Gunsmithing Bolt issue?
- Thread starter crunchy
- Start date
Thanks for the update! Glad to hear they figured it out quickly. So, I wonder if you had the seating due screwed in too far such that the die was causing a crimp or pushing on the neck?
That is what they said, and I confirmed it today. I measured the rest of my dummy rounds and averaged 318 to 320. I guess when I started seating them deeper that made the problem worse. So I pulled all the bullets, lubed and resized. 313 on the money. I charged, and seated bullets this time backing off the seating die a good 1/2-3/4 turn. Seated the bullet and they are on the money 313-314.
I claim "close". I have a $1 so I will buy myself a cup of coffee
"The bolt doesn't close with a seated bullet. Either the bullet is hitting something or the bullet expanded the neck too much and the neck of the round won't fit into the chamber. "
Check is in the mail or should I paypal??
You said the neck expanded from .313 to .318 when you seated the bullet. Apparently your brass was longer than the end of the seater. When you lowered the press handle, the brass hit the end of the die and folded or rolled over. Depending on the seater die, some are designed to crimp the bullet, others not. Some crimp using a long cone so the mouth of the case is gradually pressed into the bullet. Lee collet dies work sort of like this. If you had this type, the case mouth would not expand. Other dies roll the case mouth into the bullet. Just a guess, I suspect that you have one of the "roll the case mouth into the bullet" kind and, because you screwed the seater "plenty" far, there was plenty of case mouth so as you seated the bullet it rolled over, contacted the bullet, and made a ring. Or something like that?
Assuming that you haven't already reconfigured your seater, sort through your brass and find the longest one. Set up your seater the way you always did and run that piece of brass into the die without a bullet. Pull it out and look at the case mouth, you should see a ring of brass. Suppose there had been a bullet in there. When the die rolled the case mouth into the bullet and then you pushed harder it would have pushed that "case mouth ring" down toward the primer and radially out even further and there would be your .318.
Back out your seater die so the case mouth doesn't hit the end of the die and then make the seater stem longer (screw it deeper into the die) in order to get the COAL you want. Ideally your die will have a lock ring with a set screw. If you don't have one like that, you can buy them from Brownells and lots of other places for a few bucks. Loktite that set screw and tighten it down then this won't happen again. That should sound like the voice of experience.
What you described is exactly right. I was just too slow to recognize it as the cause. My die does have a lock ring with that stupid set screw that pushes into the die threads. Never like using that but know I see I should have. I have since looked and saw I think Hornady makes a better lock ring. I will be ordering for all my dies.
