6.5CM Newbie questions

[gman47564]

Since you asked... I've read several times that new brass should be fired with a light load the first time . Supposedly it "seasons"  the pocket and it will  lengthen the life of your brass because the pockets will be harder. 


been doing this a long time but have never heard of this...

[ohiococonut]

I can't discount this and I've never heard of it either in almost 40yrs of reloading for around 30 different rifle cartridges. Perhaps I just missed it. I'm not sure what would constitute a "light" load and if it's based on chamber pressure that's unknown to begin with. I'm not trying to be cynical here but how light is too light or do you just call it good and be satisfied? I don't know of anyone that starts at the high end of a loading chart and hang fires or misfires are a real concern for me as well when loading too light. I guess using my swag, starting out at the middle to lower end of the reloading chart should constitute a light load. There I said it!
The only time I've used light loads is when I was truly fire forming cases such as the 7mm TC/U or the 22K-Hornet because it was a necessity when brass was not available. I think I'm showing my age here    BTW, burnt oatmeal stinks!
I think the key word here is "supposedly".  But if anyone feels confident it works, by all means go for it.

Since you asked... I've read several times that new brass should be fired with a light load the first time . Supposedly it "seasons"  the pocket and it will  lengthen the life of your brass because the pockets will be harder. 


been doing this a long time but have never heard of this...

[holeytargets]

 It simply means don't  lean  hard on your brass on the first firing.  Whether anyone believes or applies it is up to them. 

[Regnar]

Got a few things.

First, the difference between a bushing die and a non is only that you can control how much you resize the neck.  The problem is not the neck bushings.

Second, you do not need to fire form new brass.  I have shot compitions with virgin brass and placed.

Third, you HAVE to measure the lands.  Id you dont know where the lands are, measuring your cartridge cbto is meaningless .

Fourth, hard relli g but sounds like you dont have the press set up correctly.  And its hard to set up with out  measuring how much your bumping the shoulders.

When you do a ladder test, start out witha .3 gr jump. You can miss a a lot of info with a .5 gr jump.

If you go back thru this section you will find lots off good info on how to.  I know because I read a lot ofnit and I asked lotsnof questions.  There are some VERY VERY knowlegable guys on here that will help you.

[JD 500]

Got a few things.

First, the difference between a bushing die and a non is only that you can control how much you resize the neck.  The problem is not the neck bushings.

Second, you do not need to fire form new brass.  I have shot compitions with virgin brass and placed.

Third, you HAVE to measure the lands.  Id you dont know where the lands are, measuring your cartridge cbto is meaningless .

Fourth, hard relli g but sounds like you dont have the press set up correctly.  And its hard to set up with out  measuring how much your bumping the shoulders.

When you do a ladder test, start out witha 3 gr jump. You can miss a a lot of info with a 5 gr jump.

If you go back thru this section you will find lots off good info on how to.  I know because I read a lot ofnit and I asked lotsnof questions.  There are some VERY VERY knowlegable guys on here that will help you.

Thanks Regnar,
I agree. Seem to be very knowledgeable.

[JD 500]

jd I would like to suggest you trying a redding body die to size the body and bump the shoulder back.. 33 dollars I think... a lee collet neck sizer to size the necks... works great... you may hae to buy the lee ultimate die set to get one... not sure if you can buy it seperatly... any way... the ultimate die set you can get for around 45 dollars... and a forester micrometer seating die... around 80 dollars I think... these are the dies I use for most of the guns I load for... without turning necks the lee collet neck sizer will give you very consistent neck tension which is a must for loading really good ammo... you can go about it however ya want but this is my suggestion...

Going to cancel Redding die set.
Just ordered Exactly what you recommended.
Redding body die
Lee collet neck sizer
Forster ultra micrometer seater

Looking forward to getting it all set up right !
Thanks Gman

[gman47564]

they will serve you well jd... if you have any questions about them when you get them just ask...will help ya however I can...

[JD 500]

they will serve you well jd... if you have any questions about them when you get them just ask...will help ya however I can...

Appreciate that, thank you.

[Danbonzo]

When you do a ladder test, start out witha 3 gr jump. You can miss a a lot of info with a 5 gr jump.

For the "newbies" he means .3 (3/10) grain  increments.

[Regnar]

For the "newbies" he means .3 (3/10) grain  increments.

that is correct

[JD 500]

For the "newbies" he means .3 (3/10) grain  increments.

Thank you. Luckily I'm not a total reloading newbie, just a Creedmoor newbie.

[JD 500]

they will serve you well jd... if you have any questions about them when you get them just ask...will help ya however I can...

Grant,

Finally received my dies and headspace gauges, I played around with the new headspace gauges and measured some once fired brass, the ammo I loaded with the Hornady once fired brass, and then brass I resized with just the body die.

Difficulty I had with the ammo was definitely from the full length sizing using my previous die set. Not sure exactly how I had issues, but now that I can measure the brass properly, I should be good to go.

Question for you; Do you use your body die each time you load ?
Also, any chance you use the Redding competition shellholders ?

Thanks,

JD

[gman47564]

jd I resize the body after every firing... remember to set that die to where its pushing the shoulder back .002 from what your fired case measures... you shouldn't have any issues with chambering the round if you do that...you can just size the necks for a couple loadings but you will eventually have to push that shoulder back to keep them chambering easy... consistency is the key to success.. doing the same thing every time... so I like to size the body and bump the shoulder back each time so it will be exactly the same as it was the time before... I use a forester coax press and it doesn't use a traditional shell holder like most presses do... a regular #2 shell holder will work just fine for ya...