Brass getting stuck in chamber

[baih777]

since its only a few cases. you may have did a short stroke on a few cases.
take those few cases and run them thru the press again. then try each case in your rifle.

make sure the die sits firmly against the shell holder. not just touching it.

this only costs you time. no money yet.

if this does not work, time to spend.

get a Dillon case guage.

[smoothy8500]

The shell holder touches the die... I think this is correct per Lee's directions...?

Just touches the die? Or does the instruction mention turning down an additional 1/8 to 1/4 turn?

Is it only difficult to close the bolt only at the bottom of the rotation?

Do the sized cases easily drop in and out of the chamber?

If they slide in and out easily, and bolt was only difficult at the very bottom of rotation you don't need a smallbase die. It may have been a short stroke or need just lower the die a hair more.

[5.56Geo]

By the picture you provided it appears the primer is bulging a bit. Is it possible it is over charged? I would get a few of your spent cases that you had issues with and resize them and check and see how they chamber in your rifle.

The area that appears to have scuff marks on the case of the picture you posted is perhaps that area least affected by fire forming brass. Most on that area of brass is solid where the flash hole is. If you saw a picture of a cut away piece of brass you would agree.

My thoughts... Good luck.

[NorCalFocus]

We can all guess at where the issue is, or you can just find it. Take a sharpie, and mark the shlouder, neck, and then the base. You could color the whole piece of you want. Then chamber it, you'll see what's sticking and know how to proceed.

Also as a side note, Savage rifles are know to have short or right chambers. So that may be your issue too.

[cbr9290318]

since its only a few cases. you may have did a short stroke on a few cases.
take those few cases and run them thru the press again. then try each case in your rifle.

make sure the die sits firmly against the shell holder. not just touching it.

this only costs you time. no money yet.

if this does not work, time to spend.

get a Dillon case guage.

I'm going to check this today, but I'm fairly sure I didn't short stroke it.

Just touches the die? Or does the instruction mention turning down an additional 1/8 to 1/4 turn?

Is it only difficult to close the bolt only at the bottom of the rotation?

Do the sized cases easily drop in and out of the chamber?

If they slide in and out easily, and bolt was only difficult at the very bottom of rotation you don't need a smallbase die. It may have been a short stroke or need just lower the die a hair more.

I do that the die down the extra 1/4 to 1/3 turn... didn't clarify that.

I didn't specifically try to drop the loaded cases into the chamber but they were clambering fine until that last bit, maybe 1/16" of the last of the bolt going forward. Closing the bolt was near impossible and removing was even harder.

I will run the one photographed through the FL die again and see if it chambers to make sure I didn't short strike though.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[cbr9290318]

By the picture you provided it appears the primer is bulging a bit. Is it possible it is over charged? I would get a few of your spent cases that you had issues with and resize them and check and see how they chamber in your rifle.



The area that appears to have scuff marks on the case of the picture you posted is perhaps that area least affected by fire forming brass. Most on that area of brass is solid where the flash hole is. If you saw a picture of a cut away piece of brass you would agree.



My thoughts... Good luck.

I noticed that too. None of the other primers in cases I fired were pushed out. I'm fairly certain the cleaning rod I used to remove that case push the primer out a bit.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[cbr9290318]

We can all guess at where the issue is, or you can just find it. Take a sharpie, and mark the shlouder, neck, and then the base. You could color the whole piece of you want. Then chamber it, you'll see what's sticking and know how to proceed.

Also as a side note, Savage rifles are know to have short or right chambers. So that may be your issue too.

Thanks I'll give that a try too.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[fguffey]

About 10 out of 100 were very hard to chamber and near impossible to remove from the chamber

You assumed you full length sized the cases meaning there is something called minimum length and go-gage length; after those two there is no go-gage length. I would suggest you measure the length of the case from the datum to the case head; problem, if you read through this forum I am the only reloader that that measures the length of the case before sizing and again after sizing. And there is the fear of the datum as in not being able to understand the concept.

And there is another problem, before I start to load for a chamber I measure the length of the chamber from the datum to the bolt face. The most unlikely I am going to find is a short chamber. I expect chambers to be go-gage length meaning I will have .005" clearance when I chamber a minimum length/full length sized case if the chamber is 30/06.

And then? I would suggest you learn to measure the length of the case from the datum/shoulder to the case head. I suggest you not get into the rut most reloaders are in; they allow themselves to be intimidated.

The case does not have head space, SAAMI has never posted head space for the case nor have they used the symbol for head space in their case drawings. And then there is L.E. Wilson, they made a gage for measuring the length of the case from the shoulder to the case head in 1938, they named the gage 'case length gage'.

I would suggest you determine of the press has the ability to over come the case's ability to resist sizing. It is possible the case has more ability to resist sizing than the press can overcome. Many years ago I used a feeler gage ro measure the gap between the bottom of the die and top of the shell holder when determining if the case won or the press won. It was at that time I learned to increase the presses' ability to size the case.

At the time I used cam over presses and non cam over presses, the instructions gave directions for adjusting both. The directions are different for each press.

