Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

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Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Am88 » 25 Mar 2020, 7:39 am

Have never reloaded .30-30 before, its always been my grab and go gun and just shot whatever I wanted out of it, I had a heap of PPU brass so thought Id start the process with that. It was a couple of weeks ago when I did the first 10 of once fired, and after the factory firing they seemed to resize just fine.

However I went to resize those 10 and they all seemed very very hard to run through the die, almost toe the point of nearly getting stuck, you know when you can feel it lock up a little and the press handle gets a few sticky jumpy jars through it. So before I cop it, the dies are new and I pull ALL my dies apart before resizing any cases and clean and wipe them off, the brass was run in vibratory tumbler them washed and dried, so the cases were clean, I tried 2 different types of resizing lube, the cases were deburred outside and in, after the first 5 that were tight and I was swearing I even pulled the die back apart and lubed the expander after cleaning again.

Could it be poor brass? They were mild loads, in fact they were starting loads of 8208 with 165gr FTX's. Shot really well actually. After those ten I dug some more once fired PPU brass and run them through and they run through like butter with no cleaning or deburring just straight uppa. Am I doing something I don't know about with these straighter walled cases? Never had issues like this will andy of the .222 .223 .243 .25-06 pfft lost count amount of my rifle cases I've resized.

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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Blr243 » 25 Mar 2020, 11:16 am

I think , even with a lot of thought from a lot of members this is a tricky one esp since you already have exp loading so many other cals. From your description it sounds like the exp ball is not set too low as it would bottom out on the inside base. It sounds like the sticky ness is happening well before that could happen. A long shot but perhaps a big sloppy chamber and the fired cases are big and need more than usual amount of grunt to get them back into shape. What brand of lube were u useing ?
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Am88 » 25 Mar 2020, 12:33 pm

I was using lymans spray on stuff first, then after a few were tight I used the hornady paste stuff that comes in a little white tub. It's an older Marlin 336. Inside and outside of the case neck was lubed, expander ball is deffinataly not the problem as it was tight as soon as the neck contacted the die body.

It could be a loose chamber I spose? It was 28grs of 8208 which I got from the Hornday manual, shots 5 shots into 3/4" at 50m which is more than accurate enough for what ill be doing with it.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Blr243 » 25 Mar 2020, 2:43 pm

I use the spray stuff if I know there’s no serious pressure or forming to do or if I’m doing straight sided cases like 357 or 450 bush but for my 243 I will always use the rcbs lube because I think it offers excellent lubrication for sizing brass .... I’m not familiar with the hornady paste so a sloppy chamber might be all we can arrive at for the moment
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by in2anity » 25 Mar 2020, 7:59 pm

Nothing special about the 30/30. In fact it's thinner than modern cases and should by-definition be easier to work. Nonetheless PPU brass is known thick, probably why it's a little harder to form. Also your new dies will polish with time, and also "season" with lube. I'd suggest trying a different lube; I can't go past the Redding Sizing Die Wax to FLS these days - very easy to control how much each case is getting. FWIW I've also used the RCBS case lube, but also that Hornady One Shot aerosol - both seemed fine with ye-olde 30/30. I'd call reloading the 30/30 pretty straight-forward; no need to go nuts with all the precision reloading BS, as it's a negligible return on effort given the rifles it is destined for.
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by wrenchman » 25 Mar 2020, 10:37 pm

i just use lee lube in a small tub and just wipe a little on the brass when size.
I do a lot of 3030 it does sound like your brass is dry i also load the same 165 ftx you can realy mae the 3030 shoot well with hand loads.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by pomemax » 25 Mar 2020, 11:02 pm

I had a simmiler problem with highland brass.
I never did figure out why I reload on a dillon 650 most cals are ok but for some reason Highland 30-30 was a no go so i just started by resizing on the Rcbs and deprimming then just feed normal on the dillon I thinking I must have the Rcbs a bit lower .But other brass 30 -30 on the dillon No problems at all
Both using 30-30 Rcbs Dies
Am88 do you know anyone near you with a 30-30 die set up maybe run a few through that and see if it makes a difference to your set up
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by SCJ429 » 26 Mar 2020, 7:09 am

Can you measure a fire case that you expect to be hard to resize and compare it to one you expect to have no issues with?
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Am88 » 26 Mar 2020, 7:34 am

Thanks for the feedback guys, I have never had an issue before with other cases like this, Ive had 1 or 2 .308 cases jam but thats it.

