.280 Rem Incipient head seperation?

[ndsportsman]

I load for my .280 Rem, been for years, I own a Remington 700 BDL SS, don't use high pressure loads , usually middle of road for pressure and velocity. Bought the rifle new, can only seem to get about 3 reloads and some, but not all cases have a split about 1/4" above the head. Haven't had one totally separate as of yet. was told the rifle more than likely has a loose chamber(possibly one of first chambers cut with a new cutter). I have no experience working with only neck sizing dies, would this be a viable option to prolong case life? Can I use my full length die and set the die so it only sizes the neck and doesn't work the shoulder area of the cases? Looking for any recommendations or suggestions. Thanks in advance guys!

 

[longbarrel]

The headspace on your rifle might be on the "loose" end of tolerance. With such, I first open the neck of a new case to the next size (.308 in your situation) and then use the sizer die set so it will just chamber with zero headspace on the mini-shoulder at the base of the neck. One firing will bring the case to the needed length, and after that full length size with the die adjusted so it does not set the shoulder back too far.

 

[ndsportsman]

The headspace on your rifle might be on the "loose" end of tolerance. With such, I first open the neck of a new case to the next size (.308 in your situation) and then use the sizer die set so it will just chamber with zero headspace on the mini-shoulder at the base of the neck. One firing will bring the case to the needed length, and after that full length size with the die adjusted so it does not set the shoulder back too far.

So run my new .280 case in my 30-06 die to expand the neck to .308 diameter? Am I reading this correctly?

 

[gbflyer]

What brand of brass? I have this when I use Hornady brass with my 300 H&H. No problems with Norma.

 

[ndsportsman]

What brand of brass? I have this when I use Hornady brass with my 300 H&H. No problems with Norma.

Just plain old Remington brass.. new, unprimed.

 

[deerkiller]

Just plain old Remington brass.. new, unprimed.

Over very close to 50 years of reloading for nearly every centerfire cartridge I can say with certainty that Remington brass is the ONLY brand I've had "inherent" troubles with, necks splitting and case head fatigue sooner than expected -

 

[gbflyer]

I found the Hornady in my particular situation headspace up to .020 short of the Norma when measured at the shoulder which is where it ends up headspacing at after the first firing even with a belt. I think that the initial stretch is really hard on it. It’s possible your Remington is the same. It’s always been my thought that the factory brass sold like Remington, etc is basically overrun. I’m fairly sure they bank on the idea that most shooters are buying their factory loads and leaving the brass on the ground. One firing is all they’re worried about. Maybe.

 

[longbarrel]

"So run my new .280 case in my 30-06 die to expand the neck to .308 diameter? Am I reading this correctly? "

Not exactly. Most expander buttons are designed for that caliber only. The full length die squeezes the neck slightly small so the expander button takes it out just enough to grip the bullet with the correct press fit. You need to use a .308" tapered expander button, readily available from Redding and RCBS iirc. When Remington adopts a former wildcat, they often change the case slightly. The 7-08 has a .020" longer neck. The .280 Rem has about .050" longer body, so you wouldn't use a .30-06 die for those two reasons--the expander is probably not tapered, and if you try to full length size the case. you would push the shoulder back about 0.05". What I would do is buy the tapered expander for a .30-06 or .308 sizer die (you could even use your .280 die but not insert the case all the way into it) and insert the case only far enough to expand the neck. Then remove the case, and size the case in your .280 full length die with a regular .280 expander button. Set the .280 die (i.e. set the locking collar that controls how far the case is screwed into the press) so cases sized in it will be near zero headspace. The first time, the slight bulge at the bottom of the next will be the mini-shoulder that headspaces the case. After one firing, the entire shoulder will have expanded to fill the rifle's chamber.

 

[longbarrel]

I should mention that your cases seem to be separating at the typical spot where the heavy head section thins out to the wall thickness of the rest of the case. Test for thinning with a bent piece of steel wire. When you cut off the wire, the blade-like end from cutting with dykes will give a nice probe to slide into the case, down to the head area and feel for thinning inside.

 

[ndsportsman]

Thanks longbarrel for all the info, another person also suggested smoking the case with candle soot and slowly begin sizing the case until you can just see right before the sizing die begins to contact the shoulder and set it there. Does this sound like a viable option to try?

