fire-forming ?

[serval]

looking for info. i reformed 30/06 cases to 7mm mau. , (trim die ) then to 257 trim die then to .257 rob. f/l die, reamed, 25 cal. loaded 1 gr. under starting. case stuck ...iam thinking of fireforming. this will be my 1 st. fireforming looking for sugestons (powder, amount,filler ect. thanks to all...

[serval]

why am i in sticky thead???

[Jim]

Welcome to Cast Boolits!

Forgive me, I'm old. If you could be a bit more specific, it would help. You said the case stuck. In the die? In the chamber?

You asked for (I assume) load data suggestions. Do you have a manual to work from?

If you look closely at the thread title in the section, you'll see that your thread is NOT stickied.

[serval]

i was wrong , sorry , case stuck in gun ,blue primer. ive got 8 manuals, looking for info. powder type (fast i know )(700x or whats recondmended?) amount to start ?, cream of wheat ect. ? all info. apreated ,thanks...

[Jim]

Did you get the case out?

Blue primer? Maybe one of these other fellas knows what that is, but I don't have a clue on that one.

Are you loading cast bullets or jacketed? What weight? What powders do you have on hand and what do you WANT to use?

I really am trying to make heads or tails out of what you're talking about, but with only the tidbits I'm getting, it's kinda' difficult.

[Randy C]

:coffeecom

[williamwaco]

Item one.

One grain under with unknown brass for a starting load is too much powder. If you are using something like 700x it could be WAY TOO MUCH POWDER.

Since you didn't give either the bullet or the powder, and as Jim says BLUE? primer? WE CANNOT OFFER MUCH HELP.

MY ADVICE:

Do not load or fire another cartridge until you get some help from somebody here.
Jim is a good source . He does more experimenting than I do.

We will need to know:

What kind of 30-06 brass did you start with? Head stamp? Were they all the same?
What is the brand and model designation of the primer?
What is the brand and weight of the bullet you will use?
What powders do you have available? - List them all.

What FL resizing die did you use for the final sizing?
After you reamed the necks what did you do next?
Did you notice any unusual resistance when seating the bullet?

What is the brand and caliber of the rifle?
When you loaded the cartridge, did you notice any resistance when closing the bolt? Even slight resistance?

[wallenba]

The case probably got stuck because the brass in the neck was too thick after reforming. The brass in the shoulder of the 30-06 is thicker than the neck. When you move the shoulder down, and trim, that's what you get, especially when going down in caliber. Then, seating the boolit moves it out more on the OD. You will need to use a neck turner most likely.

This, I think, is the best hand turner out there http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/case-preparation/neck-turning/neck-turning-tools/sinclair-premium-neck-turning-tool-w-handle-prod38042.aspx a bit pricey though.
An RCBS case trimmer can be converted to a nice one too, and can accept a cordless screwdriver to speed things up. Neck turning has a learning curve, so don't get discouraged, get lots of old cases to practice on.

P.S. you can get into big trouble with excessive pressures if case neck does not have enough room to expand and release the boolit.
PLEASE get the problem figured out before moving on.

[BruceB]

I suspect he meant "BLEW" primer....

[williamwaco]

I suspect he meant "BLEW" primer....



HA! (I knew that! )


NOT!

[largom]

I too suspect case neck thickness but we really do need more info. If you are shooting a bolt action gun you may not feel a tight neck due to the camming action of the lugs. If you have a micrometer measure the neck diameter of a loaded round and compare to SAMMI specs.

Larry

[serval]

resized final case,257 rob. f/l. reamed neck25cal.. 42-gr -3100, blew primer. case stuck in gun,rem,722/ feb. 1950, one tap case came out. neck mic.out at . 284 - loaded round . i think sammi specs. is .290. i shot 1 round. i also think neck thickness is the problem. ive open necks , necked up alot. havent necked down any. thanks to all for any info. jacket boolits. years ago i used to cast. when i started, 4831 was $.50 lb. if i brough a can. thanhs again....

[Jim]

..... when i started, 4831 was $.50 lb.....

When was that?

[Lloyd Smale]

I have to ask why all the bother to make 257 roberts cases. You can buy them eaisly or if stuck make them out of 6mm or 757. Even if i had a truck load of 06 cases i wouldnt go through all of that to make a 257.

[fryboy]

ream or turn the necks is my best guess as well , as noted it's usually needed when necking down unless it's a wildcat and designed around the necked down brass ( such as the 375 jdj etc )
even with way reduced loads to start a thicker neck is indeed courtin' disaster ( just as a too long of a neck is )

[flounderman]

see if a bullet will enter the neck of the fired case. It should fall in. if it is a tight fit, the neck is too long, or too thick. trim a couple of thousands off the length and see if the bullet goes in any easier. cases stretch when fire forming. shortening an 06 case that much, you may have to anneal the necks. using reformed 06 brass, you have a thicker case than a factory 257, so less case capacity. Your maximum load will be less. If the bullet is a loose fit in the fired case, you just have too much powder. The case didn't come out too hard, so it doesn't sound like it was all that much over pressure. I would cut the powder 4 or 5 grains and see what it looked like and go from there. Main thing is that the fired case is expanded enough in the neck, and or short enough that a jacketed bullet is a loose fit. Primers can back out with reduced loads during fireforming if the case is a loose fit in the chamber, with headspace. If there is room, the force of the fireing pin and the primer explosion, drive the case ahead and if the case expands to grab the chamber walls and doesn't come hard against the bolt face, the fired primer can protrude. I'm not sure what you meant by blown primer. It could be punctured primer, which could be caused by fireing pin being too sharp or long, to case head expanded and primer fell out. not a good sign.

[mac60]

Serval, I'd do like everybody's trying to tell you and address your neck thickness and case length issues first. As far as fireforming, I'd think 10 gr. of bullseye, followed by 1/4 sheet of tp over the powder, then fill the case all the way to the mouth with cream of wheat, then push a block of paraffin wax (or a bar of soap) down over the mouth of the case to kind of hold everything in place then point in a safe direction and fire away. It'll make a mess of the gun which will require a good cleaning. I've done it myself and it works very well.