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  • MrRobot

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    I have a turret but run it single stage in batches. I'm not trying to win any races just make reliable ammo
    Trust me i"m not trying to win any race. I take my time and triple-check everything. Sometimes too much that I lose track of time.
    I just want to be safe and careful. Learning by yourself by watching videos and help from others sometimes is hard when you have a question at that minute.

    With this hobby, I"m taking it slow.
     

    hornetguy

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    Trust me i"m not trying to win any race. I take my time and triple-check everything. Sometimes too much that I lose track of time.
    I just want to be safe and careful. Learning by yourself by watching videos and help from others sometimes is hard when you have a question at that minute.

    With this hobby, I"m taking it slow.
    That is a wise approach.
    Eventually you will learn what "details" to sweat, and what details can be moved to the back burner.
    "Careful" is always good.
    I used to think that weighing each and every charge of powder would give the most consistent results... and that is not the case. Within reason, powder charges are just as consistent when thrown by volume, not by weight.
    There are benchrest shooters that load at the shooting bench, and use a powder scoop to throw their charges.
    While they have learned to be very consistent in how they scoop, level, and throw the powder, it still seems to be "less accurate" to me..... .but THEY win the benchrest competitions, and I don't.

    edit.... by the way.... where is Matrix, Texas?
     

    MrRobot

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    Yes, there are things I think I won't worry too much about. The only thing I noticed yesterday is one brass is a little heavy and feels thicker than the rest. But it's the same brand and it's a 223 brass.

    Matrix is a little joke from the movie "Matrix" I'm in central Texas at the moment. Trying to find a nice big land to move to.
     

    Ab17

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    Yes, there are things I think I won't worry too much about. The only thing I noticed yesterday is one brass is a little heavy and feels thicker than the rest. But it's the same brand and it's a 223 brass.

    Matrix is a little joke from the movie "Matrix" I'm in central Texas at the moment. Trying to find a nice big land to move to.
    I was so close to posting a “what is the matrix” message but I’m new here, for all I knew there might be a matrix TX.

    I’m enjoying this thread since it brings me back to when I started reloading. I was super careful with inspection, unifying, measuring, etc. Which is fine, and I liked the precision of getting everything perfect. I got a little looser as time went on but I’ll still sometimes over do things even though I know they probably don’t matter. Again, it’s part of the fun.
     

    MrRobot

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    @Ab17 hope you are doing okay with the rain. I hear it's very heavy where you are at. Dallas there are floods I believe. 15 inches in rain came down in one day. That's a lot of rain.

    I plan to finish hopefully tomorrow night. Work had me busy plus my new dog is taking up my time.
     

    hornetguy

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    I was so close to posting a “what is the matrix” message but I’m new here, for all I knew there might be a matrix TX.

    I’m enjoying this thread since it brings me back to when I started reloading. I was super careful with inspection, unifying, measuring, etc. Which is fine, and I liked the precision of getting everything perfect. I got a little looser as time went on but I’ll still sometimes over do things even though I know they probably don’t matter. Again, it’s part of the fun.
    I'm relatively new, myself.... I had to googly Driftwood. Found out you're right by the Salt Lick BBQ place... I've been there a couple of times, when we went down to Austin... have a high school friend that lives in Buda.

    I was the same way when starting reloading... I was much like @MrRobot in that I didn't have any mentors to fall back on... had to learn it all myself, pretty much. And this was about 30 years before the internet came along....
     

    MrRobot

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    Hello all,
    After weeks of learning, and watching videos. I finally finished 25 rounds and ran into 1 issue only. Maybe someone might be able to help me with this.

    From the images below I seated all the bullets. I choose the over all length between 2.255 and 2.257. Give me enough room from what I read around.

    After I was done I decided to check every round to make sure everything was good and it would chamber.

    I used my gauge checker and everything was fine. I bought an ammo checker even tho some people said it was a waste of money. I'm glad I did because I did find one that was off.

    Now how could I have prevented this from happening in the future?
    Is there a way to fix the round?

    Thank you guys once again for the help.

