09 July 2001, 09:26
<Berger>dimpling of brass
I am experiencing a slight problem in reloading and was wondering whether anyone else had experienced the same. In my Lee reloader, while sizing relatively new 375 H&H brass (fired maybe 1 - 3 times) I am occasionally getting/creating a slight dimple or depression on the brass just below the neck and often on both sides. The dimple runs the lenght of the brass and is about 1.5 mm in length and maybe .5 mm in width. I have attempted to clean the sizing die but I still get this dimpling occasionally. It does not occur everytime and does not seem to be related to brass age. Anyone else ever experienced this? should I throw all dimpled brass out (which would seem a shame). The dimpling is very slight. Any thoughts??
thanks in advance
Berger,
We have experience this before, and as far as I can tell, it might be caused by some lube in the shoulder area, or trapped air.
I have never seen it happen in any of the RCBS dies that have a small breathing hole drilled in them.
As far as functinality or safety is concerned, we have not been able to find anything wrong with dimpled brass.
Go ahead and use them.
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saeed@ emirates.net.ae
www.accuratereloading.com
08 July 2001, 22:24
GerardSaeed is absolutely right. Cut back on the amount of lube and get a die set with a breather. On cases the size of a 375, accumulation of lube can be a problem without a breather. By the same token, I would rather over-lube than under. A stuck case is much more of a problem than the small dimpling.
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Gerard Schultz
GS Custom Bullets
08 July 2001, 22:43
boltmanI had the same problem with a set of Redding dies in 7mm stw that dimpled just about every case I ran through them. I tried minimizing the lube and just about every other trick I knew but nothing worked. Finally, out of disgust, I ordered a pair of Lee dies and haven't dimpled a case since. I may be the only person in history to trade a set of Redding dies for Lees, but they cured the problem. The Reddings looked good from a fit and finish standpoint but didn't perform worth a dam*.
I have had the dimpling problem in the past, but not since I've adopted a new way of lubing cases.
I use the Lee case sizing lube, but not the way they suggest. I take an empty spray bottle, fill it with alcohol, then sqeeze in about 10% Lee lube. Shake it up.
Now, spray your cases with this mix (I do it in the kitchen sink because a quick spray with hot water removes the residue). The key is wait until the alcohol evaporates, THEN size as usual. The dry wax lube has never caused lube dents for me.
Clean the cases by shaking them in small container with a teaspoon of automatic diswater detergent and rinse about 3 times. If you want to remove tarnish but don't have a tumbler, add a tablespoon of vinegar then rinse it off.
Very fast way to get clean (but not polished) cases -- and no lube dents!
jpb