Rolling the ridge mark on cases.

[just bill]

I've been working with 5.7 and .223 cases, not giving the wrinkle from case expanding a second thought, however after seeing some that were rolled, I like the finished look. I've tried different searches and am not finding the procedure. Any advice is welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Bill

[eric123]

Wrinkle from case expanding? Not sure I understand...Cannelure on cases? There are tools that do that I have seen...Corbins I believe...

[tommag]

I've been expanding some 223 cases to .357 and I've seen what you're talking about, I think. I get external rings where the shoulder used to be. The only way I can think if to eliminate them is to turn the cases after expanding/fire forming them.

[lefty o]

it'll come out upon firing.

[Tom W.]

The 30/30 brass going to 30/30 a.i. has a ring where the shoulder used to be. It's just cosmetic.....

[Larry Gibson]

I've been working with 5.7 and .223 cases, not giving the wrinkle from case expanding a second thought, however after seeing some that were rolled, I like the finished look. I've tried different searches and am not finding the procedure. Any advice is welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Bill

A little better explanation or a picture of what you're talking about would be helpful. Non firearm related terminology is confusing to say the least. Just trying to help.

[country gent]

The case walls thickness is tapered and gets thicker as it moves towards the head. Shoulders and necks + a little past the shoulder are annealed when the case are made to soften this area of the brass, it takes the most forming and work hardens more. Some of the ring your seeing is do to the brass thickening and some from memory of the brass or spring back. Your moving the shoulder a lot in moving it and opening it up. While opening brass cases up usually thins and shortens the brass getting into the shoulder its a good practice to check neck wall thickness or loaded round neck dia. A light neck turning will remove the ring your seeing. Neck reaming should also and is easier to do.

[Moleman-]

The wrinkle will fade with each firing. Rolling is probably over the top and requires a lathe, but I've got spare time. Late 2010 maybe early 2011 before I had a Forster trimmer that could ream the cases I'd lathe turn the cases. First though I'd roll the wrinkle away. the arbor is 1/2" O1 not hardened, turned to .357" for about 5/8" including the small radius on the tip. There is a reduced dia section past that that is used to gauge that all the cases are pushed on to the same length usually with just a piece of faced off rod in the tailstock or a live/dead center. I like the faced off rod better after poking my hand a few times with the sharp tip of the live center.

The roll tool is basically a single wheel knurl tool with a smooth wheel in it. This one was a piece of scrap 3/4" rod that had two flats milled in it and then a slot for the wheel. It was one of those, lets see what I have that will work type things. It works, so I've never made a nicer one. The wheel is a piece of hardened 1/2" O1 that was polished and a 3/16" hole drilled/reamed through it before hardening for the solid retaining pin. Round the edges of the wheel or it will leave marks on the case.

Start the roller slightly in from the end of the case or exactly on the mouth of the case with a little bit of pressure then just move the carriage towards the base. About the time you get to the radius on the arbor the case will stop spinning as the area over the arbor was expanded slightly. If you start half on the edge of the case mouth the edge will flare out pretty quickly and ruin the case. keep the arbor lubed, occasionally one will take a little effort coming off. I keep a shell holder handy which gives you enough to grab onto to pull the case off of the arbor.

Resize them, ream them or you can turn them on the lathe which is quite slow compared to reaming. The case in the pic is a little dirty from being in an unheated barn workbench for the past year since it was formed, but it is a LC-09 case that has been expanded, rolled and reamed. You can still make out where the case expander stopped expanding the case about .6" from the base which left a ring when run through the carbide sizing die. That bottom .6" section is undersized by about .002" but will fill out when fired.

[bullet maker 57]

Ingenuity at it's best. Now I have to make something along those lines. Oh well, another project.

[JimB..]

This is for forming 357AR (357MAX RL) from LC 5.56 brass?

[Moleman-]

This is for forming 357AR (357MAX RL) from LC 5.56 brass?

Yes, and as I've said it's likely way over the top and most guys don't bother. The cases I've tried have worked fine with the wrinkle and it mostly disappears after a few firings. I've switched to mainly forming cases from the starline 223 basic cases as it's much quicker. I also use the same type of setup for removing the wrinkle on 44x1.6" cases made from 308 length brass.