SCJ after this weekend Ill be able to :lol: If there is any brass lying around at the locals's this weekend I may grab a pack, I do only have 50 or so cases so probably woudn't hurt to grab some more anyway.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Oldbloke » 26 Mar 2020, 8:50 am

Would it be possible that factory some how omitted annealing? Although i have doubts that would be the cause.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Am88 » 27 Mar 2020, 7:47 am

Yeah not too sure Oldbloke, I bought 20 Sellior and Bellot cases yesterday while picking up some primers, so going to load a couple of them up as well to test the theory.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Gamerancher » 27 Mar 2020, 8:03 am

Am88, when you say " these straighter walled cases", how much different are they to a case that easily chambers in the rifle or runs easily through the sizing die?
Perhaps some side by side photos for us to see might help get you an answer.
Also, you say that you have lubed the cases " both inside and outside of the neck", have you got enough lube on the body of the case? I use that Hornady lube that you have on a felt lube pad, I run a tip of the finger amount spread over the pad and that will last hundreds of cases, never had a problem with it.
I have three different rifles in .30-30 and try to keep the brass separate for each one but it all gets full length resized so it will fit in any one of them. One very old Winchester has a chamber that is worn and a bit so-so, the brass from it tends to be a bit stiffer to resize, I just make sure it has plenty of lube and take extra care when sizing.
I did have a set of the Lee RGB .30-30 dies that were a bit "grabby" when I first got them, I polished them up on the inside using a cloth wrapped around a wooden dowel with metal polish and a cordless drill, did the trick for me.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Am88 » 27 Mar 2020, 2:45 pm

Gamerancher wrote:Am88, when you say " these straighter walled cases", how much different are they to a case that easily chambers in the rifle or runs easily through the sizing die?
Perhaps some side by side photos for us to see might help get you an answer.
Also, you say that you have lubed the cases " both inside and outside of the neck", have you got enough lube on the body of the case? I use that Hornady lube that you have on a felt lube pad, I run a tip of the finger amount spread over the pad and that will last hundreds of cases, never had a problem with it.
I have three different rifles in .30-30 and try to keep the brass separate for each one but it all gets full length resized so it will fit in any one of them. One very old Winchester has a chamber that is worn and a bit so-so, the brass from it tends to be a bit stiffer to resize, I just make sure it has plenty of lube and take extra care when sizing.
I did have a set of the Lee RGB .30-30 dies that were a bit "grabby" when I first got them, I polished them up on the inside using a cloth wrapped around a wooden dowel with metal polish and a cordless drill, did the trick for me.


I meant straighter wall in the sense that I've only reloaded rifle cases with a sharper shoulder and not much of it, one of them "I know what I mean but not sure how to explain it moments". Same with the lube inside and out, i was meaning that I was certain that there was sufficient lube on the entire case including inside the neck.

The dies I'm using are Lee yes and that is good way to describe it, grabby, a very tight grabby but.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Gamerancher » 28 Mar 2020, 10:58 am

Yeah mate , wasn't having a go at you, very hard problem to solve in just a few words without seeing the full picture.
There are so many variables that could come into play, just throwing a few ideas out there.
Are the sticky cases measurably different in size? Weight? They could be slightly harder brass, whole bunch of possible causes.
If it's just a few from a whole bunch, I'd just put them aside and use the rest.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Oldbloke » 28 Mar 2020, 12:47 pm

My hardend case theory is a long shot.
Far more likely a lube issue......

Your FLRS right?
Sooo.. you are lubing the whole case?

I just use a tad of diff oil in a plastic bag and mix them around. A touch of oil in about every 4th neck.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Am88 » 30 Mar 2020, 7:36 am

All good Gamerancher didn't think you were having a go, it's ahard to try explain things without facial expressions.

Yeah Oldbloke full length sizing and whole case is lubed, but it's get tight as soon as the neck contacts, not the case body, and it's on the up stroke (case going in) not the down stroke so it's no the expander ball. It shouldn't be a lube issue, I use the same stuff on all my other cases,might measure some fired cases I reckon.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by marksman » 30 Mar 2020, 10:58 am

pomemax wrote:I had a simmiler problem with highland brass.
I never did figure out why I reload on a dillon 650 most cals are ok but for some reason Highland 30-30 was a no go so i just started by resizing on the Rcbs and deprimming then just feed normal on the dillon I thinking I must have the Rcbs a bit lower .But other brass 30 -30 on the dillon No problems at all
Both using 30-30 Rcbs Dies
Am88 do you know anyone near you with a 30-30 die set up maybe run a few through that and see if it makes a difference to your set up


highland brass is PPu
l cant say why you are having this problem although l have had the same thing from spray lube and that the PPU/highland cases l reload are much thicker than other brands, as has been suggested the lee lube is good and maybe polish the die
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Oldbloke » 30 Mar 2020, 12:33 pm

Am88 wrote:All good Gamerancher didn't think you were having a go, it's ahard to try explain things without facial expressions.

Yeah Oldbloke full length sizing and whole case is lubed, but it's get tight as soon as the neck contacts, not the case body, and it's on the up stroke (case going in) not the down stroke so it's no the expander ball. It shouldn't be a lube issue, I use the same stuff on all my other cases,might measure some fired cases I reckon.
..


