Single stage .308 reloading trouble

[Kcvpr]

[Citadelgrad87]

I think the sizing die isnt in far enough. Go by the pamphlet that comes with the die, the ones i have say to raise the ram as high as it will go and then screw down the die to touch it.

A guy i know hits every piece twice to make sure it takes the sizing, but i never found the need.

[baih777]

If you have 3/16 sticking out, either the die is not setup correctly or you limp twisted while you were trying to size the brass.
Your now going to need a bullet puller.
Also a Lee universal decapper.
You can remove primers with the decapper. Push them out gently with even pressure. Wear goggles of a face pulled.

Check your setup for the die again.
Resize only 10 pcs till you get the die adjusted correctly. Make sure you hit the bottom of the stroke. Listen. When you hit the bottom of the stroke, listen for the thud. Once you vet hour method, you will k OW by sound if you short stroke a piece of brass.

Check with the gauge.
You can also check your resized brass in your rifle also. No primer. No bullet.

[LynnJr]

I would pull the bullets and dump the powder but I would not remove the primers.
Adjust the dies so they make contact with the shellholder while you have a piece of brass in the press.
If you put a piece of ordinary paper between the shellholder and the die and raise the ram all the way up you should not be able to pull the paper out.
The biggest mistake when setting up dies is doing it without a piece of brass in the press. The brass removes the slop in the pivot and it accounts for the presses deflection as well.

[demolition]

Sounds like you need to push the shoulder back a bit , Make contact with shell holder and die , then turn in a extra 1/8 to 1/4 turn , then try to chamber ( no bullet no powder , and if possible no primer )

[Bumslie]

Operator error

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[pennstater]

I would pull the bullets and dump the powder but I would not remove the primers.
Adjust the dies so they make contact with the shellholder while you have a piece of brass in the press.
If you put a piece of ordinary paper between the shellholder and the die and raise the ram all the way up you should not be able to pull the paper out.
The biggest mistake when setting up dies is doing it without a piece of brass in the press. The brass removes the slop in the pivot and it accounts for the presses deflection as well.

^^^This^^^.

[Kcvpr]

[Rookie Ring]

I dont crimp for my bolt guns if I have proper tension. I always crimp for auto loaders.

[BCVC 11]

X 2 for Red Mist advice. I had same problem when reloading lake city brass from 1971. My Gunfather said it was likely M60 brass and had a loose chamber. RCBS small base sizing die solved that problem. Even if your brass is not milsurp, high pressure loads can cause brass to swell a lot. Recheck your setup, if that doesn't work then try either different brass or the small base sizer.

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[JagerDog]

Not sized properly or damage done after resizing (such as over-crimping, internal sizing button pulling on neck distorting the shoulder, etc). RTFM. RTFM...again.

And your trim length is hokie.

Experiment 1: dykem or sharpie your a bad shell and install in chamber or gauge and determine where it's binding (rubbing off the marking).

Experiment 2: Invert a 38 special (or similar) case over bullet so that the mouth registers on the shoulder. Measure with your calipers. Now do the same with the prepped brass which works. Compare the two.

[divingin]

The paper-under-the-die thing is to verify elimination of press stretch when sizing. Same thing that cam over does, but actually checks you've got enough. The resistance to sizing a case will actually deform the press, so a die set to contact the shell holder when empty will be a ways away when sizing.

As someone said, even if you get the die in contact with the shell holder when sizing, a badly bulged case may not get enough reduction at the case web to chamber (normal solution is to buy a small base sizing die.) One thing to try first is shimming between the case and shell holder (i.e. place a case in the press, then stick a feeler gauge between the two.) Be a little careful, as it's possible to push the shoulder too far back doing this, which may lead to incipient case head separation. Start small(ish) and work your way up. If the thickest feeler gauge you can slip in there isn't enough, then go to small base dies (or toss the brass and get different stuff.)