First day trying new reloads

[Deadon]

I finally got some rounds made on my new Hornady AP. I made 100 rounds of 5.7x28 and 90 rounds of 308. First up was the .308. I loaded one into my Tikka .308 and the bolt slid forward nice and easy. I went to lock down the bolt and it was super tough, it didnt want to close. So I stopped right there. I spoke with a guy at the range and he said it might of been that my die wasnt hitting the shell place. He thought I was maybe a 1/8 inch off. Hard lesson to learn! Now I have to pull 90 bullets, any tips,lol.
Next up was the FiveSeven. I loaded them up in my pistol and they shot great! This was the load I was worried about. Ive heard its such a pain in the arse to load. No problem at all!
Next up Im going to use the case drop and load 223 rounds the fast way and see what this machine can do. I like the powder cop that Hornady has. Its nice for a newb and gives you some piece of mind. Anyway its a cool new Hobby and Im glad I started. Lots to learn This site has been a big help, thanks guys

[joelogic]

Are you using a case gauge when you are setting your die? I always use a case gauge and chamber check it before I load a batch.

[Ahhnother8]

I loaded one into my Tikka .308 and the bolt slid forward nice and easy. I went to lock down the bolt and it was super tough, it didnt want to close.

When setting up any die: size a case, wipe it off, drop it into the chamber of the gun and close the bolt, then adjust accordingly. There is no better "chamber gauge"!!

[GeoffLinder]

Get the LE Wilson ammo gauge and follow it's instructions on comparing a fired unsized case from THAT rifle with a sized case.

You don't need very much shoulder setback for bolt rifles if any at all. You need 2-3 thousandths for semi-auto's. The LE Wilson gauge allows you to measure shoulder setback after sizing compared to a fired unsized case.

[freonr22]

dont forget to check if your brass needs trimming. Congrats on the lnl!

[bruceflinch]

Where are you at Deadon? Pulling 90 bullets is no problem for a Rockchucker w/ a bullet pulling tool. I'm in Contra Costa Co, near USI.

[rsrocket1]

Even with the RCBS hammer puller, it's less than an hour. Just sit on your garage floor and use the concrete pad as your whacking platform.

First find a loaded cartridge that won't let you close the bolt on. Pull the bullet and measure the empty case with calipers. Is it less than max? If not, it's time for a case trimming session.

If the length is OK:
Check the base diameter against a factory cartridge. Did you resize it far enough?

If the sizing is OK:
Take a dry erase marker and completely "color" the case and try to close the bolt on it. Take the case out and see where the marker has rubbed off. If it's the shoulder, then you need to bump it back a little more with the FL sizing die.

I had bolt closing problems with my first .308 reloads and the problem was with the case length. FL sizing grew them by nearly 0.005". Trimming them back fixed everything. After that, I only needed to neck size the next several reloadings.

Once you pull the bullets, you might want to run the cases through a collet neck sizing die to restore the tension in the neck. In any case you would probably have to deprime them anyway for trimming/FL resizing or bumping back the neck.