Took them out this weekend to try some reloads.
Had problems with chambering in the K11, but not the 96/11.
I always thought they used the same cases.
Took them out this weekend to try some reloads.
Had problems with chambering in the K11, but not the 96/11.
I always thought they used the same cases.
I don't know K11s, but it's been known for quite a while that die sets made for the '96 rifles overwork K31 brass. The older chamber being marginally smaller, apparently. Some one else will doubtless know more. I finally got a Redding set that's right for my K31s, and stopped thinking about it.
https://forums.gunboards.com/showthr...Reloading-Dies
There's also an issue with throats. The K31 has a pretty short one, (again - K11 I don't know) so if you were seating out for the 1896 you might have been running into that.
Last edited by uscra112; 03-26-2019 at 03:52 AM.
Cognitive Dissident
At first I thought the boolet was seated out to far, but it was holding up in the case.
I tried a fired case from the 96/11 in the K11 and it wouldn't chamber.
I know the 1889 case was different from the others, and the K31 has a short lead.
I'm almost sure the cases were full length sized.
Odd.
I’ve run across that before as well. I used a lightly modified shell holder and got the same case to work in both rifles
All I have are the Lee dies.
Cases are Graf.
I'll have to try and resize them again.
Obviously, try a sized but empty case.
I was using a tapered bullet from an Eagan mould. Worked very well, I think because mine has some throat wear.
Cognitive Dissident
The Lee dies will work but they oversize the brass if you FL size. Lee is now making a collet die which makes sense.
Somebody somewhere pointed out that you have to body size at least a little, because the straight pull action hasn't got the power to fully close the bolt on a case that's a tight fit. Like semi-autos. I'm thinking that, if you use the collet die, you ought to "plunk test" every case like the 1911 reloaders do, although not for the same reason.
Cognitive Dissident
Probably will have to full size.
Cases are used in three different rifles.
1911, 96/11, K11.
Also have Vetterli, 1889, K31, but those have different loads.
I'm almost sure I only neck sized for the last three.
Must go back and try again.
Even cases fired in the 96/11, didn't chamber in the K11.
FL resizing for quality straight pulls and semi autos is a myth born of sloppy M-1 chambers. I use neck sizing dies in my Swiss rifles and Bennlli R1s. Precision rifles with clean ammo work just fine. Even my ARs run happily w/o FL sizing if your gas system is properly set up.
Cases are segregated by rifles just as done with any rifle regardless of action type.
That, maybe, and trainloads of .30-30 Winchesters. Not that I have any first-hand knowledge, I'm not a Winchester fanboi, but FL sizing .30-30 for leverguns has been a thing since as far back as my collection of American Rifleman goes, which is to say the 1920s. I even have a set of .30-30 smallbase dies.
I've read often enough that .303 Enfields are also chambered large, to allow for dirty ammo, supposedly.
Cognitive Dissident
Have you tried segregating your 30-30 brass by rifle ? Tried "reasonable" loads ? Tried not FL sizing ? Is your headspace correct ?
I've owned a 64, 2 94s, a 336 and a 99 in 30-30, none ever required FL sizing when stoked with CB loads or J bullet suggested loads until after 5 reloads. Even then I just did it before uniforming, trimming, annealing and chamfering to start on a clean slate.
As for SMLEs and Ross 303s both benefit greatly by neck sizing. P-14s have tighter chambers.
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 |