Weird reloading problem

[RestrictedColt]

I don't crimp and do need to trim my .223/5.56 brass. Not trimming long cases could create excessive pressure, when it squeezes into the chamber, or leade no? That certainly is true in other calibers.

You think you need to trim just as I did because the book tells us that we need to. If the case is long enough that it squeezes into the leade then it absolutely can create dangerous pressures. Whether or not it reaches the leade depends on the gun's chamber. The rule on .223/5.56 is that 1.76" is the maximum case length and 1.75" is the 'trim to' length. Since the shortest chamber I load for is 1.785" long that is my maximum case length, this is the shortest of 4 guns measured. It's extremely unlikely that a neck will ever stretch that far so I'm probably done with trimming forever. If one managed to get that long it would be very obvious, no caliper measurements needed.

If you crimp your brass then case length matters because it'll effect the amount of crimp applied. I played with crimping and have found that there's no need for it. Some people state that a good crimp increases accuracy. I haven't tested that, but I've shot sub-MOA out of my cheapest gun without crimps which is good enough for now.

[RestrictedColt]

I forgot to mention that there are bonuses to long case necks. They'll provide stronger retention since there's more contact area and the bullet is better supported as it leaves the case and transitions into the leade which could help increase accuracy, kinda like seating bullets longer does.

[J-cat]

That'll put a crimp in them!

Sorta off topic, but I measured several .223 and 5.56 chambers and all of them are WAY over book length. I don't crimp so I'm done with case trimming .223 brass. The shortest chamber was 1.785", pretty sure the necks will never get there.

It will not put a crimp in them. It will, however, tell you the length of the chamber. From there you can decide how much you need to trim.

But I can tell you for a fact that the case length is not the cause of the OP’s sticking issue.

[RestrictedColt]

If the case is longer than the chamber it will crimp it when you jam it in there.

You can speculate that his problem isn't case length. It's my opinion that to state adamantly that it can't be the problem is ignorant. It's doubly ignorant to state that after he says that trimming them fixed the problem. Maybe you know something I don't know so please enlighten me as to how you concluded that his problem absolutely can not be case length.


OP; from my experiences your problem is very unlikely to be case length, but if you find that a slightly long neck is indeed jamming in the chamber make sure there's nothing stuck in there. If the chambers are clean then I strongly suggest measuring them so you know the actual lengths. When a case is fired it generally stretches briefly and you don't want to be right on the edge of acceptable case length and then have it jam as the bullet is trying to leave. When measuring your case lengths always do so after sizing since they can stretch during re-sizing. Another thing to consider would be switching to neck only sizing as that will generally reduce case stretching while increasing the accuracy potential.

I've started using the Lee collet sizer die for my .338 and really like it because it doesn't drag anything through/across the necks like a typical die, It just squeezes them back in minimizing how much the brass is worked. Some of that brass has been fired 10 times, maybe more, and they all still look perfect.

[divingin]

It was the brass oal. 2.015 was sticking so went down to 2.005 and everything is good now.

Doesn't sound right. SAAMI max case length is 2.015". If that was your problem it would mean your chamber is cut short, and you potentially could not use a lot of factory ammo. I have difficulty believing that any manufacturer would cut a chamber below SAAMI max cartridge specs (custom is another story, but that would [or perhaps more accurately should] be user specified.)

The method NorCal mentioned is an easy way of measuring how far out your case mouth can be before running into potential problems. Make sure your chamber is clean before measuring. This measurement will tell you for sure if the overall case length was the problem or if something else that happened while trimming corrected it (for instance, the LE Wilson trimmer uses a case holder that, if firmly secured, may squeeze the case web area a bit.)

I, personally, would still suspect either base-to-shoulder length or case web diameter.

[J-cat]

If the case is longer than the chamber it will crimp it when you jam it in there.

You can speculate that his problem isn't case length. It's my opinion that to state adamantly that it can't be the problem is ignorant. It's doubly ignorant to state that after he says that trimming them fixed the problem. Maybe you know something I don't know so please enlighten me as to how you concluded that his problem absolutely can not be case length.

[RestrictedColt]

"Ignorance and a fundamental misunderstanding of the chambering process"...no, you've made another wrong assumption/statement, followed by another one of stating that the shortest .308 chamber is 2.025". Unlike you I won't assume that manufacturers don't make mistakes and release defective products. I also won't assume that it couldn't be damaged, modified, or that something can't be stuck in his chamber. I fully understand how unlikely those scenarios are in this situation, but until you measure/inspect his chambers it's stupid to say that it's impossible for the necks to be sticking.

When one is trying to get some help trying to diagnose and fix a problem there's nothing worse than having some person wrongly tell you that there's absolutely no way that 'X' could be your problem. I went through this with several people that know a lot more than me about ARs and they steered me completely wrong about a problem with my Colt. I spent countless hours checking stuff because I was told by several people that what I thought might be the problem absolutely couldn't be the problem and they were wrong.

This is why I and others have suggested that he check his chambers to know for sure if that might be his problem.

[J-cat]

Creating wild scenarios to rationalize your remarks makes you sound real ignorant. Factory chambers are loooong. I’ve owned more than a dozen 308 rifles.

[J-cat]

Also, we’re talking about two different rifles, one being a $5000 high end deal, doing the same thing. Do Remington and Desert Tech share chambering reamers? No way it’s the chamber length.