Won't chamber after seating projectile

[rero360]

One other possible issue, it would require the OP to chamber one of the difficult rounds and then eject it without firing, is to look at the sides of the bullet just in front of where it seats in the case, if there is a bunch of scratches on just one side of the bullet then it means that the bullet isn't being seated concentrically to the bore.

I had this issue when I first got into reloading for .308 using Lee dies and a Lee progressive press. I switched to an RCBS single stage press and better dies and the problem went away. Groups shrank as well.

[2shotjoe]

Over crimp can cause that. Makes the neck push into the body of the case and mushrooms.

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[dabeechman]

Thank you all for you responses. I have been out of town for the Easter holiday, but I am going to check some of your suggestions and advice tonight.

To answer a few questions:

Yes, I chambered every cartridge after initial sizing and they all chambered smoothly.
I did not check COAL, so that will be the first thing that I set up tonight.
Every cartridge was trimmed to length.
Cases are all the same manufacturer.
I AM crimping.

All processes were followed by the Lee instructions, so maybe they are a general set of instructions, but I'm better served following the advice of all the experienced gentlemen here.

So I'll first check the COAL and see how that compares to the rounds that will not chamber and report back.

Thanks all.

[dabeechman]

I went ahead and checked most everything that you gentlemen asked me to and did the best I could for being as late as it is...haha. I couldn't get a good OAL reading, so I'll have to work on that tomorrow.

I did sharpie the bullet though, and this is what it showed...

[J-cat]

Stop crimping.

[Metal God]

If seating and crimping in the same step . You could be buckling the shoulder a tad with a heavy crimp or if all cases are not trimmed to the exact same length . As said above . It's not likely you need to crimp .



Look familiar ??? I had this issue with a very fouled throat/lead . It looked very much like your issue

Also with a fouled lead/throat and the expander ball of the die pulling the neck off axis to the case body you could have the bullet contact the sides of the throat when chambered because the bullet is off axis to the case and bore . Roll your case on it's side while at the same time looking straight on to the bullet tip . Can you see any wobble ? If off by only a couple thousandths you will not see it but if its off by a lot you will notice

[2shotjoe]

here is some over crimping in different lengths.

[2shotjoe]

Left, over crimp;right, chambers and ejects.



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[dabeechman]

I loaded 3 more rounds today with every casing going through the same identical process. 2 chambered perfectly without any of the above pictured run out, and one was a little more snug than the othe two, but without any noticable runout.

Why would two fire formed rounds chamber smoother than the other round when they all went through the same sizing/trimming/seating (no crimp this time) process?

[J-cat]

Bump the shoulder a bit more. Or get a better shoulder bumping setup. Each case is different. Some spring back more, some a bit less. If you are close, some will be more snug, others more loose.

[Metal God]

I missed the part that said you were using fire formed cases and only neck sizing . Yes cases can fire form differently from case to case . Some cases will spring back more then others when fired . So it is not uncommon for a case to fit a little tighter then others .

What firearm are these cases fire formed too ?

[bruce381]

I AM crimping
stop that you are bulging the neck

[dabeechman]

Thanks all, I'll follow up once I hand load the next set. Really appreciate all of the advice!