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Thread: Resizing 308 brass?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master 44Blam's Avatar
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    Resizing 308 brass?

    I have some once fired .308 brass and I am having a hard time resizing the cases.
    I have a lyman carbide rifle set and I lube my cases with the lee case lube.
    It is very hard to resize these cases and the first one I went ahead and jammed it all the way down and went to pull it back up and pulled off the rim. Suck case. So, drilled a hole, got out the screw tap set and pulled the case out.
    Next case, I pull down about 1/2 way release, pull down further then release then pull down all the way aannnndddd rim pops off and I get to remove another stuck case.
    Ok - next case - I go slower and really take my time. I relube a time or two while resizing just a little at a time. I get to the very bottom after quite a while and go to pull the case out and - you guessed it - rim pops off and now I'm pretty good at getting stuck cases out of the .308 die...

    So, I search the site and someone resizes with a 45 auto die - but I read that the 45 auto die is 45 auto and 45 winchester mag - but the 45 mag is only 1.1 inches where the .308 is 2 inches - so how would that resize a .308 case? I also read about other people resizing in a couple passes, etc...

    How do you guys do a full case resize on .308 brass? Would it help to heat the brass first so it's soft? How hot would it have to be if you did this?

    Any help would be appreciated!

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master


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    First, is this actual 308 winchester brass, or 7.62 Nato machine gun fired brass? In either case, it shouldn't be that tough to size. I have been full length sizing Lake City brass fired from a machine gun in a Lee die, zero problems. It's a little harder on the down stroke than standard 308 brass, but nothing bad on the upstroke. I am using imperial sizing wax, applied by hand. Since you describe having to really force a case into the die, I'm thinking the die could be made improperly. Any chance you got a stuck case out intact enough to provide measurements?

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    I did not know that Lyman made a carbide 308 resize die?
    There is no problem so great, that it cannot be solved by the proper application of high explosives.

  4. #4
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    Two things, make sure you at least wipe dirt/mud off the case and inside of the die isn't scored up. If so, polish it out.

    Try imperial wax and only resize it halfway. Then relube and try alittle further. If still having problems, clean them and anneal. Sound as if it was machine gun brass in a borderline chamber. Hopefully, younhave a good case trimmer.

  5. #5
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    Make sure your neck expander is set right. If it is set too high it will jam in the neck and you can rip the rim off. Also make sure to lube the inside of the necks as it can cause galling.

  6. #6
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    Sounds like the inside of the case isn't lubed enough. Here's my little trick for lubing the inside. I took a 22 cal swag and put it directly on a wooden handle. Then i take the regular case lube that you put on a pad to roll the shell on and put it on the swab. Just a little of it will do. Then just run it around the inside of the case. You don't have to do every case. I think i do about everything third to fourth one. You'll feel it when you need to lube the inside before you go all the way in.

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    All my 308 brass commercial and military go through my small base rcbs x dies. Never had a problem with them sticking. I sb size all my 223 and 308 stuff because it might be used in a semi auto or lever gun. If your getting sticky cases your are probably not using enough lube. One thing I do with all my rifle brass new or once fired is first trim it to minimum book length and inside and outside chamfer it. Ive seen brass that wasn't inside chamfered snag on the the expanding button and crush cases. Sometimes not enough that you can see obviously with your eye. It will cause sticking in dies and usually wont chamber right in the gun. As far as I know there is no carbide 308 die. I know Dillon made some with a carbide expander ball but I don't recall lyman even doing that. to lube I do what I do with 223 bulk. I dump a hundred or 2 cases in a shoe box and put a dab of anhydrous lanolin (same thing as imperial sizing wax) and work my hands through the brass till there all lubed. Never had a stuck case doing that. Some batches can be tough pulling through the expander button and on them I stand them in a case tray after there lubed and give them a quick shot of one shot into the necks.
    Last edited by Lloyd Smale; 10-26-2018 at 06:12 AM.

  8. #8
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    I use Hornady one shot and cover them good, they don't stick.
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    " As far as I know there is no carbide 308 die."

    Yes, there are. Lyman is is a carbide neck sizer, and both Dillon is full length. Dillon say use lube. I always use lube even on hand gun cases. Use what works for you.

    https://www.dillonprecision.com/dill...8_4_24498.html

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  10. #10
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    I couldn’t tell you how to solve your problem other than to try another brand of sizing die like an RCBS or a leee and use a different case lube. I will tell you that I had the exact same problem with my ex-brother-in-law’s Lyman die and my ex-father-in-law’s brass. I assumed that the brass was way over sized from a machine gun chamber and he gave up on reloading so I never had to figure out how to fix the problem. If memory serves me right multiple stepped passes with gun oil as lube is what got a few cases sized successfully.

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Can you borrow another die? Maybe change lubes? Maybe give your sizing die a good cleaning? Are your cases clean? This is not normal and I hope you find the problem.

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    I have had the same problem many times in the past... nothing more frustrating then “another” stuck case... sooo I personally use bag balm.. a little dab on my left hand fingers, rub the case around as I am move it my hand to the press, pop it in the shell holder, and no more stuck case, providing I rub a tiny bit into the inside of the neck as it gets stiff on the upstroke. Somebody called it galling... bag balm is good for the hands too. I am a firm believer, and I use it on all non carbide dies. Just a tiny bit, a tiny rub between the fingers... a tiny bit goes a very long way.. I been using the same green can for almost 4 years now.


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  13. #13
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    Two sizing lubes that will work, not the only ones, are Unique and Dillon spray which you can make yourself, lanolin and alcohol. I use Unique for military, and Dillon for everything else. You probably dont need small base sizers, but if you have a gun that will only run with a small base sizer, then you really have no choice. Most every gun will run good with a regular sizer. Good luck.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    I’ve made .30-06 brass into .308 win back in the day when I had no .308 brass to load with. I know I never got stuck, because that’s something you don’t forget about. Did not use expander, jut cut off excess neck and reamed with .308 reamer. Have resized .308 nato thru RCBS dies with no problems.
    Like above get another brand die, only solution I can think of.

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    The inside of the case necks need lubed. You can stick a pencil in and spin them to put some graphite on there. I use some powder moly, and do every third case for smooth operation.
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  16. #16
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    I think tomme boy has the answer. Take your expander and decapping pin assembly out of your die and see how it resizes. If it goes easy, then put it back in and screw the expander assembly down until about 1/2" of the decapping pin protrudes from the bottom of the die, and try again. If there is a taper on your expnder ball, you should be able to open up the already sized case that you did without the expander in the die. If that doesn't work, I'd suspect a faulty die.
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  17. #17
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    Recently, I had to run some once fired 7.62x51 brass through a RCBS small base die. I use Imperial quite often and did for these. Inside case neck was lubed using a q-tip lightly rolled in the wax. Worked very well.

    I also use Hornady One Shot. If held at proper angle, it also lubes inside case neck quite effectively.

    I also use a Dillon or Wilson case guage for any brass that is going into an auto loader.
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  18. #18
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    "I also use a Dillon or Wilson case guage for any brass that is going into an auto loader."
    That is good advice. My favorites are the Sherdian cut guages

  19. #19
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    I use Hornaday One Shot. I take a large zip-loc bag, dump in a bunch of cases, spray in the One Shot, shake/roll the cases around, take out of bag and let dry. Never have a problem, but the key is to let the lube dry before sizing. Further, the residual lube seems to get reactivated on the following batches so I need to use less. Once I found myself with no fresh One Shot so I dumped in some brass and added some alcohol, shook them up and it worked OK.
    R.D.M.

  20. #20
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    Take some measurements of the pulled case. It may tell you what is happening.

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check