I've be reloading a few years and just started using a case gauges to check my brass the cases are the right length but some of them won't fit flush in the gauge. what's the problem? all the case's have been deprimed & resized
also same thing with 45 acp
My best (internet) guess? Your sizing dies aren't properly set up, and have too much space between the top of the shell holder and the bottom of the die, itself.
Have ALL these cases been fired in your guns?
How do the sized/deprimed (but not yet flared) cases fit into YOUR chamber?
Do your loaded rounds drop into and out of your chamber easily (IE: without you having to apply any force, except gravity)?
Standard loading dies do NOT size all the way to the base (close yes, but not all the way).
An example: Reloaded rounds that drop into my buddies 38 S&W have to be pushed into my 38 Colt chambers. Both guns are in spec, but only those that go fully into a case gauge will fit into my Colt easily.
> the cases are the right length but some of them won't fit flush in the gauge
If the sized cases do not exceed max length, then there is a problem sizing them.
They could be range brass that had slight bulges (feed ramp bulge, or whatever it is called) that either were not sized out or a raised ridge was brought up from sizing.
Lee's Bulge Buster kit solves this problem, IF your sizing die is correct and it is just "kissing" the shell holder/shell plate.
They could be range brass that had slight bulges (feed ramp bulge, or whatever it is called) that either were not sized out or a raised ridge was brought up from sizing.
The mouth of a steel sizer die should slightly impinge the top of the shell holder. (So that the press handle has a sensation of gently, 'rolling over' when the handle is all the way up at the top of the stroke.
The mouth of a carbide sizer die should, as you say, lightly, 'kiss' the top of the shell holder; but, it must NEVER be so tight that the pressure is enough to crack the very brittle carbide. When the, 'smile' enters the mouth of the die the press handle will give you the same sense of, 'rolling over'; but no impingement actually takes place.
If a sizing die isn't giving you this result then my suggestion would be to send it back to the manufacturer and tell them to tighten up the base. In my experience, Dillon sizing dies tend to have the loosest bases. The factory will, however, tighten them up for you IF you complain in the same way that I have on, at least, two different occasions.
I haven't bought any dies in a good 12 or 15 years; but, when I was buying dies, RCBS and Redding, both, made nice, tight, and very precise die sets. I think Dillon deliberately got, 'sloppy' on purpose in order to accomodate the mechanical slop inherent to their toolhead assemblies.
The felllow who purchased my Dillon equipment is never going to know the lengths I went to in order to obtain the kind of Dillon dies I wanted to use with my guns! (The Dillon factory did, however, finally took good care of me!)
On semi autos , like a 1911 , I remove the barrel and use it for a case gauge . If the bullet is seated too long , the bullet will " bump into " the riflings / end of the chamber , before the ammo goes in far enough .
For hand gun , I load only home cast bullets . I run into this with bullets with a large round " nose " .
You have to seat the bullet how ever deep as necessary to allow the loaded ammo to chamber all the way . Does not matter what the book OAL says .
I also load a RNL bullet in .30-30 . Same thing .
God bless
Wyr
PS I highly recommend the Lee carbide sizing dies .
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