I'm at wits end and need help. I have a brand new (100 rounds) custom built (very reputable builder) 243. I am shooting lapua brass (new) with 87g Scenars. some of my brass wont load, a lot of it loads snug, some loads great. I've had to knock out brass a couple times that wouldn't eject after firing (others with the same load eject fine, so its not a hot load-each round is weighed individually). I've resized my brass with different dies (RCBS, Redding) and it doesn't seem to make any difference. I've even tried to resize the tight brass (FL) and then load it empty and its still snug. What is going on, and how do I fix it. thanks in advance. if there is a better thread for this. let me know.
- Thread starter heydavemd
- Start date
You may have a small/tight chamber, may be a candidate for a small base die. Another possibility is that your necks are too thick, depends on what reamer your smith used to cut the chamber. You may need to try another brand of brass or turn your necks.
Last edited:
if the necks were too thick, would it still stick if I tried to lad it with empty brass. if its a tight chamber, can it be reamed by a smith?
I would start with something simple and if you have access to some factory loads see how they chamber. If factory rounds are tight then I'd probably just have the builder take a quick look at it. Your smith will probably be able to give you the best guidance as he knows what reamer he used and all of the associated specs.
Will a bullet slip into the neck of a fired case? If so then your problem is not in the neck. You might try coloring the case with some Dykem or even a sharpie to see where it is rubbing but your best bet would be to have your smith do a chamber cast and then do some measuring.
The first thing to do is to stop loading rounds and get in there and figure out what is causing the problem. This may (and probably will) require high precision measuring tools.
Start by seeing if the bolt closes with absolutely no pressure. In fact there should be a good couple of thou between the bolt face and the chamber starting position (Mauser actions not included.) So if the bolt closes and cycles smoothly, proceed.
Next, take out the ejector from the bolt, and with fresh unsized cases from the box (unprimed, unpowdered, no bullet) and see if these fit in the chamber.
{You can use live factory ammo, but you have to take out the firing pin from the bolt first.......along with the ejector, and keep the gun pointed away from anything you don't wish to be destroyed.}
See if some fit and others do not, and bin them into {don't fit, barely fit, and fit easily}. Fresh cases from a box should NEVER have a chambering problem unless the chamber is very tight.
Now get out the tools to measure the shoulder position--compare the 3 sets of brass to see where the breakpoint is.
You are looking for something as small as 0.001" so measure carefully, and measure several times after rotating the case in the tool.
If you can determine it is not the shoulder <length> position but the body diameter, then it is likely that the chamber is too tight diametrically. You can verify by using a 4 digit micrometer to measure the body diameters on the 3 sets of cases. 4 digits is 1/10 of a thou; smaller than can be accurately read on a dial indicator (well most of them anyway.) You can use the sharpie to blacken the case to determine where in the chamber problems are occurring.
So, lets say all this leads to nothing;
The next step is to take one of the cases from the fits easily group and press a bullet into it. Measure neck diameter before and after. Then see if it also fits after the bullet is seated. The neck could be too tight. You can verify by blackening the case with a sharpie and see where in the chamber the limitation is coming from.
Find out what is going on before loading any more ammo, please.
If the chamber is too tight, it probably just needs to be kissed with a finishing reamer to set it right.
Start by seeing if the bolt closes with absolutely no pressure. In fact there should be a good couple of thou between the bolt face and the chamber starting position (Mauser actions not included.) So if the bolt closes and cycles smoothly, proceed.
Next, take out the ejector from the bolt, and with fresh unsized cases from the box (unprimed, unpowdered, no bullet) and see if these fit in the chamber.
{You can use live factory ammo, but you have to take out the firing pin from the bolt first.......along with the ejector, and keep the gun pointed away from anything you don't wish to be destroyed.}
See if some fit and others do not, and bin them into {don't fit, barely fit, and fit easily}. Fresh cases from a box should NEVER have a chambering problem unless the chamber is very tight.
Now get out the tools to measure the shoulder position--compare the 3 sets of brass to see where the breakpoint is.
You are looking for something as small as 0.001" so measure carefully, and measure several times after rotating the case in the tool.
If you can determine it is not the shoulder <length> position but the body diameter, then it is likely that the chamber is too tight diametrically. You can verify by using a 4 digit micrometer to measure the body diameters on the 3 sets of cases. 4 digits is 1/10 of a thou; smaller than can be accurately read on a dial indicator (well most of them anyway.) You can use the sharpie to blacken the case to determine where in the chamber problems are occurring.
So, lets say all this leads to nothing;
The next step is to take one of the cases from the fits easily group and press a bullet into it. Measure neck diameter before and after. Then see if it also fits after the bullet is seated. The neck could be too tight. You can verify by blackening the case with a sharpie and see where in the chamber the limitation is coming from.
Find out what is going on before loading any more ammo, please.
If the chamber is too tight, it probably just needs to be kissed with a finishing reamer to set it right.
Mitch gave you great advice!
I bought a custom 300 WM back in the day and factory ammo would not close in the chamber. It wasn't that it would get stuck, it just wouldn't even close. $80 later Gander Mountain (we have a VERY competent smith at the one by me) had opened it just a hair with a finishing reamer and I was off and shooting 3/4 MOA with my factory Hornady ammo.
My 338 lapua sticks, but that's just on shitty brass like Herters and S&B, etc. Sounds like Mitch has pointed you in the right direction.
I bought a custom 300 WM back in the day and factory ammo would not close in the chamber. It wasn't that it would get stuck, it just wouldn't even close. $80 later Gander Mountain (we have a VERY competent smith at the one by me) had opened it just a hair with a finishing reamer and I was off and shooting 3/4 MOA with my factory Hornady ammo.
My 338 lapua sticks, but that's just on shitty brass like Herters and S&B, etc. Sounds like Mitch has pointed you in the right direction.
Thanks for all the responses. Unfortunately, my smith got stolen by Surgeon, and isn't available, so I'm off to a new one with this info in hand.
