What did I do wrong???

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I picked up a Lee 50th kit and have done up a few rounds.

I am using 168gr Nosler BT with H4350. I am in the tolerance for overall case length and have played with different seating depths.

When I try to cycle these rounds the bolt won't fully close and half of them need to be pushed out with a cleaning rod.

What have I done wrong??? and yes this is my first time reloading.

Thank you for any help.
 
Basically you need to recheck everything.
Are cases trimmed to right length?
Are there rifling marks on the bullet when you push it out?
Try chambering an empty brass, does it chamber, if not you are not setting the shoulder back enough.
Neck sized or FL resized?

Don't get discouraged above all:)
 
Pretty sure your shell holder doesn't fully contact the die when you press the brass.

With the brass on the shell holder it should make full contact with the die just like in this picture
IMG_3610.jpg


I noticed a lot of beginners make this mistake. I did it my friends did it ...
 
I made a dummy round and sooted the bullet and there is rifling marks in the soot.
Click to expand...

Then you need to seat your bullet deeper.It sounds like you didn't bother measuring the distance to the lands in order to determine a proper seating depth.
 
"...rifling marks in the soot..." OAL is too long.
The cases fired out of your rifle? Virgin brass? Bolt action or semi? Brass fired out of another rifle or virgin brass needs to be full length(FL) resized. Semi-autos require FL resizing every time.
"...Is that a big difference?..." Only if you're very close to the rifling. 4 thou isn't a lot.
"...measure the distance from the lands..." Make a DP cartridge with a slightly loose bullet. Chamber it then back off 10 thou or so.
"...use Lee Loaders..." The 'Classic' Lee Loader? They neck size only. S'ok, but you can't use 'em for a semi-auto or with once fired brass not fired out of your rifle. They can be used to load good ammo, but lose the scoops and use a scale. The scoops can vary the powder charge plus or minus a full grain. Takes a bit of fiddling to get the OAL right too.
 
sunray said:
"...rifling marks in the soot..." OAL is too long.
The cases fired out of your rifle? Virgin brass? Bolt action or semi? Brass fired out of another rifle or virgin brass needs to be full length(FL) resized. Semi-autos require FL resizing every time.
"...Is that a big difference?..." Only if you're very close to the rifling. 4 thou isn't a lot.
"...measure the distance from the lands..." Make a DP cartridge with a slightly loose bullet. Chamber it then back off 10 thou or so.
"...use Lee Loaders..." The 'Classic' Lee Loader? They neck size only. S'ok, but you can't use 'em for a semi-auto or with once fired brass not fired out of your rifle. They can be used to load good ammo, but lose the scoops and use a scale. The scoops can vary the powder charge plus or minus a full grain. Takes a bit of fiddling to get the OAL right too.
Click to expand...

What he said. Must follow all the steps and the biggest one with the Lee Loader is that it will only work on brass fired in your rifle. And, yes, ditch the scoop. My accuracy was poor until I started weighing. A grain +/- really messes with a group.
 
Thank you for all the tips guys,
I figured I should put in some more info...

This is my first time reloading, I am reloading for a 30-06. The rifle is a Savage bolt action. The brass is all once fired.
Thank you for posting that picture "volks". My main problem was that I didn't understand that the die that pops the spent primer out also resizes the brass. I did not have the die low enough for it to do it's job.
I went out last night and now have a case lube pad, brushes for cleaning the neck, a hand primer and a proper manual to study.
I full-length resized a few pieces last night but they still won't feed into the rifle, this is with no primer, powder, or bullet. I can't close the bolt. I am guessing that I need to adjust the die until I find the sweet spot.
The other loads that I did up, even though they don't feed. I was using a balance beam scale for every load.

Trial and error, trial and error.......

I'm not getting discouraged, still having lots of fun.

Thanks for the help
 
I full-length resized a few pieces last night but they still won't feed into the rifle, this is with no primer, powder, or bullet. I can't close the bolt. I am guessing that I need to adjust the die until I find the sweet spot.
Click to expand...

Adjust the dies according to the instructions that came with them.If the brass won't chamber when the die is properly adjusted,they likely won't ever chamber in that gun without ruining a die or shell holder by modifying it.

Was the once fired brass originally fired in the gun that you are trying to chamber them in?If not,that is your problem.If the once fired brass was fired in a sloppy chamber,the cases are stretched too much for your die to properly resize them for use in your gun.Once fired brass are not always a good deal,because they can't always be used in all guns.

And that still doesn't solve the issue with rifling marks on the bullets that you attempted to chamber.That is another issue that you need to resolve by seating the bullets deeper.
 
If I can make you a very good suggestion

51yRjI88NWL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


This is the beginners- expert reloading bible. Amazon will delivery it to your door in less than 48h

Have fun and enjoy very tight groups
 
stubblejumper said:
Adjust the dies according to the instructions that came with them.If the brass won't chamber when the die is properly adjusted,they likely won't ever chamber in that gun without ruining a die or shell holder by modifying it.

Was the once fired brass originally fired in the gun that you are trying to chamber them in?If not,that is your problem.If the once fired brass was fired in a sloppy chamber,the cases are stretched too much for your die to properly resize them for use in your gun.Once fired brass are not always a good deal,because they can't always be used in all guns.
Click to expand...

That may be my problem. Over the last 2 years I have had 3 different 30-06's. I guess I might have to go buy new brass???
 
That may be my problem. Over the last 2 years I have had 3 different 30-06's. I guess I might have to go buy new brass???
Click to expand...

Good idea.If you have more than one gun in the same chambering,keep the brass separated by gun.
 
You might want to call in some reinforcements.

Where on the island are you; putting out a call for assistance might not hurt. Either that or start back at step 1 and read and understand each step. You may (and I stress may) have something very wrong at a very basic level. You have a 30-06 rifle. Do you have 30-06 brass? and 30-06 dies? As has been said, check everything.

One plan is to try the brass you have in your rifle before sizing. Chamber a half dozen rounds of fired, unsized, not deprimed brass; just like you picked it up after firing. If it chambers fine, go to the next step.
 
ipscgraz said:
You might want to call in some reinforcements.

Where on the island are you; putting out a call for assistance might not hurt. Either that or start back at step 1 and read and understand each step. You may (and I stress may) have something very wrong at a very basic level. You have a 30-06 rifle. Do you have 30-06 brass? and 30-06 dies? As has been said, check everything.

One plan is to try the brass you have in your rifle before sizing. Chamber a half dozen rounds of fired, unsized, not deprimed brass; just like you picked it up after firing. If it chambers fine, go to the next step.
Click to expand...



+1 - Whereabouts are you located on the Island ?
 
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