Hello. Great board--I am learning a lot reading your threads. I am brand new at reloading and recently purchased some Lapua 30.06 brass after reading the fantastic reviews. True to the reviews this brass is set to trim-to length (2.484") right out of the box. My trouble came when I ran them through the full-length RCBS sizing dies (some then needed a slight trim). The necks have visible stretch marks on them that you can feel if you run your fingernail along them. I'm not sure if this is because Lapua brass comes annealed or not. My Winchester 30.06 brass never does this. Hopefully my pictures attach properly. If not, I'll post a reply to this and get them attached. What you're seeing here is never-fired brass. My questions are: 1. Have any of you seen this and know what it is?, and 2 Is it safe to fire this? Thank you in advance.
Joe

P.S. I don't have permission to post pics so I'll have to send to the administrator and ask if they'll post them or find a way to link you to them. Sorry

You don't need permission to post pictures. But you really aren't posting pictures, just links to them, which if properly done causes the picture to load for someone viewing the thread. Do you have the pics stored or hosted somewhere?

LWD

Copper builds up in the neck area of the die because of no lube. Clean your die with solvent. Apply a small amout of lube to the neck with your finger ever 2nd or 3th case when sizing. After cleaning the die, prelube the die so you dont get a stuck case.

All of my Lapua comes annealed.
Butch

I don't pay much attention to new brass other than a cursory overview for obvious defects: I ensure that the brass will fit in my chamber (I've never gotten any that didn't), and I bump the resizer ball thru the neck to ensure that they are round. Then I load 'em up and shoot 'em.
Fire forming to your chamber will iron out most if not all factory defects. And then you can get started with your brass prep.
There's little point in F/L sizing new brass --to what reason??? -- nor in trimming to any length --assuming the brass is under max length-- as all of that will change when you fire form the brass to your chamber.

Redding tells us to put a little dab of lube on the outside of the case neck when using there bushings. He is using full-length RCBS sizing dies not bushings.

All rifle brass comes annealed. Lapua just doesn't clean their afterwards.

I will take new brass, run them into my sizer die with the expander. I then recheck length. Trim if needed. Then I remove the expander and squeeze the necks down again. All of my sizers are honed for specific brass to squeeze them .002 less than a loaded case.

Redding did a decent job. Forster did a perfect job. From now on, all new sizer dies will be from Forster.

Had the same problem on 22/250 & .223 Lapua brass and RCBS bushing dies. Used lube, Imperial wax all still caused the marks on brass. Called RCBS and they said they were sending a new bushing. Not sure what the bushing will be as I have not received it yet. This all occured when using a friends press and die setup. The Lapua .223 brass did not mark when sized using my Redding bushing dies with same size bushing as RCBS.

Will let you know what happens when my friend gets the new bushing and trys sizing the Lapua brass.

BigB

Saeed clued me in on how to do this. Thank you, Saedd. Here's the Link to my brass pics:

http://s1099.photobucket.com/a...nt%3DBulletCase2.jpg

Either your die or bushings are nasty. I have carbide bushings for 223-243-6.5,&308 sizes with about 6 sizes in .0005" steps for each diameter neck. No you can't get those sizes anymore as I don't have them made any more. They do a wonderful job of sizing without messing up your necks.
Butch

Were those carbide dies made by RCBS or someone else? I've wondered many times why they make them in pistol but I haven't seen them in rifle. RCBS should fix mine for free, but I think I'll look into the Forsters like the author above mentioned. Maybe I'll find some carbides. Was a tough week for this rookie. First, the scratches from the 30.06 die, then a stuck .223 after I forgot to lube the inside of the neck. Rookie mistake! Take care.
Joe

The photos look like you might have your expander button to high inside the die. Is the decaping pin removing the primers? If your dies expander button/decapper is adjusted correctly, then you have a bad die. Contact RCBS @ 1-800-533-5000 The carbide is a bushing, not a die. Google Redding Type-S Bushing dies. Or look at photos here. Link to photos

Joe Joe Gunn"s Edited Photo >

Redding and others make tool steel bushings and some have them titanium nitrided. None of them make carbide bushings.
Butch

quote:

Originally posted by Joe Joe Gunn:
My trouble came when I ran them through the full-length RCBS sizing dies (some then needed a slight trim). The necks have visible stretch marks on them that you can feel if you run your fingernail along them.

Whatever causes the marks on your case necks, those are not "stretch marks" . There is this notion floating around, that pulling an expander through a (sized) neck will stretch the neck, and cause the case to lengthen - sometimes to the point where it must be trimmed. IMHO, this is largely a myth, and case stretching primarily comes from your die reducing the case size, and consequently of the differences in chamber vs. die dimension.

To me, it looks as if you have a die which somehow "scars" the cases. I.e. it is likely, that if you examined (e.g. with an endoscope) the inside of the neck portion of your die, you would find it is not smooth, as it correctly should be. The only thing I have have come across, which vaguely reminds me of the effect shown in your pictures, are the minor imprints left by collet openings when sizing with a Lee Collet die. That effect, however, is not nearly a pronounced as what your pictures show.

If it was my die, I'd return it to RCBS and have them check it out. The one advantage of buying RCBS kit, is the superb warranty program that comes with RCBS gear...

- mike