Marky
Glad to hear you got the problem fixed......
Unfortunately, using the die without the mandrel is going to result in inconsistent case mouth size and probably too much sizing of the case mouth. Taking the mandrel out to avoid de-priming is tempting, but remember, the mandrel is an essential part of both full-length and neck-sizing dies. Without it, there is no properly sized "stop" to the process.
If using a full-length sizing die, the die will close the case mouth tighter than the finished result, but then as Kdub explained, the mandrel is pulled back through the mouth, opening it back up to it's finished size. Without the mandrel in the die, there is no final sizing to the proper diameter.
A very similar thing happened to me just today. I was loading some .35Remington cases with some new Hornady RN bullets. All the cases were primed and charged, and ready for the bullets. The bullet slipped down easily into the case mouth! I realized that, last week, I had cleaned these cases and put them back into the case box, making a mental note to size them before loading. This "mental note" system doesn;t work well when senility is setting in!
I "fixed" my problem using the Lee Factory Crimp die. A time consuming, detailed process that taught me a good lesson...... Leave written notes on half-finished jobs!