    22.JPG

    23.JPG

    24.JPG
    25.JPG
     

    rotor

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    Just for my curiosity, take that shell, put it in the case gage, place the gage on a flat table with rim down and take another picture of the top of the gage so I can see brass as it comes through the gage and see if it is between top and recess. Finally if you are using Lee stuff try Lee factory crimp die and see if it passes Lyman ammo checker. You can always salvage a case with an inertia bullet puller and reuse it, can always resize without decapping die so primer is still good. You have proven the point that a case gage for rifle is not an ammo checker.
     

    hornetguy

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    Was this brass from your gun? Or, was it just "range brass" ? If it was fired in a rifle with too much headspace, it could have the shoulder pushed out, and if your sizing die isn't set to nudge the shoulder, it would be too long for the gauge, and show what you have there.
    You could pull the bullet, dump the powder, take the depriming pin out of your sizing die, and fully size it again... then test it before re-reloading it...
     

    Wiliamr

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    The rim looks slightly battered. Take the round out and put it in the gauge backwards. If you can not get the rim to go into the gauge then the issue is the rim edge has been hammered enough to be oversized and is not that bad an issue. You could try if it is is battered to lightly buff the edge with a coarse fingernail file.LIGHTLY
     

    MrRobot

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    @rotor Here are the pictures. Hopefully, it's clear enough.

    @hornetguy it was brass that I picked up from the range. A lot of the brass I have is range mixed in from my gun as well.

    @Wiliamr Slides right into the gauge without any issue. Stops less than half of course when it goes in.

    26.JPG
    27.JPG
     

    rotor

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    @rotor Here are the pictures. Hopefully, it's clear enough.
    Looks perfect in the gage. Do you have a lee factory crimp die? I bet it runs perfect if you use the Lee die. The ammo checker is more responsive to diameter of the case. A slight bulge when the bullet goes in can make the brass stick up like that in an ammo checker. Bet it passes if you do a factory crimp with lee die. Even so, I bet it drops perfectly in your barrel.
     

    Wiliamr

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    @rotor Here are the pictures. Hopefully, it's clear enough.

    @hornetguy it was brass that I picked up from the range. A lot of the brass I have is range mixed in from my gun as well.

    @Wiliamr Slides right into the gauge without any issue. Stops less than half of course when it goes in.

    View attachment 346719 View attachment 346720
    Then I think the round is fine. If you have a micrometer and you set it to the correct rim diameter, you will most likely find that the rim is oversized or not true round.
     

    MrRobot

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    @Wiliamr , I don't have a micrometer yet. I will have to invest into one of those. If I understand this correctly I could still load this round in my AR and it should fire or should I not take a chance on it?
     

    Havok1

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    If it will chamber then shoot it. The gauges are just a guideline. I have two .308 gauges and some rounds fail the plunk test in one but all do just fine in the other, and they all chamber just fine in my gun.
     
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    TexMex247

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    I would try to shoot it without hesitation. The AR chamber/bolt design won't lock up or fire a round that doesn't fully chamber. I've made some great shooting 65gr bullets for my White Oak rifles that won't chamber in anything else. They feed and the bolt appears to go into battery but the rounds don't shoot. The only downside is that you could jam up a rifle pretty good especially if you get happy with your forward assist.
     

    Wiliamr

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    @Wiliamr , I don't have a micrometer yet. I will have to invest into one of those. If I understand this correctly I could still load this round in my AR and it should fire or should I not take a chance on it?
    I would fire it in mine. If you are nervous about it, pull your bolt carrier, remove the firing pin and snap the round into the bolt. If it fits in the bolt recess, it shuold chamber fine. The next check is, drop the round into the chamber and slide the bolt carrier without the firing pin in it, and see if the bolt will lock up. If so, reassemble and shoot away.
     

    Dawico

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    @Wiliamr , I don't have a micrometer yet. I will have to invest into one of those. If I understand this correctly I could still load this round in my AR and it should fire or should I not take a chance on it?
    Load it and shoot it.

    You can check the rim with your caliper but it's not necessary.

    Dropping a round in a gauge isn't the same as it getting slammed home by a bolt carrier.
     
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