# Plea for help



## fattybinz (Jun 12, 2018)

Fellow Utah reloaders, I'm in a bind and I don't know what to do. Its a long story but basically I started hunting and handloading a year ago. Everything started fine...worked up a few loads for my new tikka t3x in 7mm rem mag. Was very happy with the results I was getting and then out of nowhere I started getting copper shavings around my case mouths after seating bullets. These were .8moa loads at 300yds before and they opened up after the shavings appeared. I've tried everything:

-gave cases an over-exaggerated chamfer to make sure that wasn't it. Tried a VLD chamfer. tried lubing bullets and case mouths. 
-took dies apart and cleaned them. measured my expander ball to make sure it hadn't been worn down or damaged...which would explain a smaller case mouth and more pressure on bullets.
-took my dies to a friend's house and went through a whole round of resizing, trimming, reprimering, chamfering, charging, and seating. all with my dies and his press. no shavings. he prepped 5 cases with my resizing die. I took them home and seated bullets in them. shavings.

So especially with using my friend's press I thought I narrowed it down to my press becoming misaligned somehow. I did go through a period where my seating die was screwed in too far and I was putting a lot of pressure on the press as I cranked on it to try to get consistent seating depths. I sent it back to Lee and they replaced a bunch of parts on it and sent it back. Just installed the press on my bench and loaded some dummy rounds...and copper shavings.

I'm desperate. Considering hanging the whole handloading thing up...but I don't want to because I was really enjoying it. So I'm not really sure what I'm asking for...maybe some suggestions as to what I should do. If someone out there would be generous enough to lend me a press that they have laying around...I'd love to put it on my bench and see if that solves my problem. I'd pick it up and return it. If I can for sure conclude that it is my press then I can confidently just buy a new one I guess. I live in West Jordan and work in Sandy. Anyways, thanks in advance for any advice/help.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Do you have some grit or something keeping the shell plate from fully seating into the ram? If that doesnt slide in fully, it will push the base of the case off to the side causing mis-alignment.


I've had that in the past (some powder got in there when switching between #2 and a #3 holder). I didnt notice bullets shaving off brass... it more made bright rub mark down the shoulder to the case rim.



-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Try loosing your case holder so that it will slide a little and see what it will do. 

I get shavings at times with different cases but I have never worried about it. They shoot just as well as ones that don't shave.


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## fattybinz (Jun 12, 2018)

DallanC said:


> Do you have some grit or something keeping the shell plate from fully seating into the ram? If that doesnt slide in fully, it will push the base of the case off to the side causing mis-alignment.
> 
> I've had that in the past (some powder got in there when switching between #2 and a #3 holder). I didnt notice bullets shaving off brass... it more made bright rub mark down the shoulder to the case rim.
> 
> -DallanC


Snaps in there pretty definitively, looks clean, and the shell holder is flush all around. One of the things I tried when I was troubleshooting was I removed that little clip that holds the shell holder in place on the ram. I read somewhere that the clip can become defective and pin the shell holder off center. Taking it off and leaving the shell holder to be loose would allow it to shift to the die's center as you lifted the shell up. None of that worked.


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## fattybinz (Jun 12, 2018)

Critter said:


> Try loosing your case holder so that it will slide a little and see what it will do.
> 
> I get shavings at times with different cases but I have never worried about it. They shoot just as well as ones that don't shave.


Ha you beat me to it. My last comment described how I tried just this.


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

Hard to say not knowing the type of press, bullet, case, dies.

What press and dies does your friend have?


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## fattybinz (Jun 12, 2018)

muddydogs said:


> Hard to say not knowing the type of press, bullet, case, dies.
> 
> What press and dies does your friend have?


Sorry... 
-Lee Challenger Breech Lock press
-7mm 140gr nosler accubonds from different boxes. Tried a few different batches in case I got a bad box of bullets. Problem also started in the middle a box...meaning the first half were fine and then the second had problems. I also tried seating a few 162gr hornady eld-x.
-tried with both remington and norma brass
-these are the dies I have: http://rcbs.com/Products/Dies-by-Ca...h-Die-Set-Group-A-Popular-Rifle-Cartridg.aspx


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

If you hadn't mentioned no shavings with your friends press, I would suspect work hardened brass that needs annealing.


-DallanC


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

Did you use your dies on your buddy's press? I'd start with taking the seater stem out of the die and checking it for straightness. Check the inside of the die for any crud that may be pushing the bullet off center as its seated and the seater plug for the same.

I would get brass shavings from time to time usually with flat base bullets until I started to use the RCBS VLD inside chamfer tool, with a light chamfer from the VLD I think I could cram a bullet 2 calibers bigger in a case without shavings.

Did you change up or do anything different with your sizing die that could have changed the inside neck diameter? Maybe an over polished expander plug?

Is the die bushing on the press square? Not sure how the Lee press is put together but maybe your aggressive over camming the press ram pushed the die bushing out of square so your dies are not screwing into the press straight?


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

Did you use your dies on your buddy's press? I'd start with taking the seater stem out of the die and checking it for straightness. Check the inside of the die for any crud that may be pushing the bullet off center as its seated and the seater plug for the same.

I would get brass shavings from time to time usually with flat base bullets until I started to use the RCBS VLD inside chamfer tool, with a light chamfer from the VLD I think I could cram a bullet 2 calibers bigger in a case without shavings.

Did you change up or do anything different with your sizing die that could have changed the inside neck diameter? Maybe an over polished expander plug?

Is the die bushing on the press square? Maybe your aggressive over camming the press ram pushed the die bushing out of square so your dies are not screwing into the press straight and your not resizing the case necks square. I would replace the die bushings on your sizer dies, size a few then seat some bullets just to rule out a bushing problem. Not sure this is a fix since you didn't have a problem on your buddy's press but it is worth a try.


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## Whiskey H0und (Aug 26, 2016)

I know you said you have tried two different brands of brass but what is the shot count on that brass? Someone mentioned annealing but those buggers are spendy. If you would like some federal or remington brass I have some I could give you. In my opinion its shot out but it would give you something else to try. 

PM me if you want it.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

Make sure that the she'll holder is clean. You can get junk under the lip that will keep the shell from going all the way in


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## DUSTY NOGGIN (Feb 27, 2017)

did you get it figured out


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