Thread: Cannot Get Headspace Short Enough?

Hi All,

I'm trying to reload a few 8mm cartridges for a Yugoslavian M48. The brass I have is a mixture of S&B, Winchester and Geco. The fired headspace on the brass is around 1.855 inch. So I figured I should bump the shoulders back to about 1.852.

During the setup, I found that the Hornady FL die I'm using was bottoming out on the shell holder (also Hornady), and the case came out 1.858 (due to stretching?).

So I decided to put in a projectile (no primer or powder) to my pre-determined length (CBTO 2.660, 50 thou jump), and test the fit. The bolt could close but it was stiff.

So what I want to kow is, what is the best way to get to my desired headspace length? A quick search led me to believe shortening the shell holder is the simplest way forward, but I though I had better ask more experience ld reloaders first, incase theres something I'm not aware of?

Cheers,
Alex