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first load fail

hue001t

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 9, 2009
192
0
38
jacksonville,NC/middletown CT
after making my first load i tried loading some rounds and some rounds i wouldent be able to fully close the bolt and then would have to hit the bolt open where as other rounds loaded up fine?
 
Re: first load fail

Did you trim. What is your length of the casing? What about oal? What caliber?
 
Re: first load fail

Give us some more specifics. What dies? Caliber, brass, FL sizing, neck sizing? Thats a VERY vague post and I'm not sure there was a question in there anyway.

I had a similar thing happen when I was loading my 1st set of .308s with a Redding Match S-Type neck die (see my other thread for details). The readers digest version is that the decapping ball was slightly too big for the case mouths and was was stretching the shoulder on the downstroke as the ball was trying to slide out of the sized neck. Problem was solved when I swapped the expander ball for the decapping pin retainer which wouldn't touch the inside of the necks on the way out.
 
Re: first load fail

7mm rem mag 3.29in oal 2.5 in brass length, i did not trim the brass has been fired through the rifle once before. sorry that i was vague i wasent sure if it was an obvious problem that i woulda just felt like an idiot for.
 
Re: first load fail

Full length resize vs. neck resize? Is your chamber match grade vs. SAAMI?

Another reason to think about also is the bulging of the case right above the belt. I have similar issue with my 300 WM. Depending on how hot you load, after 2-3 reloads, there is a bulge just above the belt and that will make it difficult, if not impossible to chamber it. May want to measure the diameter of the casing after fire and after resize.
 
Re: first load fail

Sounds like you need to resize them again, bumping the shoulder back. That and trim. I have found new brass to be from 2.40 to 2.55 from the same batch. I always size and trim new brass. Never assume.
 
Re: first load fail

You have 3 possible issues.

1. Your base to shoulder dimension is too long creating a headspace issue.
2. Your neck is too long.
3. Your cases are too wide and were not properly resized to fit into your chamber.

These can all be solved by a full length sizing die with proper headspace adjustment and neck width. Understanding this process is critical to developing safe and reliable ammo. I will refer you to your die instructions for how to properly setup your full length sizer die.
 
Re: first load fail

well i just got back from the range where every round i took fired ( i left 4 back that i tried cambering earlier) all 60 rounds fired perfectly and i had my best group Ive ever had (I'm new to shooting) so all in all i was pleased with the load i will however check all the things you all listed ty for the help!
 
Re: first load fail

it shot great i shot those 154 SST i showed you that day did'nt measure any of the 5 shot groups but i shot last 14 at on point and had separation of 1.58 inch which i know for other people that's not good at all but you saw me last week so i was really happy with it and normally i shoot with a bag under butt stock which i left home so i think i would have done better with that as well. ill try to put up pic in a min!
 
Re: first load fail

Dies are notorius for being chambered too deep thusly the shoulder of cases are not "bumped" back to get them back into the dimension that will allow them to size to "unfired condition".
Assuming you have run your die down until you contact the case holder and you are not sizing enough there is a cure for this which is to chuck up the FL die inh a lathe and take off about .015" from bottom of die. Generally you only need to take off .005 to .010" but I have had to take off .015" on a couple. I have about 51 sets of dies and I estimate I have had to take material off about 1/4th of them ! ! ! !

Next you need a L.W. Wilson case gage for the caliber you are using and adjust your dies so the sized case is below the top shelf on the back and above the bottom shelf. This gage will also show you how your OAL of the case is doing.

If you really want to go first class get a MO Gage and you can custom set your sizer to where you only bump back should .001" to .002" and thus increase the life of your cases by not overworking your brass.

On my long range rifles I headspace at ZERO and I use reamers made to my specs which on 308 is .468" base dimension and .339/.340 neck dimension. This keeps base swelling for LC cases to .001" and commercial cases to .003". On LC cases the necks will open perhaps .001" and commercial cases .003".

Fired cases on a Mo Gage show shoulder movement at .001" to .002". Thusly on the majority of my rifles the brass only moves .002" in any direction thusly the brass is not overworked.
With these chambers you can reload LC brass well over a hundred times.
This is all based on the theory of "if it don't move much on firing you don't move much on sizing".
I have one 30.06 case (LC 63 Match) that has been loaded 157 times and still ready for more.
 
Re: first load fail

thanx for the lesson hummer! Its nice to be able to learn from what other people have done before. yes this was a 100yd target like i said before im not braging by any means i realize most people here could put all 14 those shots on a dime sized target but i was just saying i was happy i shot my own load for the first time and was happy im improving from one day to the next.
 
Re: first load fail

you are on the right track and the only stupid question is one you don't ask !

Congrats and welcome to the world of reloading..

want to get real frustrated ... buy a Chronograph.
cry.gif
 
Re: first load fail

lol well im leaving to go overseas for 7 mo so im not quite going to pull my hair out just yet but it will be on top of my list for when i return.

and i wish i did ask every time i had a question but i like to read and give it a try so far so good!