Nesting: A Case Stuck Inside a Case...

[j8064]

Here's a reminder for us veteran reloaders and a tip for the up and coming reloaders: Rule: Always inspect your brass at every step in the reloading process!

Case in point:

• Yesterday the Range Brass Fairy was good to me. I gathered a nice bag full of free range brass of various calibers. Another shooter gave me the cases from a box of 45 Colt he fired.
• Normally my free range brass all goes in a bag together to be sorted and inspected back on my bench - (first pic below).
• When brass of different calibers is mixed together "nesting" can occur (i.e. a smaller case nesting into a larger case). Example: 25acp will nest in a 32 acp which nest in a 9mm which will nest in a 40 S&W etc. (second pic below).
• Normally nesting isn't an issue and easy to spot when sorting and tumbling cases. But, 40 S&W cases can nest so snugly in 45 Colt and 44 Mag cases they require extra due diligence when tumbled cases are ready to be resized.

I always sort range brass and tumble non-nesting cases together before resizing. Knowing nesting happens, it's something to always be on the alert for when sorting mixed cases - but 40's are sneaky and like to hide... After yesterday's free 45 Colt cases were tumbled and ready to resize - through re-inspection - I spotted a pesky 40 hiding in one!

Running the nested 40 & 45 Colt case through a sizing die would have ruined both. The simple solution was to separate them with a kinetic bullet pulling hammer (a tool of many uses).

Nesting can happen other ways too. For example: a 25 acp case will fit through the mouth and into a 30 cal rifle cartridge - not something you want to occur - and there are other examples.

Back to my original point - Always inspect your cases at each step in the reloading process. It's all about leaving any mistakes on your reloading bench and not taking mistakes to the range.



P.S. The guy who gave me the 45 Colt cases seems to have paid $0.75 per round + tax. Another reminder of why I reload...

 

[outrider58]

I thought they called that "docking", or is that something all together different?

Seriously though, I bet that can reek havoc on decapping pins.

 

[j8064]

I thought they called that "docking", or is that something all together different?

Seriously though, I bet that can reek havoc on decapping pins.

Docking/nesting...same concept. It's a matter of preventing and (especially) leaving mistakes on the reloading bench.

 

[molonlabe]

I thought that was a rule of reloading that the smaller case will always find a larger case to nest into. I always clean with 45 only, 9mm and 380 together 223 and 308/30-06 just so I don't have to screw with it. Once the 9mm and 45 get into that state along with the media stuck with it I always used a needle nose. I like the idea of the kinetic puller.

 

[km04]

Good tip to point out.

 

[ted76]

I learned to sort my brass before tumbling, the media can get caught in the rim recess of the smaller case and make it a pain in the are to separate. Thanks for the tip about using the bullet puller.

 

[outrider58]

Docking/nesting...same concept. It's a matter of preventing and (especially) leaving mistakes on the reloading bench.

Sorry, "docking" was a joke(you may not want to look it up). There are definitely too many ways to screw up on the loading bench. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Magnumite]

I thought they called that "docking", or is that something all together different?

Seriously though, I bet that can reek havoc on decapping pins.

Happened to me once but I missed the smaller case inside the larger. I caught it when the primer punched out at the size/decap station but I couldn't raise the ram all the way. Looked inside the case was another case nested tightly inside. I did get the smaller case out with a hole punched through the primer.

 

[BUFF7MM]

Not to hijack your good resource thread, but have you tried to use your case specific shell holder in your kenetic hammer Joe? I got rid of those pesky collets from mine and now use only the shell holders in my hammer.

 

[molonlabe]

Sorry, "docking" was a joke(you may not want to look it up). There are definitely too many ways to screw up on the loading bench. Thanks for the tip.

Is that like fluffing. True story, my cousin Judy who works in the movie industry donated a kidney to me. While one of the docs was outlining the procedures she asked him "are you performing the operation"? He said " oh no I just prep you" she replied "oh like a fluffier" he turned red. I didn't get it she had to explain to me what a fluffier was.

Kids...
Sorry for the hijack in advance.

 

[j8064]

Not to hijack your good resource thread, but have you tried to use your case specific shell holder in your kenetic hammer Joe? I got rid of those pesky collets from mine and now use only the shell holders in my hammer.

Haven't tried that yet, Buff. The few times I've needed to "whack sh!t apart" with a kinetic puller in the past, the universal collet in my hammer has worked well to hold case rims. If there's a better way - I'm all ears.

 

[BUFF7MM]

Haven't tried that yet, Buff. The few times I've needed to "whack sh!t apart" with a kinetic puller in the past, the universal collet in my hammer has worked well to hold case rims. If there's a better way - I'm all ears.

Try you case holder the next time in the hammer, you might like it.
The bottom end of the case holder fits up into the hammer perfect, at least it does on mine.

 

[outrider58]

Is that like fluffing. True story, my cousin Judy who works in the movie industry donated a kidney to me. While one of the docs was outlining the procedures she asked him "are you performing the operation"? He said " oh no I just prep you" she replied "oh like a fluffier" he turned red. I didn't get it she had to explain to me what a fluffier was.

Kids...
Sorry for the hijack in advance.

I think we should just leave it there.

 

[j8064]

Sorry, "docking" was a joke(you may not want to look it up). There are definitely too many ways to screw up on the loading bench. Thanks for the tip.

Ohhh... K... Against my better judgement I Googled "docking"...

That's way TMI for me... I'll stick with "nesting"...

 

[inkd]

Sorry, "docking" was a joke(you may not want to look it up). There are definitely too many ways to screw up on the loading bench. Thanks for the tip.

 

[outrider58]

Ohhh... K... Against my better judgement I Googled "docking"...

That's way TMI for me... I'll stick with "nesting"...

I warned you!

 

[j8064]

I warned you!

Yes... you did warn me...

 

[ras_oscar]

Try you case holder the next time in the hammer, you might like it.
The bottom end of the case holder fits up into the hammer perfect, at least it does on mine.

but but but then I don't need to screw around with keeping the rubber o ring in the groove of those tiny little aluminum pie pieces Good Idea, I hadn't thought of that. Gotta check it out.