Hard secondary extraction in 308 win

[7magsavage]

I have had some brass lately get really hard to extract. I have been reloading for nearly ten years and have never had this problem before. The live round chambers easily, the bolt lifts easily, but on some cases Im having to set the rifle on its butt and bang the bolt open with my rear bag. Im not running hot loads. Any suggestions?

Steve

 

[Supersubes]

I have had some brass lately get really hard to extract. I have been reloading for nearly ten years and have never had this problem before. The live round chambers easily, the bolt lifts easily, but on some cases Im having to set the rifle on its butt and bang the bolt open with my rear bag. Im not running hot loads. Any suggestions?

Steve

What rifle? Custom? Is this a new problem for this rifle, where it previously functioned properly? Sounds like a Remington 700 with the all too characteristic non-functioning extractor cam.

 

[Sheldon N]

Agree with Supersubes guess too about lack of primary extraction on the bolt lift. Probably the issues in these two videos, combining to give you problems.

 

[7magsavage]

Thank you guys for the replies. Im thinking that my die is not sizing my brass all the way down the case. Just watched the videos and I haven't measured my brass yet, but I nearly guarantee this is my problem. I have noticed that the cases that are hard to extract are coming out with score marks in a ring just forward of the web area. I am wondering if buying a small base die is the solution. What are your thoughts?

 

[918v]

You need to measure your fired cases vs sized to know for sure. Small base dies are only .001” tighter than std.

 

[DAVETOOLEY]

I have to ask. Has this brass ever been fired in a different rifle?

 

[Pvt.Donut]

First, make sure you're full length sizing. If you're just neck sizing that could cause the issue after several firings. Double check the length as well, possibly you ned to trim your brass.

 

[DAVETOOLEY]

First, make sure you're full length sizing. If you're just neck sizing that could cause the issue after several firings. Double check the length as well, possibly you ned to trim your brass.

It dawned on me this morning that he was using a Lee collet die. He's not FL sizing.

 

[7magsavage]

To answer a few questions: this brass (all Lapua) has only been fired in this rifle. I have full length sized the brass and even tried screwing it down further in the press to get further down the case, but the shoulders were bumped way too far. Im thinking that my chamber may have been cut with a dull reamer? The brass worked fine until about the third firing.

 

[918v]

So measure the body diameter before and after firing

 

[918v]

What load are you using, how close to the lands?

 

[7magsavage]

I am running 43.6grains of Varget under 150 Scenars, and 44 grains of Varget under 140 ELDMs. Jumping 15 thou

 

[918v]

140 eld-m in the 308?

 

[7magsavage]

Shit. I meant 178ELDMs.
The 140s are for the 6.5.

 

[918v]

The 178 load is too hot. In my rifle, 175RDFs with 43.5grs of Varget stick 5x fired Hornady match cases and they have more capacity than Lapua. It doesn’t matter if I resize with a small base die. They stick. It must be something with that lot of Varget. They’re doing 2730 from a 26” barrel.

 

[7magsavage]

I had a hot load that I abandoned with the Scenars. They were SCREAMING! But I was getting a couple heavy bolt lifts so I aborted. But maybe the powder lit is a little different as you mentioned.
I just loaded some 178ELDM last night with the Varget dropped to 42.4gr. I’ll see what that does tomorrow evening.

 

[7magsavage]

UPDATE

So I figured I would try a small base die to see if that could cure my problem. I measured the case just forward of the web area both before and after sizing with the small base die. It appeared to size this are of the case one thousandth smaller. Chambered the brass and it ran like butter. No problems anywhere. Bolt opened and case extracted like virgin brass.
This got me to thinking, I had about 400 pieces of Lapua 308 brass from my first barrel in the basement that would not allow the body to close on my new barrel. I saved them thinking that one day I may have a use for them. I ran a few of these cases through the small base die and they too now chamber and operate perfectly.

 

[Doom]

Glad to here it been resolved!

 

[7magsavage]

truly amazing what a difference 0.001 inches make.