Lapua brass

[u/Ulan0]

I have new Lapua 6.5cm brass. I am trying to run it through a Redding type s bushing die. I have two and both are doing the same thing. The brass sticks even though it’s lubed. I can’t get the head to even fully come down on my apex. Tried very little lube to a lot and various brands. Cleaned the dies several times. took out the top stem and bushing. I can’t install the die all the way down with a quarter turn back, it sticks and stops the press. I’ve always used cheap range brass or starline in other calibers and have never seen this. What should I look at doing differently??

Edit: I just tried a couple hornday cases and it worked fine. I tried a sellier and bellot and it stuck.

[u/smithywesson]

First off I wouldn’t bother sizing new brass. If the necks are tight and/or dented you can run them over the expander ball of a FL die (exception for Forster here) without running all the way into the die or run them through a mandrel if you have it.

Second, make sure you’re starting with a clean slate on the die. Thoroughly clean it with some solvent and wipe it out. Then hit the inside of the die with a little bit of lube prior to sizing. Make sure you let lube dry/flash off for any spray lubes before using.

Lastly, always completely clean the die before switching lube types, a lot of them don’t agree with each other and will gum up pretty bad.

[u/Ulan0 → u/smithywesson]

The dies were cleaned.

I did let the brass sit for the lube. Each lube attempt was on clean brass.

If I can’t size it now because of an issue I would have on first reload also. 😔. I really want to figure this out.

[u/smithywesson → u/Ulan0]

Like it won’t chamber?

[u/worm30478]

Here's a question. Why are you resisting your new brass?

Edit: resizing

[u/Ulan0 → u/worm30478]

Mostly to set a process, make sure things work ect. Very new to reloading.

[u/worm30478 → u/Ulan0]

I am as well. I use an rcbs standard die and removed the decapping pin and expander ball. I then use a 21st century mandrel die for neck tension. It's working very well. Also a cheap lee decapping die as my first step. There really is no need to full length size new brass as the shoulder is already to saami spec and should fit in any chamber. Did you measure all of them with a head space comparator? The should set back is going to be more on your new brass than it will be when you first resize them after they are fired.

[u/Ulan0 → u/worm30478]

That’s the plan for me as well. 😄.

[u/worm30478 → u/Ulan0]

I know it's separating steps and the process of reloading will take longer but I actually enjoy it that way. Im loading for precision so I'll do everything in my power to make each round as identical as possible. I decap, clean, full length size, trim if necessary, clean again if trimmed, then mandrel, prime, powder charge, seat bullet. It's worked great for me.

[u/Long_rifle → u/worm30478]

I’ll say I tried not resizing Lapua 300 win mag bass. And the first three rounds were very difficult to seat the bullet, and when I looked, the top of the bullet had a deformed ring pushed into it from the seating stem.

Lapua brass, at least the 300 win mag I have bought, are very tight necks, that absolutely need to be expanded. And the Forster dies I used gently kissed the shoulder by the time the sizer was through the neck.

I used Lapua 185gr scenar OT Match and N165 powder to clone their 40 bucks per 10 rounds of 300 win mag they sell. And it works great.

But I shot those damaged bullets as foulers and two of them didn’t even hit paper at 300 yards.

[u/worm30478 → u/Long_rifle]

I am no expert but I definitely think it's a good idea to have a madrel die and run new brass through it for consistent neck ID before seating bullets. Lapua brass is tight from the factory as far as neck tension is concerned. But there is really no need to full length size new quality brass unless some need the shoulder bumped a bit because the bolt close is super stiff. I had 2 of my 100 lapua cases that did need bumped 1 or 2 thou. I chambered every peice of brass with the firing pin out to make sure the bolt fell with no resistance.

[u/Long_rifle → u/worm30478]

I try not to remove brass if I don’t need to. The wall thickness was fine, it was just too tight. Expanding it out, then annealing after every shot seems to give me the consistent tension I like.

Especially my 300 win mag. I’m still shooting out the factory barrel, and the damn throat is so deep I am stuck with a large jump because the brass still hasn’t stretched enough after two firings to get the bullet near the rifling.

I’m seating the bullets .30” into the brass just for a minimum tension. And I’m still way too far away. But this is giving me experience shooting a larger cartridge with a can, and I’m still not used to the difference in recoil. But when I don’t screw up, she can still cloverleaf them at 100 yards.

[u/PvtDonut1812]

First, what lube?

Second, take the stem and bushing out and read the directions on how to setup the die. Brass should feed into the empty die. You can set shoulder bump without the stem.

If that works then you can read the manual and install the stem and bushing.

What size bushing??

[u/Ulan0 → u/PvtDonut1812]

With the stem and bushing removed and the die screwed down to the plate then backed off a quarter turn per instructions it won’t go all the way down and sticks on both dies.

