Some of my 308 handloads "chamber really hard", any ideas where Im messing up?

[atracksler]

OK, I have a Tikka T3 Lite in 308.

Most (90%) of my reloads chamber just fine and its shoots great.

about 10% chamber kinda hard, and by that I mean that the bolt is tough to get down (like a moisin), one round yesterday just felt stuck and i couldnt get the bolt up or down and had to hit it REALLY hard to get it up and out. I threw the round away, so I didnt measure it.

I usually do a full cartridge resize, then neck resize and prime.

Would overall case length be a culprit? Is it something else.....

Please reloading gurus, you are my only hope </princess lea>

 

[EddieCoyle]

It sounds like a headspace issue. You're not pushing the shoulder back far enough during sizing.

I bet you're using brass that was not originally fired in your rifle.

ETA: Why do you neck size after FL sizing? Are you FL sizing with a shoulder die?

 

[atracksler]

I'm using the Lee 3 die set. I think the FL die was first in the box, (ie furthest to the left) which is why...

That brass may have not been fired in my rifle first...

Should I neck size first?

Thanks,ad

 

[EddieCoyle]

If you full-length size using a regular full-length sizing die, you shouldn't have to neck size. Can you post a link to the set of dies that you're using?

They might've included a neck sizing die in case you want to neck size instead of full-length sizing.

 

[SJan]

If the above die mix up isn't the reason, it could simply be some primers are not completely seated. You said it was happening only about 10%

 

[EddieCoyle]

It's probably a headspace problem. A bolt will easily seat a primer.

I don't even think it's a die mix-up. His FL sizing die isn't set low enough to push the shoulder back sufficiently for his rifle.
I'm going to guess that he has the Lee Deluxe set (yellow box) which comes with both FL and neck sizing dies, and you can use one or the other. You don't need both. The OP obviously needs the FL die, but he hasn't set it up correctly.

Any case that was fired by your rifle will fit even if you don't push back the shoulder during sizing. That's why I asked if the cases came from a different rifle. I'm going to guess that some of the brass came from your rifle, and some of it was random stuff from other rifles. Any cases that were fired in a different rifle have been fireformed to the chamber of that rifle. If the chamber of that rifle is longer than the chamber of your rifle, and you don't bump the shoulder back with the FL sizing die, you'll end up with a round that won't chamber.

 

[atracksler]

The die set is the Lee Deluxe die set
Neck sizing collet, dead length bullet seater, & Full Length Sizing Die

90614

 

[DukeInFlorida]

You could also be trying to CRIMP the bullet into place.

There's no need to crimp the bullet.

If you do crimp the bullet, and over-set the die, you will collapse the neck, causing the shoulder to expand.
Use your caliper, and see if you have an expanded case.

No need to crimp bullets into place.

I recommend tightening the bullet seating die until you just touch the brass (zero crimp), and then lock it into place. Then, adjust the bullet seating portion of the die until you get to where you need to be.

 

[NavelOfficer]

One of these gages will verify proper case sizing before you do anything and after you do everything. It sure beats heading off to the range and finding your reloads are NG.
http://lewilson.com/casegage.html
They are much cheaper through most online sites and in common calibers, you can buy similar gages from Lyman.

 

[atracksler]

I looked at my spent cases, and I think I did not have the full size resizer tightened down enough....I tightened it, and ran all the cases back through it, now I dont have to neck resize afterwards, and the random sample I checked all seemed to chamber well.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I looked at my spent cases, and I think I did not have the full size resizer tightened down enough....I tightened it, and ran all the cases back through it, now I dont have to neck resize afterwards, and the random sample I checked all seemed to chamber well.

Nice.

Once you fire those rounds from your rifle (I assume it's a bolt action) you won't have to full-length resize them again for a while. You can switch to the neck sizer die. Just make sure you only use the cases fried from your rifle. Keep in mind that if you neck size them the next time you reload them, you'll only be able to fire them in the same rifle that last shot them.

 

[NavelOfficer]

That's generally the issue (as EC mentioned above).
The case gage is a tool that can be used at the reloading bench while adjusting your sizer die and not requiring you to chamber the sized cases in your rifle. Both methods will work, of course.
The gage gives you a means to check overall lenth of your brass (as do calipers), verifies proper shoulder spacing and can detect deformities on the rim and mouth, if you insert the respective ends of the case into the respective ends of the gage.
Fired brass can be checked before you do any decapping, sizing etc. Oftentimes, fired brass from your rifle will slip into the gage as instructed to reveal that you need only neck-size to obtain standardized case specs. and proper chambering in your rifle.

Also, if you bump the shoulder back too far, how do you know?
Again, case gage. You may be able to determine this by dropping a reloaded cartridge into the rifle chmber and see how deep it seats, but the gage is much handier.
Here's the scenario: Even a .308 Win (nominal case length: 51mm) will fire in a 7.5x55mm Swiss K31 rifle (I read of someone who did this without knowing anything was wrong until he scavenged his brass). In most cases, you'll never bump a .308 Win. shoulder back that far to give you this extreme situation in your Tika. If you dropped the .308 Win into the K31 chamber (not chambered via working the bolt), it would virtually disappear from view. As long as the extractor holds the .308 Win against the K31 bolt face, it will ignite when fired, resulting in very short-necked fired brass.
In short, read the instructions linked to in the LE Wilson website above.

 

[inerlogic]

http://lewilson.com/casegage.html

"Such an error is impossible with the type die we make but isn't hard to make with many of the common threaded dies."

wow.. passive-aggressive much?

 

[NavelOfficer]

Well, I can't speak to their sales and marketing methods, but the tool is definitely handy.

 

[EddieCoyle]

A gage is better than nothing, but I much prefer to measure headspace using something like this:

http://www.hornady.com/store/Lock-N-Load-Headspace-Kit-With-Body-1-Each

or this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/574297/rcbs-precision-mic-308-winchester

 

[Fixxah]

If the above die mix up isn't the reason, it could simply be some primers are not completely seated. You said it was happening only about 10%

And if this ends up being the culprit, disassemble the rounds BEFORE trying to seat the primer even further. Otherwise, nothing good can come of it.

 

[MisterHappy]

Nice.

Once you fire those rounds from your rifle (I assume it's a bolt action) you won't have to full-length resize them again for a while. You can switch to the neck sizer die. Just make sure you only use the cases fried from your rifle. Keep in mind that if you neck size them the next time you reload them, you'll only be able to fire them in the same rifle that last shot them.

Thanks for posting that, EC.

My forte is shotshell, not metallic, but I had always been under the impression that if one had one rifle, the FL resize was generally suprefluous.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Thanks for posting that, EC.

My forte is shotshell, not metallic, but I had always been under the impression that if one had one rifle, the FL resize was generally suprefluous.

It is to a point. Even if you use the rounds in the same rifle, after a few firings, they're going to start to chamber hard and they'll need to be FL sized.

Also, I've found the accuracy to be slightly better with FL (as opposed to neck) sized rounds for most rifles.

 

[wiskie762]

I'm using the Lee 3 die set.

there is your issue right there. I used lee dies until I started reloading rifle my lee dies would not keep a constancy for .223 or .308. I had the same issue with a savage model 10 in 308. then i bough a set of dillon dies and the problem went away.

 

[terrapin88]

I was having the same issue as the OP using Lee FL on my CO-AX loading 30-06 for a Garand and an '03a3. I hadn't loaded any 30-06 rounds in a year or so, and assumed my die was still set properly when I slipped it into the CO-AX. I had trouble chambering in both rifles. I pulled the bullets, reset the FL die lower and resized them all. Problem solved.