Guys just a friendly reminder to check your work

[trbon8r]

I was loading some .308 cases tonight and somewhere along the way my resizing die loosened up and gradually began to back off. Even though the initial rounds measured just right on a Wilson case gauge, with each pull of the press handle the die backed off a little more. After resizing, as a matter of habit I checked several random samples again in the case gauge. It was then I realized I had a problem.

After scratching my head for a bit I decided to readjust the die and bump the shoulders back a little. It was only when I went to adjust the die that I realized it was loose. Then I knew what had happened. Had I not as a habit gone back and tested some samples of the cases on the case gauge and found some of them failed badly, I might have proceeded to finish loading this ammo. In this instance my system of QC checks worked as it was supposed to. Particularly because this ammo is destined for an autoloading rifle, the results might have been ugly. The cases were then put back in the press and the shoulder bumped back and now all is well.

Anyway, consider this a friendly reminder that even if, and sometimes especially if you have been loading for years as I have, never succumb to the temptation to eliminate any of your quality checks, and always follow a systematic approach you never deviate from. Be safe!

 

[Traveler]

Good catch. QC is critical in things that go bang on a good day, boom on a bad one.

 

[guthook]

Good reminder to never skip a step. Case gauges are a cheap and valuable tool for your own safety.

I was loading .308 a few days ago and was going to post a reminder here myself. Here it is:

Always check your cases for separation warnings! That little shiny ring is a dead giveaway, but sometimes it looks like sizing marks. Looking down into the case with a bright light can reveal a dark ring, indicating the head separating from the case. It can be around the entire circumference inside the case, or only on one side if just starting. A few members here have mentioned the paperclip trick to feel for the small gap created when this starts happening.

For some reason, it seems more prevalent in .308 cases than other calibers. Maybe that is a personal observation due to frequency of loading that round more than others. It will happen with all bottleneck cases, if you re-use them enough times.

Check for case head separation and neck splitting with every piece of brass as a regular routine. I find it is easier when it's dirty.

When you have limited brass for a caliber, it's easy to get attached to it, but if it looks suspect, throw it the hell away. It's just not worth the risk of injury or firearm damage.

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

What kind of seating die do you use that it bumps back shoulders?

 

[Megiddo]

What kind of seating die do you use that it bumps back shoulders?

I was thinking the Full Length Sizer. I'm glad you asked because I was thinking the same thing!

I'll be watching for the experts to answer.

 

[Scott P]

Can't ever be too safe..........thanks for the reminder.

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

I was thinking the Full Length Sizer. I'm glad you asked because I was thinking the same thing!

It probably was the sizer.

You can keep a die from getting loose by squaring it in the press. Before you lock down the nut, put a washer or two on the shell holder and apply pressure to the die with the ram while tightening.

It makes for a very tight hold. I've loosened the press bushing while taking off a die after doing this.

 

[trbon8r]

What kind of seating die do you use that it bumps back shoulders?

. Whoops i had a senior moment when I typed that. Yes I meant to say resizing die, not seating die. Good catch.

I will edit it so it reads right.