And then there is 'bump', in the beginning the cam over press was a called a bump press; and now? Reloaders believe they can bump the shoulder back with a die that had case body support; Redding knows and I know it is impossible to bump the shoulder back. I understand, using the word 'bump' makes a reloader sound like they know what they are doing, Redding had customers claiming they purchased bump dies to bump the shoulder back

SO? I called Redding.

F. Guffey

[fguffey]

I didn't specifically try to drop the loaded cases into the chamber but they were clambering fine until that last bit, maybe 1/16" of the last of the bolt going forward. Closing the bolt was near impossible and removing was even harder.

Again, there is before and after. When seating bullets Lyman said and Dillon said crimping can be a bad habit, they claimed crimping could reduce bullet hold, today no one but me understands what they were talking about.

When seating and crimping at the same time the bullet is moving down while the bullet is being crimped. There is a good chance the crimp closes the neck on the bullet and the movement of the bullet down can bell the neck below the crimp. Belling of the neck below the crimp can reduce bullet hold and if the reloader does not understand the crimp of the bullet only requires a hint of effort the shoulder?neck juncture can expand/upset the case body/shoulder juncture.

Other reloaders? Their whole world is consumed with tension like neck tension. I said Lyman said crimping can be a bad habit because crimping while the bullet is moving down can reduce bullet hold. They never mentioned tension this and or tension that. For years and years I have said I have tension gages; I have said I do not have tension gages that are marked off in tensions, all of my gages are marked off in pounds with no chart for conversion from pounds to tensions.

And then finally a company made a press that is hydraulically operated with a pressure gage marked off in pounds; and not one reloader on this or another forum realizes if there was such a thing as a tension gage the manufacture would have used a tension gage that is marked off in tensions.

F. Guffey

[cbr9290318]

I was able to get the RCBS short base die at Sportsman's today... sized a few fresh out of the box cases and yes(!) totally resolved the issue. I ordered a case gauge today and will check from now on as well as do some testing on my FL resizing as suggested as well once I have some time. Thanks for the help! I've been reloading for 5 years but never had the need for short base dies so truthfully I didn't know they existed.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[5.56Geo]

I was able to get the RCBS short base die at Sportsman's today... sized a few fresh out of the box cases and yes(!) totally resolved the issue. I ordered a case gauge today and will check from now on as well as do some testing on my FL resizing as suggested as well once I have some time. Thanks for the help! I've been reloading for 5 years but never had the need for short base dies so truthfully I didn't know they existed.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Wonderful, all is well that ends well!

Perhaps the chamber of your rifle is on the smaller side of specs and dies you were using on the larger side.

[pacrat]

I was able to get the RCBS short base die at Sportsman's today... sized a few fresh out of the box cases and yes(!) totally resolved the issue. I ordered a case gauge today and will check from now on as well as do some testing on my FL resizing as suggested as well once I have some time.
Thanks for the help! I've been reloading for 5 years but never had the need for short base dies so truthfully I didn't know they existed.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

A bit late in the discussion, since you already ordered a piece of steel with a hole in it [gage] to test QC. But will explain "HOLES" anyway.

NOT ALL HOLES ARE CREATED EQUAL. Holes are made to a +/- tolerance.

[1]...Rifle chamber is a HOLE. [2]...Original FL die is a HOLE. [3]...SB sizing die is a slightly smaller than standard FL die HOLE. [4]...Gage is a HOLE.

Unless/Until proven that the HOLE in the gage is SAME or slightly smaller then the HOLE in the chamber. It is just an expensive steel paperweight with a HOLE in it.

In many instances due to this inescapable fact of [+/-] tolerance. Many newer reloaders come here and ask.

Why does my ammo fit my "gage" but not my firearm?

I've been reloading for 5 years but never had the need for short SMALL base dies so truthfully I didn't know they existed.

I've been reloading 50 yrs, and never needed a "gage".

JM2C

[cbr9290318]

A bit late in the discussion, since you already ordered a piece of steel with a hole in it [gage] to test QC. But will explain "HOLES" anyway.



NOT ALL HOLES ARE CREATED EQUAL. Holes are made to a +/- tolerance.



[1]...Rifle chamber is a HOLE. [2]...Original FL die is a HOLE. [3]...SB sizing die is a slightly smaller than standard FL die HOLE. [4]...Gage is a HOLE.



Unless/Until proven that the HOLE in the gage is SAME or slightly smaller then the HOLE in the chamber. It is just an expensive steel paperweight with a HOLE in it.



In many instances due to this inescapable fact of [+/-] tolerance. Many newer reloaders come here and ask.











I've been reloading 50 yrs, and never needed a "gage".



JM2C

Fair enough. Thank you!

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[N21911S]

You might check the rims on the hard to chamber/extract cases for being bent forward slightly. To me that appears to be the case at the top of the rim in the picture. I've noticed it before on once fired FC cases.

[Che762x39]

Hoping for a little wisdom here. I have about 2,000 .308 cases that were "once fired" ...

.308 is also 7.62 NATO and I got a great deal on 'once fired' but it was military surplus and it was fired in a M-60 Machine Gun and even with Small Base dies I still had problem pieces. I had a L1A1 rifle and it had a problem with that brass.