Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Federal brass

Has anyone had any issues with Federal brass? I was resizing some 270 brass in my Redding dies tonight after it has been tumbled/cleaned and had three of them stick in the die. Two came out the third is still in there til I get a puller tomorrow. I use One Shot spray lube... powdered mica for the inside of the neck also. This is the first time I have used Federal brass. This was range pickup stuff. Normally I use Remington brass with no problems.

I have heard of folks have problems with One Shot causing cases to stick. Your brass should be fine.

I've had no problems with Fed. I've read a lot of people complaining about primer pockets loosening quicker than other brass but I've never had it happen.

You should switch to crisco and tumble after they are resized/ deprimed.
I havent had a stuck case since the day i swiiched. No drying time. just a dab on the finger. seat the case in the shell holder and spin it between the thub and finger giving the case a light coat of crisco.
once every 4-5 cases i put a little bit on a case mouth and that lubes the expander button enough for the next 4 or so cases.
Dies need to be cleaned up with carb cleaner once your done, but thats simple enough.

I've used Federal WSM brass with no problems. But I use Imperial sizing die wax instead of one shot.

Try some Imperial Sizing Die Wax. I don't think the Federal brass is the problem.

Can't speak for others but I've had a primer pocket issue with Federal 7mm Rem and .270 Win. Bought 100 each as once fired and they appeared to be so. Can't give the exact number of junk cases but had several oversize primer pockets in each batch. One .270 case wouldn't even hold a primer and several were so loose I could push the primer back out with the little coffee stirer tube from a WD40 can. I'll not use anymore.

edit: Again, can't speak for others but the only problem I've had with One Shot I created myself. When setting the sizing die to shrink just the right amount of neck I handled the case too much without reapplying TWICE. The second time was the last time, I hope. Other than that it's super easy to use and works for me.

The only issues I've ever had with Federal brass was with some .223 which was softer than the WW I'd been using. It didn't spring back quite as much after sizing and I wound up with excessive headspace that lead to case head separations. I never thought I'd need to have my FL die set up differently for a different brand of brass given it was to be fired in the same chamber. Oops.

Tom

RE: One shot and Crisco...I had problems with One Shot as well and have stopped using it. I use the same technique as ringworm only using Lee's lanolin based lube. Never had a stuck case since.

one shots drying time is too varied depending on humidty, elevation, time of year, moon phase.
I have no use for it. I have used the same can of crisco for 10 years.

I like to tumble the brass before sizing... especially range brass to clean it before messing up my dies ...scratching. I spray it with the one shot and then let it dry... size it then a quick 15 minute tumble to get the lube off the brass. Last night was a bit more humid and warmer than what it has been lately... I must of rushed it a bit before it dried. I used to use RCBS lube and pad but found that the one shot was quicker and easier to apply. I guess I found out quicker and easier isn't the best way to go.

Cases get stuck in a sizer due to one thing; failure to properly lube the outside.

I gave OneShot one shot; emptied the can and tossed it; it cost a lot and added exactly nothing to my loading method. I normally apply a VERY THIN coat of Imperial or Unique (or a few other subsitutes) with the tips of my left thumb and fingers when I pick up each case for sizing. Lubing that way is clean, it takes takes virtually no time and I KNOW I've lubed the entire surface of every case so nothing sticks. I just wipe my fingers with a paper towel afterwards and I'm done.

What are you using inside the necks?

"What are you using inside the necks?"

I often use nothing inside, no case is going to get stuck in sizer because of a lack of lube inside the necks. The common idea of cases stretching due to expander drag is a myth, the thin necks will easily expand to let a dry expander out before the thicker shoulder brass will give way.

When I DO lube inside necks - and I sometimes do - it's usually with a bit of graphite added to a plastic pill bottle with a half inch of #9 bird shot; push the mouth of the case into the shot and withdraw it, inside is dry lubed. But, graphite IS messy so I keep a bottle of Windex handy to dampen the paper towel for cleaning both my fingers and the outside of the necks.

I also have and sometimes use the inexpensive MidwayUSA neck lube kit with plastic bore brushes and white Motor Mica. It's clean, but mica isn't quite as good a lube as graphite. Still, mica is really good enough.

Through testing I've found things go much smoother and with less runout with a wet lube in the necks. This is especially true with a typical 308 Win. FL die and thick Federal or Lapua brass when the die neck is built for thin WW cases.

It's a pain in the ass to remove, but it makes for better ammo. I've tried mica and Imperial dry lubes, but they haven't worked as well as a wet lube.

So, if you use Hornady One Shot per the instructions (i.e. spray at a 45 degree angle to get it inside the case neck), how do you remove the lube fom the inside of the case neck?

What happens if you don't remove it from te inside of the case neck?

I don't use One Shot.

I do use the white motor mica on one out of every third or 4th case. My cases last night were stuck inside the die not because of the expander ball. The case was stuck when it was nearly all of the way inside the die at the top of the stroke. At that point the expander is basically just pushing out the spent primer. I tumble my brass again for about 15minutes after sizing to remove the sizing lube so that should remove any lube that has gotten inside the neck. I am going back to my RCBS lube and pad or try some Imperial sizing wax or Crisco like one person suggested.

+1 on this. It generally is the lube or lack of lube used. I use imperial sizing die wax and Hornady One Shot. Only time I stuck a case was when there wasn't enough lube on the case. Never had a problem with Federal and shoot it in several calibers.

Imperial Dry Neck Lube: http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/pid=32854/Product/Imperial-Dry-Neck-Lube