How to size primed brass

[lazarus]

I picked up a bunch of .30-06 pre-primed brass. Various makes. I checked just now on a new to me 1903a3 and my M1 Garand (FP out in both cases. I only look stupid).

The cases fit in my case gauge, but it is TIGHT (maybe just barely will drop in without finger pressure). My CMP garand, it will chamber with the bolt dropping, but if I stick the extractor over it, it won't chamber without dropping the bolt or whacking it into battery. It will come out with a bolt whack (do not need to mortar).

The 1903 it will close on the brass and extract the brass, but it takes an inordinate amount of force on the bolt (I can chamber and extract without needing to whack the bolt handle up and down, but its a near thing).

I was testing once fired (in my Garand) brass with my sizing die and mine was even worse until I realized I hadn't screwed the die in quite as far as I was supposed to (barely touching the shell plate, rather than a half turn past). Screwed in the die, resized, bolt closes fine on my 1903 and opens fine. Maybe not quite as generous as the couple rounds of PPU M2 and Winchester M2 ball loaded ammo I also tried (which practically rattle around in both guns' chambers. It is a Hornady custom .30-06 die. I assume it is not sizing down as much as milspec brass and my Garand chamber does seem fractionally larger than the 1903 chamber).

 

[inkd]

I picked up a bunch of .30-06 pre-primed brass. Various makes. I checked just now on a new to me 1903a3 and my M1 Garand (FP out in both cases. I only look stupid).

The cases fit in my case gauge, but it is TIGHT (maybe just barely will drop in without finger pressure). My CMP garand, it will chamber with the bolt dropping, but if I stick the extractor over it, it won't chamber without dropping the bolt or whacking it into battery. It will come out with a bolt whack (do not need to mortar).

The 1903 it will close on the brass and extract the brass, but it takes an inordinate amount of force on the bolt (I can chamber and extract without needing to whack the bolt handle up and down, but its a near thing).

I was testing once fired (in my Garand) brass with my sizing die and mine was even worse until I realized I hadn't screwed the die in quite as far as I was supposed to (barely touching the shell plate, rather than a half turn past). Screwed in the die, resized, bolt closes fine on my 1903 and opens fine. Maybe not quite as generous as the couple rounds of PPU M2 and Winchester M2 ball loaded ammo I also tried (which practically rattle around in both guns' chambers. It is a Hornady custom .30-06 die. I assume it is not sizing down as much as milspec brass and my Garand chamber does seem fractionally larger than the 1903 chamber)

Pull out the de-capping pin, adjust the die correctly and run them through the die.

 

[4g64loser]

What inkd says above, but I'd add a mandrel through the neck to set correct tension.

 

[temccoy]

You can also get a full length sizing die with neck bushings and size the brass and set the neck tension in one step. Redding makes them. Not cheap, but they work. Using a standard full length die and a mandrel will give you the least amount of run out in your necks, just be sure to lube the mandrel. Sizing primed brass makes me nervous, but I have done it and never had an issue. I would suggest you wear safety glasses.

 

[JohnC]

I use a decapping die to gently push the primers out, and use them only in a bolt gun. I do this from time to time pulling shit loads I make. Sometimes you just have to pull the projectile and resize the neck. Instead of fussing with neck dies or taking the mandrel out, just pop the primers out they’ll be fine.

Primers get “pre stressed” a bit when seating, so I wouldn’t use them in a garand with a floating firing pin. But there is no data behind this. I typically do not see any differences in primers that were seated and pushed out vs fresh ones, but I’m just popping 2-liter bottles at 100 yards not shooting the nads off a mosquito at 1 mile.

You’ll notice that the primers seat easier too, they might push out a bit when you fire the cartridge. No biggie.

 

[Squaregrouper]

I'm a Lee die reloader, so this may not apply to your process....
I buy extra decapping/resizing pins and break out the Ye Ol Dremel and cut the pin's tip off- making sure I have a good 1/4" between the tip and the primer when fully seated. This way I can completely resize the brass without touching the primer. They cost <$4, so shipping will likely outweigh the cost of the pin itself.

 

[lazarus]

I'm a Lee die reloader, so this may not apply to your process....
I buy extra decapping/resizing pins and break out the Ye Ol Dremel and cut the pin's tip off- making sure I have a good 1/4" between the tip and the primer when fully seated. This way I can completely resize the brass without touching the primer. They cost <$4, so shipping will likely outweigh the cost of the pin itself.
View attachment 368158

Yeah I am prepared to do that with the heap of shitty 7.62x39 primed brass I got from RMR last year for scrap prices. Most checked out close to the right size, but a few cases just need the primers removed and brass chucked. And most could use a quick pass of a sizing die to be sure (it is mostly undersized).

I think the Hornady custom dies the decapping pin can just be removed from the neck mandrel (comes with a spare pin IIRC)

 

[lazarus]

Also I haven’t checked the brass yet, but I am hoping it is the right OAL and I don’t need to trim it.

Some guys reloading supplies another buddy got very cheap that he then unloaded on me for even cheaper some of the stuff he didn’t need (a lot of primed and unprimed .30-06 and more 38spc and 357 magnum primed and I primed brass than I really needed, but when it’s like $60 for 200 or so pieces of .30-06 (mostly primed), maybe 300 pieces of 357 (half primed) and 400 of 38spc, almost all primed…like, you can’t turn that kind of gift horse in the mouth.

The brass looks like a mix of new brass and processed maybe once fired brass.

 

[Harrys]

A couple years ago I was given a 1 gallon bucket of 30/30 primed brass. I found they were tight and some were not seating. I ended up using my match grade Hornaday sizing/decapping die to fix them. Once resized, trimmed and annealed I reprimed them.

 

[Rockzilla]

Done that before,was "gifted" a bunch a while ago. pull the de-capping pin out of the
stem (RCBS) and resized..

-Rock