem down to what is at fault with your neck die.

 

HTH

 

Peter

[markbivvy 6]

both dies are set wrong at a guess. lee dies may be cheap but they are good and if new wont be the problem.

if the dies are from the deluxe set read the instructions again.

is the press new, check the toggle connection it could be cracked if you have used to much pressure.

[tonetone 0]

thanks guys

i reset the sizer die to 1 turn extra after touching the shell holder and then used a bit more pressure(says on the instuction at least 25lbs of pressure) it felt right and the case came out looking good and the bullet head would not go in with finger pressure. changed dies and seated the bullet sucessfully.

it says COL should be 2.20 inch, the ballistic tips are so long? if i seat the bullet to this depth im worried that it might be too deep. do you guys include the plastic tip in the overall length? im comparing the bullet to an unfired factory federal 55gr and it appears that i should not include the ballistic tip in my measurement?

thanks again

tone

[gyrfalcon 0]

thanks guys

i reset the sizer die to 1 turn extra after touching the shell holder and then used a bit more pressure(says on the instuction at least 25lbs of pressure) it felt right and the case came out looking good and the bullet head would not go in with finger pressure. changed dies and seated the bullet sucessfully.

it says COL should be 2.20 inch, the ballistic tips are so long? if i seat the bullet to this depth im worried that it might be too deep. do you guys include the plastic tip in the overall length? im comparing the bullet to an unfired factory federal 55gr and it appears that i should not include the ballistic tip in my measurement?

thanks again

tone

You should check the COL seating depth which is right for your rifle and not just go by the book (except for max loads of course) Reloading manuals usually give you tips on how to check COL for your rifle. If not,shout and someone on here will help.

This should further increase the accuracy.

Different ballistic tip bullet heads are different lengths. Hornady are shorter than Speer for instance.

[Capreolus 0]

As a starting point with ballistic tips I would load the longest dummy/inert round that will fit in the magazine and then check that this length does not engage the rifling when the bolt is closed on a round in the chamber.

[markbivvy 6]

do you guys include the plastic tip in the overall length

i dont i measure to the orgive.

[tonetone 0]

thats exactly whats confusing me! Can anybody recomend me a good reloading manual which describes the various techniques? i have the lee reloading manual and it is 95% charts and 5% text but i dont think its that great it just tells you about the concept and how great lee kit is, rather than how to actually do it.

sorry if i sound like a bit of a moaning git! just dont want to waste any more money

cheers tone

[dicehorn 38]

thats exactly whats confusing me! Can anybody recomend me a good reloading manual which describes the various techniques? i have the lee reloading manual and it is 95% charts and 5% text but i dont think its that great it just tells you about the concept and how great lee kit is, rather than how to actually do it.

sorry if i sound like a bit of a moaning git! just dont want to waste any more money

cheers tone

 

 

Hi Tone

 

You are in need of a good reloading manual that is for sure!

 

There are many manuals out there however most are produced by powder or bullet manufacturers and so are biased towards their own stuff.

 

The best book I reckon is called The ABC's of Reloading and you can read about it and buy it here

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/-/215/272/...earchtype=genre

 

With regard to measuring the bullet length, as someone has already said, you will need a Comparator (this measures from the all important ogive and not from the tip which is an unreliable way of measuring). Stoney Point and Hornaday make them and they can be obtained from most good reloading outlets like Reloading Solutions and MidwayUK

See

 

http://www.midwayuk.com/apps/eproductpage....leItemID=709931

 

Tis a pity you are not nearer to me - I reload for 3 calibres and for 3 other people with 5 calibres between them. Sometimes it is a good idea to have someone look over your shoulder.

 

Peter

[tonetone 0]

hi Peter

thanks for your help. going to get that book, it sounds like the kind of thing im after.

although ive had a few problems starting out, it was very satisying producing my first 5 complete rounds. gonna try them out on the rifle and probably do a bit of tweeking for my next reloads.

thanks again

tone

[mike1ml 0]

hi Peter

thanks for your help. going to get that book, it sounds like the kind of thing im after.

although ive had a few problems starting out, it was very satisying producing my first 5 complete rounds. gonna try them out on the rifle and probably do a bit of tweeking for my next reloads.

thanks again

tone

Does your rifle have a fixed or removable magazine as in both cases the COL can be resticted by the length of bullet you can get in the magazine.

Mike

[tonetone 0]

my rifle is a cz with removeable mag. my first batch of bullets fitted in with about 4mm to spare. i just fired my first 5 bullets at 125 yds. i got each shot within an inch of eachother, probably a 3" group. suppose it could be better. so i need to adjust charge and bullet depth? any ideas wich is better to try first? (BLC2 25.5gr, 55gr nosler balistc tip seated at 2.20col)

cheers tone

ps. i looked down the barrel after the 5 shots and it looked really clean

[markbivvy 6]

and the primers are what please.

as far as i remember your chosen powder likes magnum primers.

[tonetone 0]

sorry forgot; CCI small rifle primers.

do you guys buy any of your reloading components(bullet heads, powder) on the web?

tone

[mike1ml 0]

sorry forgot; CCI small rifle primers.

do you guys buy any of your reloading components(bullet heads, powder) on the web?

tone

Only FMJ bullets allowed through the post expanding bullets are face to face with registered dealer brass OK powder OK but costly carriage .

With regards to the spare 4mm you have in your magazine you might be able to use some of this to have a longer COL they do say 15 to 20 thou jump from ogive to rifling but this is not always the case only by trial and error will you find the best combination for your rifle (SAFETY SHOULD BE FIRST IN YOUR MIND) As others have allready said a good reloading manual will do most of the work for you giving a multitude of safe bullet and powder combinations.

Mike.