I have some new starline brass but i can’t get the bullet to sit on top, does that mean I need to expand the neck a little? First time using new brass so not sure what the steps would be. Don’t have a problem with used brass because of the resizing step.
Interesting. I haven’t had that problem. So the brass should be able to sit on top but it will not sit straight up there normally.
If you don’t see any visible dings or bends in the neck of the case, you should be able to just load it without any changes.
If the neck is not concentric, then an expander mandrel is the easiest way to prep it, but you can also just size the brass.
What do you mean by sit on top? This is new 308 Lapua brass. Can you not get the bullet to sit like this? It isn’t always perfectly straight, but you can guide it up and then let the seating die straighten it out.
I mean that without me holding it on top of the brass, the bullet will fall completely off. And, no i can’t even get the bullet ti sit like in the picture.
This can happen if the bullet shape is flat on the back instead of a chamfered boat tail. When I encounter this type of bullet I usually hold the bullet on the neck of the case as I raise the ram up into the die. Once it’s in the die then it usually works out.
Use your calipers to measure the inner diameter of the brass neck and the outer diameter of the bullet. A few pictures might help as well.
I always size my my brass and inside and outside chamfer them
Have you tried pressing a bullet onto the case, or does it just feel off? .1mm difference is .004 (or) 4 thousands. It’s a little tight but it should work. Your bullet has a slight chamfer on the back which should help guide it into the mouth of the case.
That looks like a super high grain bullet so I’m not exactly surprised it topples off.
Maybe post a quick video of you placing the bullet on the case?
Yes 220 gr 300 BLK from Berry’s. Can’t upload a video. Also tried pushing it but it didn’t want to go.
Guess i need to figure out how to expand the neck a bit without using it resizing die cuz i already put the primers in.
Does the neck of the brass have a slight chamfer on the inside? Like Robert said above, that may help. I’d try that first
I’ll tell you what I did to nine pieces of Starline brass that I needed to change the load, but I have less than a year experience so understand I’m not an expert. After I pulled the bullets and dumped out the powder I took the stem out of my sizing die and ran the casing, with the primers still intact, up into the die to squeeze the neck a bit. After running all nine through that process then I put the stem back into the die and ran the casings back up over the expander ball being careful not to hit the primer with the stem. Got my necks back to the correct size/tension, and didn’t remove the primers.
Looks like I just have to hold the bullet
I would use an expander mandrel with 0.002" less than caliber. Then, I would use the Frankford Arsenal Universal Bullet Seating die. A projectile is placed into the bottom of the die. Then when the handle is pulled, the case lines up exactly concentric with the projectile. Much easier and quicker.
Its just new brass. Chamfer the inside of the neck a little, pinch the bullet between your fingers to guide it into the die, then press it on in the case. Just get your finders out of the way, you do it a couple of times and the feel will come to you.
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