 

[07yzryder]

Thanks longbarrel for all the info, another person also suggested smoking the case with candle soot and slowly begin sizing the case until you can just see right before the sizing die begins to contact the shoulder and set it there. Does this sound like a viable option to try?

i run a set of compartor gauges linked below. It measures to a spot on the shoulder, in all my bolt guns i measure 3-4 fired cases and they should all be the same measurement. I run a body die to size the case and bump the shoulder to .002 and a bushing neck sizing die to get the neck where i want.

Ive been told you can do it with a FL sizing die as well. just measure the before, adjust die measure, adjust measure until you hit the .002 bump. Once you bumped it back verify you can chamber the case (unloaded) and that the neck has been sized (may need to smoke it to ensure enough of the neck has been sized) and you should be good to go.

compartors i use, other brands out there as well.

https://www.hornady.com/headspace-bushings#!/

 

[longbarrel]

Marking the case with smoke or something could speed the process, but I have always just tightened the die a bit at a time and then tried the case in the chamber.

 

[deerkiller]

AS I and quite a few other handloaders have commented along the line, Redding Competition Shell Holders will quickly solve pretty much any "head space" problem - I wound up with an over headspaced factory 7 RM a couple of years ago, after realizing what I had I WAS going to (and did) fireform new brass and was going to just use it that way until quickly realizing my heirs or someone less unsuspecting would end up with a potentially dangerous gun so I made them take it back (it was quite an argument to do so)

 

[cornfed]

If your going reload... you need to be able to measure everything . The comparators YZryder suggested will allow you to measure headspace from fired cases as well as allow you to set your shoulder bump up to the needed 0.002 to 0.003 for a hunting rifle.
Once fired brass (in your chamber) will not be fully expanded, so set your FL die to just size the neck only at first. After the second firing you should have a viable case to measure the bump needed. Grab the Hornady O.A.L gauge and the needed modified cases for the calibers you load to measure each kind of bullet you intend to use. This will give you a reference point to the lands , and allow you to adjust seating depth while knowing where the bullet sits compared to the lands.
While your at it... grab the Hornady bullet comparator set, and you have everything you need to measure your particular loads, and safely FL size your brass. 9 chances out of 10 your pushing the shoulder back waaaaay too far by setting your die up by the generic factory directions. From my experience , if your camming the press over,your probably sizing them too much. Again you need to be able to measure everything, because you CAN blow a rifle up in your face with case head separation. Good luck.

 

[ndsportsman]

Here is a pic of the said cases, these were the problem cases out of approximately 15-20 fired rounds.

 

[rayporter]

it sounds like all of the posters have got you pointed toward the problem and fix.

there are ways to measure with old cartridge cases and bushings from bushing dies to get the job done. however the tools for the job make it easier. and you can do it without measuring by using the bolt but a novice should measure. things can happen to cause trouble with the bolt method and you need to be aware of them.

record your measurements for future reference.

 

[ndsportsman]

My dilemma is should I continue to use shoot these or pull the bullets and recharge a fresh set of cases? Will I do irreversible damage to my rifle by continuing to shoot this batch of reloads until they are gone....

 

[gbflyer]

I’d get rid of the lot of them. I’ve separated a few case heads in my day. It can be challenging to get the rest of the case out of the chamber. Not worth the frustration.

 

[longbarrel]

A case head separation can damage the rifle and you, sending gas into your face. Get a kinetic bullet puller (looks like a plastic hammer) and at a minimum check each case for thinning inside just past the thicker section that flows into the head. Since you have presumably shot only a couple rounds through each case, and have no loose primer pockets, pressure is not the issue, headspace is.

 

[ndsportsman]

A case head separation can damage the rifle and you, sending gas into your face. Get a kinetic bullet puller (looks like a plastic hammer) and at a minimum check each case for thinning inside just past the thicker section that flows into the head. Since you have presumably shot only a couple rounds through each case, and have no loose primer pockets, pressure is not the issue, headspace is.

Thanks, gonna pull the bullets(have a press mounted puller) and try another round of hopefully, properly sized brass, don't want to destroy my rifle or me for that matter