Anybody reloading the Barnes TSX Bullets?

[Ray]

They don't seat into my cartridge necks. They're sometimes loose and won't stay put. Someone on another forum suggested I get a Lee Factory Crimping Die to settle them in. Just wondering if you have experienced this with these bullets.

[boneaddict]

I've never shot Barnes.

[Ray]

Someone else also gave me the impression that the expanding ball in my brand new die set might be off. I measured it at .257 for the .25-06 Sounds about right to me. He said the one he was using was .247

[boneaddict]

I was thinking .257 for the 25 

[Ray]

I didn't think I was nutty. 

[bobcat]

I've loaded 140 TSX bullets in my 270 Win. They shoot nice, consistently small groups. I never had any problem like you are having. Have you tried any other bullets?

[Ray]

Have you tried any other bullets?

Not yet. But am considering it just to rule one thing out or another. Just didn't like the idea of spending *more* money before I understood the problem.

[boneaddict]

How big of a hurry are you in.  I can probably talk Idabooner into sending you a Speer and Nosler your way if he has any to try to run through it.  Would be there Wed probably if he has them. 

[boneaddict]

Is this new brass or previously fired?

[Ray]

This was new Remington brass. I am going to the store to pick out some lead bullets.

[boneaddict]

K.   I imagine it has to do with the new brass.  We used to previosuly fire all brass before working up a regular shooting load.  I wish I knew more to tell you the mechanics of it.  Good luck.

[bobcat]

The new brass shouldn't be like that as long as you ran it through your sizer die first, and it sounds as if you did.

[Slenk]

Expanding ball sound a little large.
It should be a little under sized.
Have you mick-ed your bullets.
Slenk

[Idabooner]

Just checked my RCBS expanding ball for 25-06.  .255

[Ray]

I believe it has to do with the bullets being copper more than anything else; and that it is less malleable a metal than lead which I am used to using. I was able to fix it but I would say that it requires more attention than lead bullets for sure..

When putting in the first bullets I was attempting to figure out the overall length in order to make a fit into the chamber of my new rifle. The first two attempts were too long. So I put them back into the die and tried to shorten them. When I did that it was just close enough to the edge on one of the 3 grooves which are on the side of the bullet that it was stripping the copper. So I had to shorten them even more. I figured out an overall length that works but the general rule seems to be that any time I run them through the die more than once it seems as if this "loose" issue occurs. If you are even close to the edge of one of the grooves and it strips the bullet then you have to shorten or lengthen them more. When I was making minor adjustments to the overall length it seems as if it was more prone to this oddity.