Thread: Headspace variation after sizing

As discussed I mounted the single stage press and went back to square one and trying to be more accurate with everything.

Rem 700 in 6.5 Creedmoor .....

Pulled the firing pin and ejector from the rifle bolt this time so I could feel for ideal headspace without interference. 1.555 and I can barely feel the bolt locking in. 1.556 and I can feel it. 1.557 and I'm applying a little pressure to close the bolt and at 1.558 its uncomfortably tight. So I'm thinking 1.555 would be a good place to be with the resized brass.

As a point of reference the Hornady factory round measures 1.553 before firing.

I pop the Forster FL die into the press and screw it down until it touches the shell holder. I back off the lever and screw the die down another 1/8th of a turn.

I've deprimed with a deprimer die and lubed the cartridges with One Shot.

Unsized the 50 once-fired cases average 1.5547 with a spread of .007. I give them all a run through the press trying to be consistent in pressure and timing.

Afterwards the average length is close to 1.556, which I can work with. But the spread is .006. Longest cartridges are 1.558, which I really can't use.

I give all the longer ones another run or two through the die. I get the average length down to 1.5555 for the 50 shells. But the spread is .005. Topping out at 1.558 still.

9 of them, so 18%, are in the 1.557, 1.558 area which is longer than I'm prepared to work with.

I'd love to be the guy bumping my shoulders back by .002 like the text books says. But I need some consistency first eh?

Any suggestion please?