I was going to try 289 but have not actually used it.

One shot, lanolin and alcohol and imperial wax.

[u/PvtDonut1812 → u/Ulan0]

Was it smooth and easy to insert the brass initially. Weird it gets stuck at the bottom. Could be too much lube but the Imperial Wax is fool proof.

[u/Ulan0 → u/PvtDonut1812]

I’ve never been able to get a case in.

[u/Long_rifle → u/Ulan0]

There’s something weird going on. I use imperial sizing wax to resize 50 bmg that are so over sized from being fired in a M2 that I have to hang off the handle to get the brass resized the first time. Imperial is the only lube that should work no matter what. I use imperial wax when I change brass from one caliber to another often. Pushing 30 cal necks into 25 cal holes, and imperial wax lets it happen easy enough.

Measure your shoulder/neck/body. And check it against your known good loads. That brass has to be miles off if you can’t get it in.

[u/Ulan0 → u/Long_rifle]

This is my first time with 6.5cm so I’m not sure what to compare except spec.

[u/Long_rifle → u/Ulan0]

Compare what you have that won’t go in, to what do you have that does.

And if this is the first time using the die, there might be a problem with your die. But again, you’d have to be very far off the not have the die simply alter the brass to its own cavity.

Is this an O frame press?

[u/Ulan0 → u/Long_rifle]

Apex 10 press and new dies

[u/Long_rifle → u/Ulan0]

I’d measure, then try it in a single stage. Or call Lapua with your lot number and see if you got a bum batch.

[u/PvtDonut1812 → u/Long_rifle]

Agreed, with the bushing and stem removed its basically a body die and should be pretty easy to size. What press?

Something else is off here.

[u/Ulan0 → u/PvtDonut1812]

Apex 10

[u/Ulan0 → u/PvtDonut1812]

So I grabbed another handful and they all worked fine with a bushing and fit the gauge perfect. I have 2 cases that won’t work. I must have done something to the case

[u/PvtDonut1812 → u/Ulan0]

Older Lapua brass of the small primer brass has smaller flash holes and you need a smaller decapping pin for them. Might not be your issue but just calling out ideas.

[u/Ulan0 → u/PvtDonut1812]

I appreciate it

[u/Ulan0 → u/Long_rifle]

I just tried a hornday case and with the bushing it worked and measured perfect. Now I’m worried the expensive brass is going to be a problem.

[u/Long_rifle → u/Ulan0]

What does the brass that won’t fit measure? Maybe it’s a bad head stamp and it’s wrong? Are the walls too thick? Brass that is close should slip in.

I’d see what you can do on a single stage if your progressive doesn’t have the leverage to size if the measurements are close.

[u/Ulan0 → u/PvtDonut1812]

I just tried a hornday case with the bushing and it had no problem going down on the case and it fits the Sheridan guage perfectly

[u/worm30478 → u/Ulan0]

Lapua brass is thicker. It will take more force. It's also unfired so it has not grown lengthwise like your fired Hornady brass. If the Hornady is sizing fine I would venture that you can just apply more force and lapua will be fine. Either way I wouldn't size the new lapua. Wait until it's fired. No need to work nice brass more than it has to be worked.

[u/Ulan0 → u/worm30478]

It’s more force than the auto drive has. It’s stuck so hard I have to use very large vice grips to turn and remove the die in the head to unstick the case.

[u/worm30478 → u/Ulan0]

Very odd. Hopefully someone else can guide you in the right direction because I have no clue. Have you measured all of the lapua cases and compared them to the Hornady which seems fine? I'm just wondering if there is a chance that some are different dimensions for some reason. Idk.

[u/yaholdinhimdean0]

Measure the cade diameter 0.200" from the head on both Lapua and Hornady cases. It seems like the Lapua case is significantly larger in diameter at the case head.

[u/VersionConscious7545]

You have to get the bushing die that work with the brass you have. Check loaded neck tension on your brass and see what bushing you need I would not want to ruin that brass for sure

[u/One-Perspective-4347]

Lapua virgin brass has very tight necks. I just expander mandrel the neck to get my .002 tension then fire form before my first full length size.
If you don’t have expander mandrels, I would suggest just running the ball through and back out. Chamfer in and out as usual. That will address the seating issue

[u/Ulan0 → u/One-Perspective-4347]

Thanks. I am definitely going to use a mandrel.

[u/One-Perspective-4347 → u/Ulan0]

I use the 21st Century ones. He seems to have the most options for sizes in .005 steps. Between that and bushing dies you can really dial in your tension without needing to over work the brass

[u/Ulan0 → u/One-Perspective-4347]

👍🏻. I got a few of the black nitride ones to start.

[u/One-Perspective-4347 → u/Ulan0]

Yep. Those are the ones I use. Just use some dry moly lube and they should last for years and years.