Definately a case issue then.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by GQshayne » 30 Mar 2020, 5:21 pm

I use the Hornady case lube, and I cannot see how it could be better really. I cannot see that being the problem.

So the first resize is ok, but the second resize is the problem???? If I have that right, then it sounds like the cases are the issue, perhaps poor quality or need annealing.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Am88 » 31 Mar 2020, 7:57 am

You have that right GQShayne yes, first resize aftre firing the factory round is fine, second resize after firing a reload is the problem one. I will give some of Sellior and Bellot brass a run I think, I just bought them as spares but may as well use them.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by in2anity » 31 Mar 2020, 8:30 pm

Am88 wrote:You have that right GQShayne yes, first resize aftre firing the factory round is fine, second resize after firing a reload is the problem one. I will give some of Sellior and Bellot brass a run I think, I just bought them as spares but may as well use them.

S&B r good and thick. Primer pockets can be tight, but that can be fixed with a cheap tool.
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by snag » 01 Apr 2020, 9:42 pm

I have been loading .30/30 for a very long time and, like you, have found them a "sticky" cartridge. I personally think it's because of the case construction ie: long neck and slow shoulder taper - giving a lot of brass contact with the dies. I have found that slavering the buggers with Lee lube solves the problems. Works for me.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Blr243 » 01 Apr 2020, 10:01 pm

This has been a tricky one to solve but I’ll take a stab and say that I think that last post by snag might be right on the money
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Nalla Rehctelf » 04 Apr 2020, 4:08 pm

I am interested in beginning the journey to the dark side “Reloading”. I have 223, 270 and 30 06 to reload. I am mostly happy mostly happy with factory amo. For what I do; especially the 30 06 as it doesn’t get to talk much & is generally fatal when used. But I’m probably looking to get more from the 270 and 223 used for hunting. As a way of expanding my Hunting, I would like to reload. I don’t want to buy junk but I also don’t need a high cost, high output set up, looking for a functional setup. Also I really hate deciding to buy something only to find that I need to get something else to make it work.
If using the starting point of RCBS equipment, is the list below complete?
 Everything needed?
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• Rock Chucker Supreme Press
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by in2anity » 04 Apr 2020, 7:32 pm

Nalla, just a couple of suggestions, mechanical scales are tedious, stick to your thrower and get a decent set of digital scales (or two), and then maybe get a trickler if you want more precision. Or you could splurge on a good automatic digital dispenser and forget the thrower - that’s what I use these days - I seat, while it dispenses (to near enough exact) the next. Just a thought.

Also, get an RCBS hand priming tool - they’re up there with the best IMO. Also, consider carefully if you want to neck size or FLS - if you collet neck size you can skip the lubing and cleaning step a couple of times. You’ll need a FLS die eventually however; so perhaps get the lee collet die set, and then get a nice FLS die separate? Also, you’ll need to trim - I’m a BIG fan of the lee quick trim tool in a drill - miles faster than any bench mounted thingy. Quite consistent - I also use the wooden ball thingy to hold it. BTW are you just hunting? How much shooting are you doing?
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Oldbloke » 04 Apr 2020, 9:33 pm

If your not into precision the Lee kits are very popular.
Personnally Ive found beam balance ok.
As mentioned you will need a trickier buy or diy. Trimmer a little later
Get started with RGB lee dies (fls)
Some lube. I use diff oil. Lol

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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Bill » 05 Apr 2020, 7:47 am

Am88 how smooth/polished is the expander ?? might be worth removing and putting into a drill and give it a polish with some fine ie 400 paper. Also if I ever had trouble with the expander generally a cotton bud smeared in hornady wax and then run inside the necks does the job.

most difficult brass I ever reloaded was some rock hard RWS 10.75 x 68 ended up spraying twice with lube letting the stuff dry for 5 mins in between before FLS. :thumbsup:
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by John » 15 Apr 2020, 12:56 pm

Did you anneal the brass before sizing it that might explain it I like rcbs case lube it seem to work well for me and what type of press are you using the cheaper ones can be harder to use on larger calibers they don’t the mechanical advantages of more expensive ones I’ve seen this problem with lee C type presses
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Am88 » 20 Apr 2020, 8:20 am

Hi Guys, have established it is definitely the PPU brass, did not measure any cases however I did load some sellior and bellot brass up, shot both and resized both, same thing happened sticky PPU brass but the sellior and bellot sized just fine.

Bill I generally take my dies apart and run them in a drill with a bit of 2000 grit, also the cotton bud with lube is exactly how I do it aswell.
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Re: Sticky cases in .30-30 dies

Post by Blr243 » 20 Apr 2020, 10:37 am

Thanks for the feed bak. It’s good to see a resolution and why
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