Thread: Fl sizer not sizing the neck?

I have a set of 6.5x55 dies, I think they are rcbs, and for the life of me I can't work out why the cases I run through them won't hold the projectiles. There is almost no neck tension, to the point where I can gently push the loaded bullet into the bench and the projectiles just slides deeper into the case. I've never run into this before, and I've tried setting up the die again but it doesn't work. It does the same thing with virgin Norma brass, as well as once fired S and B ammo. I've loaded for dozens of rifle calibres over the years and this is the first time I've had this. Any thoughts?

Pull the die apart and see if it needs a bushing in it


Or look for a crack in the die around the neck area

Or, has the brass been neck turned

Or, is the expander ball the wrong size

How many times has the brass been worked

Originally Posted by blip

How many times has the brass been worked

One lot of brand new brass, and one packet of once-fired

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

Pull the die apart and see if it needs a bushing in it


Or look for a crack in the die around the neck area

Or, has the brass been neck turned

Or, is the expander ball the wrong size

The brass hasn't been neck turned, but I'll take the die apart again tonight

Greetings,
The problem is likely that the dies are old and designed for the thicker continental brass. More recently the US and some continental brass is thinner and does not size the necks enough. Unfortunately new dies are the fix. Unfortunately there is another problem. Both my sets of 6.5 dies set the shoulder back too much and you will need to carefully set the die to avoid this. I use a +.010" shell holder for my T3 and need to set the die back further still for other rifles. This is due to US arrogance about things not invented there. I was reading the other day about the same problem with 7x57mm.
Regards Grandpamac.

Went out to the shed to check,
Both the Lyman FL and RCBS Neck dies resize Norma or Lapua case necks just enough to hold the projectile but nowhere enough for Winchester cases. These dies were purchased in the early 1990's. The recently purchased Redding FL dies size everything. I anm almost certain that this is your problem.
GPM,

I guess thats the beauty of using redding dies, you can buy the correct bushing to suit.

Greetings @tommygun,
A possible solution, short of a whole new die set, is to buy a Lee collet neck die. You could use your current FL sizing die for the bodies and size the necks as a separate operation. You would need to anneal the necks of the cases from time to time as hard brass results in oversize necks and loose projectiles.
GPM.

How did you go with this @Tommy.gun

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings @tommygun,
A possible solution, short of a whole new die set, is to buy a Lee collet neck die. You could use your current FL sizing die for the bodies and size the necks as a separate operation. You would need to anneal the necks of the cases from time to time as hard brass results in oversize necks and loose projectiles.
GPM.

Second try.
How did you go @tommygun?

Or u can only neck size with a collet die

Originally Posted by Sharki

Or u can only neck size with a collet die

We'd still like to know what the OP found. Learning for all.......

indeed would like to know too

one suggestion not made, that I can see anyway, try removing the expander ball and see if they are still too loose or are now too tight..its POSSIBLE the ball is too large,2 minutes with some fine wetn dry paper and cordless drill will fix that and make whole operation smoother at same time. amazing how much difference just sanding corners off that ball does. slips in and out like a well greased .....(male appendage) up a slack.......(female opening)
hows that for being PC on a Monday morning??? and no Im not talking powder coated either,that would just be kinky.

Measured the three expander balls on my various 6.5x55 dies and they are all 6.65mm or close to it or about 0.05mm under projectile dia.