Adjusting 223 Neck Tension

[Batteriesnare]

Still new to reloading and running into some issues.

Using a Dillon Carbide .223 resizing die, and when seating my last run of 55gr Hornady FMJBT, I noticed that I could push the bullet back into the case by pressing it against the bench. Was not able to do this with earlier runs (using Privi, Fed, LC Brass) but now that I've moved on to the S&B and Fiocci brass, this is a consistent issue. Played around with several expander ball depths with out any positive results (ball measures .223), and finally pulled the ball assembly all together. This is giving me .240 OD, and my seated bullet OD is between .243-.245.

My questions:
1. Any issues that you can see running the die without the expander? I decap on a lee universal decapping die and then wet tumble.

2. Is it common to have these issues switching between brass types?

3. Is there a possibility of this set up giving me too much neck tension and causing pressure issues?

Thank you all for your help, I greatly appreciate it!

[Hoser]

1. Depends on that the neck ID is if you dont use an expander ball. If it is less than .218 I would figure something else out.

2. The different brands should not have that much to do with neck ID.

3. Possibly.

I would measure the carbide expander ball and start from there. And call Dillon.

[MarkCO]

1. If you are shaving brass, it will hurt accuracy. I'd get the issue figured out.

2. If the resize is only going off of the OD with the expander ball improperly set, yes, your ID will vary a good bit, but not based so much on brass type.

3. Yes, but not enough pressure to cause serious issues. But there are dangers other than pressure. If you crimp enough to split or crack the bullet, you can get comp strikes, bullets blowing up just out from the muzzle and possible create some malfunctions on clambering as well.

[Tim K]

Your seated bullet OD's look a bit on the small side. I just measured a handful of mixed brass, and saw nothing below 0.246" I'm guessing the necks on that brass are thin. In the precision loading game, guys use bushing dies so they can control how much the neck gets sized. It's the perfect solution for this kind of problem, but probably not an option for high volume loading.

Take Hoser's advice and call Dillon.

[Zombie Steve]

How much of your bullet is touching the neck? Boat tail doesn't count.

[XC700116]

I have the same problem with my Dillon Carbide 223 die, just haven't gotten around to rectifying the situation.

Seems the expander ball is a bit on the large size.

[Jamnanc]

Is the brass trimmed? Are you crimping too much and mushing the bullet?

[Batteriesnare]

How much of your bullet is touching the neck? Boat tail doesn't count.

Bullet is seated mid cannelure

[Batteriesnare]

Is the brass trimmed? Are you crimping too much and mushing the bullet?

Brass is trimmed right after sizing and then taking measurements. No crimp at this point.

[Batteriesnare]

I have the same problem with my Dillon Carbide 223 die, just haven't gotten around to rectifying the situation.

Seems the expander ball is a bit on the large size.

Mine is .223, which according to Dillon is what it should be.

[XC700116]

Mine is .223, which according to Dillon is what it should be.

So does mine, but my Redding die's expander ball that seems to work better for me measures at .221

[Zombie Steve]

Bullet is seated mid cannelure

But how much of your bullet's bearing surface is in contact with the neck? I've run into more than one batch of bullets with the cannelure in the wrong place. Just the first thing to look at and eliminate before you go messing with dies IMHO.

The old rule of thumb is one caliber's width. In other words, you want a minimum of .224" of bearing surface on the side of the bullet in contact with the neck (obviously, the boat tail isn't touching brass, so it isn't helping with neck tension).