303-25 cases shoot smaller

[barrabruce]

I recently got some ppu 303 brass once fired and put them through my 303-25 vice sizer.

All good.
Loaded up with 34 gns 2208 with 87 grainers and let fly. (Max 37 grns 2208)

O.k. they all went bang and came out the end. One case shoulder split but the rest are fine after fireforming.

O.k. then....The shoulder is more forward and rounder than the simplex full length size die but geehee wizzz.

They extracted and rechamber easily.

Trouble is.....he neck diameter is now smaller than when I sized them.
I can't even get a jacket round in the fired necks on most.

Is this because of the upset with the shoulder forming or some such.

I might anneal this brass now but at the moment I have a hard time getting the case over the sizer spud to size the cases.

I never had this problem before.
Any one tell me what's going on.
I won't shoot them again till I have it figured out.

Thanks
barra

[leftiye]

I'm still stuck at the shoulder being further forward than the full length die. Apparently your chamber is larger than the die? As for the small necks, I'm pretty much at a loss. Annealing sounds good. I'd fer sure resize them and expand them and shoot them agin'. Though it's wierd, I don't see it as a problem. Yet.

[barrabruce]

The shoulder appears to be more rounded than say a straight 40 degree taper.
It appears to originate from the shoulder junction.
It could be from a previous owner maybe polishing out the rough chamber with some emery.
Its not an improved one as the body taper seams about the same.

It may cause me greif when I have to re full length size again and reworking the shoulder may cause it to split but that'll happen some time down the track.
The small necks get me.
A couple of them are blown out larger like ususal but the rest have shrunk back tight after measuring the od of the fired brass.

I think I'll anneal them and open them with something to use on my neck sizing dies.
I just can't get them over the mandrel as they are.
I could use a nail to deprime and load them.

I haven't ever come across this before that's all.
Bruce

[barrabruce]

Well I annealed the case necks and they behaved themselves.
So I loaded my stash of now 19 cases and I
l'll see what happens next time I get the urge to shoot them..
Thanks to those that waided through my posts.
Barra

[TexasBubba]

Have you made a chamber casting?

A wax (crayon) chamber casting told me lots about my no4 enfield. I blocked the bore with an earplug and cast the first inch of rifling with the chamber.

[drhall762]

Check the neck thickness. May just need to be reamed.

[barrabruce]

Well sorry for the time to get back to you's but for the life of me I couldn't find the "pound slug" I made a few years ago amongst all my junk.
It was in the last place I looked :lol:

The chamber of mine has been reamed to 2.235" overall from base to the case neck mouth.
My brass averages 2.227" long. A bit long according to specs. 8 thou under
The neck diameter of the pound slug at the neck mouth is 0290"
A loaded round measures 0.285" 5 thou clearance.

I'll give them a try and see how they go.
They should be safe and come out the end without undue concerns and be like normal after firing.

Please step in if you see things weird.

Thanks
Won't be shooting for a couple of weeks
Bruce

[Wayne Smith]

Bruce, I don't know much about how brass shrinks when hard vs when soft but it looks like annealing solved the problem.

[nanuk]

are you fireforming with an O-ring?

from what I've read (I haven't done it so far) is when done well, FL sizing is not very necessary if not using full power loads.

[barrabruce]

No just normal load and shoot.
The fireforming loads where normal started powder loads.
I've heard of orings but never tried them.
I believe it helps keep things concentric thou till the case is formed.
Be a week or so before I can shoot any too see how they turn out for the second round.

bruce

[303Guy]

Barra, you should never need to full length size your cases. I don't even have sizer die for mine. I made a neck sizer and an expander which I don't need to use and that' all. I did make a case forming die that only sized the neck down - that would be an intermediate die. If I do need to reduce the case body I'll use the 303 sizer die. Actually, I made case body sizer die but I can't find it. Anyway, I can also set the shoulder back with my neck sizer die if needed.

I must say that the 303-25 is a great cartridge and is actually my favourite. I have loaded a few patched boolits for it and shot a turkey with one. These were cast in an adjustable mould along the lines of windrider's. The mold has two diameters with the nose section being adjustable. I'm thinking of making a plain cast mold for it but that would likely be a split mould with grooves. But my 303-25 shoots j-words very well. I'm using AR2209 (H4350 to the rest of the world). I'm not sure it is any better than AR2208 (Varget to the rest of the world ;). The Auzzies make a lot of Hodgdon's powders - good stuff too).

[barrabruce]

Well 303guy I had to put the fired 303 cases through the vise simplex 303-25 sizing die first to get them to fit my rifle.

I fired 10 at 75 yards and the wind was calm according to my wind flags.
I got a lovely shot gun pattern about 4 inches.

After I let it cool a bit I got some help from the military shooters as why mine don't extract.
The shell comes out all right but the extractor is wrong and doesn't hold them firm enough to flip them out of the action.

The necks on most expanded enough this time to slide over a projectile and the rest seemed little resistance.As the chamber dirtied up they got smaller a weee bit.

So all is good except I'll have to try and get it to shoot.

Some young'uns were shooting the 300 mtre gong hammering away with there ninja 308 with loudener on the end and hubble scope.
I loaded me last 8 rounds and the first shot to get a ranging.
The next 7 hit the gong shot for shot with them one after the other just to show'em what a 'ol redudent *** could do.

quiet pleased really with it.
Seemed to shoot better out there rapid fire without care then trying hard.

Cheers
Bruce