new reloader question ???

[mh2291]

hello i m new reloader on my 308win rifle . i don know why every time i use the reload bullet . when i load the bullet in the chamber it is very hard to push the bolt down ( i m using bolt action rifle ) . it is somthing wrong in my relaoding prodecure or i miss some step . please help

[domokun]

Did you check to see if your press is setup properly so it's resizing the brass correctly? How is the OAL of the round after it's completed? Does the dimensions of the round match what is shown in the reloading manual?

[Fjold]

The most common mistakes when you begin reloading are:

1.) not adjusting the sizing die down enough for the press to "cam over" at the bottom of the stroke. Take an empty resized case and see if the bolt closes easily on it. If it does, then you're resizing the case enough, or slightly more than needed. If the bolt doesn't close easily, screw your sizing die down a quarter turn at a time until it does.

2. adjusting the seating die just like the sizing die. If you screw the seating die just like you did the sizing die then you're doing it wrong. After you get the sizing die adjusted correctly (above), place a sized die in the shell holder and pull the handle all the way down so the ram is all the way up. Unscrew the seating plug almost all the way out of the die and then screw the seating die in until you feel the die touch the mouth of the empty case. Now unscrew the seating die one full turn. (if the seating die is screwed in to far it will hit the case mouth as you seat the bullet and cause the shoulder of the case to bulge slightly making it hard to chamber the round.
Now prime the re-sized case, put your powder charge in and put the charged case back in the shell holder. Place a bullet in the mouth of the case, raise the ram and screw the bullet seating plug in. While raising and lowering the ram keep adjusting the seating plug in until you get the bullet seated to the desired overall length.