What is wrong here?

[slim1836]

Tried reloading 7.62x54R cases today with powder coated (HF RED) cast Boolits (Lyman 214299) in a LEE 7.62x54R die set.

The Boolits stuck in the die, did not seat in the cases, and I had to tap them out from the top.
I beveled the cases using a LEE beveling die, sat the gas checked boolit into the beveled cases, and on the down stroke the boolit stayed in the die and did not seat.

I de-primed all cases and ran them back through the full case die, beveled the cases again, and also annealed them. I used a .303 de-capping pin in the sizing operation also.

I ran the boolits back through a .314 Lee sizing die. Nothing noticeable there.

Currently waiting on the cases to dry, however, I never had this happen before, and can't figure out what I doing wrong. I plan on trying again in the morning.

I did take the seating die apart and cleaned it several times, even used Chore Boy.

I'm hoping the cases are softer after annealing and will accept the Boolits. None of the cases buckled, just stuck the boolits in the die.

Any Suggestions? Never had this happen before, and I have loaded this configuration in the past with no issues.

Slim

[mdi]

I've noticed my 7.62x54r Lee dies seem to be designed for .308"-.310" bullets. My seating die does the same and when I get around to it, I'm gonna hone it out...

[r1kk1]

Lee will sell you a larger expander for the die.

Take care

r1kk1

[GhostHawk]

In theory it should ship with 2 expander's, one for .308 bullets and one for larger bullets. However from what I've seen my large expander is .310, which tends to be a bit small for .311 bullets, and quite small for .312 or larger.

One alternative is to manually bell the mouth slightly.

A custom expander would likely be a better long term solution.

[slim1836]

Lee will sell you a larger expander for the die.

Take care

r1kk1

I did get the larger expander die (http://leeprecision.com/ez-x-exp-303-b.html) and it worked in the past, just something wrong now that I can't figure out.
I am sizing to .314 so that may be a little small.

Slim

[texassako]

The Lee seater die is a bit snug for some cast bullets and they hang up inside. I even had it not hang but resize the top band of some boolits. I lapped mine like you would a Lee cast bullet sizer with a dowel wrapped in emory cloth.

[mdi]

The expander stem opens up the case neck/mouth during the sizing process. The seating takes place in another die with an ID for a .308"-.310" bullet, which is too small for a .314" bullet, regardless of neck ID...

[slim1836]

The expander stem opens up the case neck/mouth during the sizing process. The seating takes place in another die with an ID for a .308"-.310" bullet, which is too small for a .314" bullet, regardless of neck ID...


I'm assuming now that the LEE 7.62X54R Die set will work as designed for stock jacketed bullets and not-so-large cast boolits. Prior to powder coating, I had no issues with seating the sized-to .314 cast boolits. No issues with powder coated boolits sized to .314 in the past either. I noticed no swaging in the past.

Yesterday is when my trouble began. After annealing the problem went away, These cases were first reload cases that I had gotten from a shooter at the range who does not reload. They are all PPU stamped brass.
These loads are to be shot in a new-to-me M/N 91/30 sniper I picked up recently. I did notice this morning the front band hangs up during chambering, and if not shot but ejected, will pull the bullet out of the casing, spilling powder out in the process. I did crimp per the manufactures instructions. It is tighter than my other 91/30. I still need the Lyman 314299 as the bore slugs .312. OAL is currently set at 3.10. I may need to back that up to 3.03 or more. Lyman 49th edition shows OAL of this boolit to be 2.915.

Going to play with this some more.

Slim

[Yodogsandman]

Is it possible the powder coating isn't cured fully making boolits a little "sticky" or the coating soft. Maybe humidity could have effected the powder a bit, retarding the cure time. Could you try a different batch to rule it out?

[slim1836]

Is it possible the powder coating isn't cured fully making boolits a little "sticky" or the coating soft. Maybe humidity could have effected the powder a bit, retarding the cure time. Could you try a different batch to rule it out?

It could possibly be, I will have to make a new batch soon, the humidity has been up here this past month.

I did get them loaded today with only one stuck boolit in the die, will clean up everything good for the next batch.

Thanks,

Slim

[FLHTC]

Tried reloading 7.62x54R cases today with powder coated (HF RED) cast Boolits (Lyman 214299) in a LEE 7.62x54R die set.

The Boolits stuck in the die, did not seat in the cases, and I had to tap them out from the top.
I beveled the cases using a LEE beveling die, sat the gas checked boolit into the beveled cases, and on the down stroke the boolit stayed in the die and did not seat.

I de-primed all cases and ran them back through the full case die, beveled the cases again, and also annealed them. I used a .303 de-capping pin in the sizing operation also.

I ran the boolits back through a .314 Lee sizing die. Nothing noticeable there.

Currently waiting on the cases to dry, however, I never had this happen before, and can't figure out what I doing wrong. I plan on trying again in the morning.

I did take the seating die apart and cleaned it several times, even used Chore Boy.

I'm hoping the cases are softer after annealing and will accept the Boolits. None of the cases buckled, just stuck the boolits in the die.

Any Suggestions? Never had this happen before, and I have loaded this configuration in the past with no issues.

Slim

Lee's seating stems aren't the best and the bullet is probably getting stuck in that and not the die.

[canyon-ghost]

Try keeping a small container of Q-tips and some mineral spirits handy. Cleaning the die quickly when things get sticky helps. I use Rem Oil too, as a cleaner for dies. But, can't help you on the Lee dies, I'm all RCBS there.

[petroid]

I had the same issue with .314 boolits in Lee 7.62x54 dies. The .311 expander for the .303 british isnt really enough to expand the neck properly. And I also honed the seating die out for the bigger boolit because I actually buckled a case when the boolit didn't go through the die.

[slim1836]

Thanks for all the replies, it has been helpful.

Shot 2 M/N' 91/30's at the range today with fairly good results.

The scoped M/N shot about 1.25" at 50 yds and about 3-4" at 100 yds. Not bad for me at this stage, all kill shots. Boolit drop between 50 & 100 was a good 5-6".

The iron sight M/N is on paper at both 50 & 100 yds but groups are not very good. First time shooting this one and it will get better once I scope it. I set the rear ramp sight at #4 for 50 yds and #6.5 for 100 yds. My eyes just aren't that good anymore and at 100 the front sight covered up the target.

I was using 11. 11.5, & 12 grains of Unique on these loads with 210-213 grain Lyman 314299 cast boolits. All were sized to .314, seated 3.1" on the scoped and 2.9" on the iron sights.

My next batch of PC boolits will have better quality control, however, no leading was noticed throughout the day. I just ran the brush through the barrel every 5 shots.

All in all, it was a fun day and even had a few asking about the pretty red and black boolits.

Slim

[EDG]

Have you checked your bullet diameters after coating? If they are larger than the inside of the die they will hang up.
Have you disassembled your seater and tried to pass a coated bullet thought the guide ring?

If you die is too small it will have to be honed or polished larger. With Lee dies the bullet guide is not very long and they should be easy to open up.

[EDG]

Have you checked your bullet diameters after coating? If they are larger than the inside of the die they will hang up.
Have you disassembled your seater and tried to pass a coated bullet thought the guide ring?

If your die is too small it will have to be honed or polished larger. With Lee dies the bullet guide is not very long and they should be easy to open up.

[slim1836]

Have you checked your bullet diameters after coating? If they are larger than the inside of the die they will hang up.
Have you disassembled your seater and tried to pass a coated bullet thought the guide ring?

If your die is too small it will have to be honed or polished larger. With Lee dies the bullet guide is not very long and they should be easy to open up.

I will check this also, Thanks.

Slim

[tja6435]

If you can't find an available 'M' die from Lyman that'll work, I'd call them and ask if they have an expander plug/die body in the size you're looking for. The tech support is who you want to talk to, the general sales people answering the phones there aren't near as knowledgeable as the tech guys are.

[slim1836]

Will have to check that out, thanks.

[Motor]

Yes, the problem you have is a combination of bullet style and inside diameter of the seat die. I use the Lee 160gr 2R TL cast bullet. This boolit has a long nose that is only bore size so I have no problem with it sticking even at "dropped" size which is around .3135"

To FIX your problem I suggest you open up the die some. Chuck the die in a lathe and polish it with emery cloth wrapped around a steel rod until its the size you need it to be. Or you can have Lee make one for you.

This is a common problem because the various 54Rs run from .308 to .313 and up and they try to find a happy medium and most dies are made for jacketed bullets. The largest common jacketed bullet used in the 54R is .312"

BTW: A lot of guys swear by the Lyman M die. They say it prevents boolit swaging during seating also. I think the correct one for the 54R when using cast boolits would be the 31L.

Motor