basic reloading help needed??

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jr.fish

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im just starting out loading for my 22-250 and am having a problem getting the empty cases to load into my gun. i am able to push the bolt all the way ahead but it wont go down much if any at all.
i have full length sized them and that didnt help.
so i started trimming one case down to see if that would help. i started at the maximum length(1.912") and have trimed it down close to 1.85 and it still wont chamber in the gun.

the brass i got used from pro line shooters and was hoping i could just full length size it and form fire it to my gun and just neck size it down the road.

im realy not sure what to do now? can i still use the brass or is it no good to me?

any tips or info would be great
thanks
 
Have you tried re-sizing any other brass with your dies - possibly some fired in your gun or at least some from a different batch than the one you are now? It's not unheard of to need "extra" sizing if the brass being sized was fired in an oversized chamber and your die/shellholder combination won't push the shell in far enough.
 
I would try to chamber a commercial round or a new piece of brass. If that chambers, then I would take measurements of the new brass and the brass you re-sized. If there is a big difference, I would probably polish a little off of the top of shell-holder. That would allow the die to come down further and push the shoulder back a little more. Best I can tell you.
 
Buying used brass can open up a whole can of worms. If you are starting out get some factory rounds fire in your rifle and start from there. You only need to trim back to recomended case length, you may need to try a different shell holder or trim yours down with somebody elses brass. Make sure your shell holder is touching the die base and what denydart said as well, thats my two cents worth.
 
I have had this problem too with some used brass. Is your resizing die set correctly? I know I know dumb question but lots of times that is the case. even out by a thread or two can make the cases Bit@hy to chamber. The other thing to check is that your cases are trimmed correctly.... again simple stuff but its these often over looked steps that cause grief.

If you have done these steps and it still doesn't work try full length sizing a second time. what brand of dies and case lube are you using?
 
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Is your sizing die in firm contact with the shell holder when the ram is all the way up? For FL resizing with non-carbide dies, the die needs to be screwed down until it touches the shell holder and then turned in another 1/8 to 1/4 turn.
 
the die is set right and comes in contact with the shell holder with every stroke
i am using lee dies and rcbs lube(forget the type..in a small one oz bottle)
im have put a few more shells through the press and some of them come out perfect and fit in the chamber but others done...this happens with 2 different brands of cases-win/ww-super
il try to messure all the key spots on a good shell and compair it to a one that wont fit.
i was trying to save some money buying used brass but i guess its not that great of a buy...being on a extreamly tight budget as a student it seemed like a better idea
 
would it screw up the rest of my loading if i was to shave a bit off of my shell holder?
shout i get another one and only use to mod'd on for my FL sizing?
 
Ditch the Lee dies and get Reddings or Forster, if you want to pi55 around, make washer type shims from shim stock to use between case head and shell holder, that may force case into die another .010" or so, depending on slop. Another way is to slowly grind off the bottom of die until cases fit in rifle, this step shouldn't be necessary.
 
There is nothing wrong with Lee dies and you should not have to grind anything to make it work for you. When you mentioned that your using winchester brass..... this explains a lot. Winchester has some of the most inconsistent brass out there. This could be your only problem.

some other questions:
how do the cases feel when your sizing them? do you find them sticking at all in the sizing process?

if you can get them to chamber when you rotate the bolt is the brass getting scrubbed on the face of the case? (This will tell you that your brass is not trimmed properly)

have you checked the radius of the cases with calipers to make sure that they are uniform? Ie seater die set to low and when you seat the bullet it crushes the case slightly and this will cause them to stick. This is easy to do with the lee dies til you get used to them.

Keep at it though I am sure there is something simple that is being overlooked that is causing this problem. I'm certain that its not your equipment so don't ruin your shell holder or dies by grinding them.;)
 
would it screw up the rest of my loading if i was to shave a bit off of my shell holder?
Click to expand...

Don't ruin your shellholder,for the sake of some used brass.If the brass won't chamber with a properly adjusted FL sizing die,toss the brass,and call it a lesson learned.
 
ben hunchak said:
Ditch the Lee dies and get Reddings or Forster, if you want to pi55 around, make washer type shims from shim stock to use between case head and shell holder, that may force case into die another .010" or so, depending on slop. Another way is to slowly grind off the bottom of die until cases fit in rifle, this step shouldn't be necessary.
Click to expand...

Ben, it sounds to me like he may be pulling the shoulder back a bit, when the enlarger comes out of the neck. That's easy to do in a case like his, big body for diameter of neck.
Cleaning the inside of he neck with wire brush and touch of lube might do it.
 
tjhaile said:
Is your sizing die in firm contact with the shell holder when the ram is all the way up? For FL resizing with non-carbide dies, the die needs to be screwed down until it touches the shell holder and then turned in another 1/8 to 1/4 turn.
Click to expand...

2x on this.

I had exactly same problem but using rcbs dies and intentionally tried backing off a business card thickness from the shell holder, just couldn't quite get the bolt closed as the shoulder was a gazillionth of an inch too long. Just my opinion on Lee shell dies, they make some innovative good economical stuff ( I'm not bashing them), but I was just not impressed with their sizing dies (returned them) and currently use redding, Hollywood, lyman or rcbs. could You they a different die and she'll holder to see if the problem goes away? Could you slip a piece if card stock or shim between the head of the cartridge and the shell holder to see if just that little extra bit if sizing fixes the problem buy pushing the shoulder back, if it does then the problem may be shell holder or sizing die or both.
 
H4831 said:
Ben, it sounds to me like he may be pulling the shoulder back a bit, when the enlarger comes out of the neck. That's easy to do in a case like his, big body for diameter of neck.
Cleaning the inside of he neck with wire brush and touch of lube might do it.
Click to expand...

How about size but takeout the decapping assembly first, then you can test to see if you are pulling the shoulder back. There is a graphite powder that works good to lube the necks after the inside is cleaned, makes an enormous difference on force needed to pull depriming rod and sizing ball back out.
 
takman74 said:
...seater die set to low and when you seat the bullet it crushes the case slightly and this will cause them to stick. This is easy to do with the lee dies til you get used to them.
Click to expand...

That and what Junk Dude just suggested, however usually if it is pulled a bit you can still easily close the bolt, though with effort. If the base of the shoulder is swelling the case just-stops-dead. Happened to me this year.
 
just keep adjusting the die down an 1/8 th of a turn at a time , it will more than likely fit.I had the same prob many yrs ago, till an old reloader showed me what I was doin wrong !!!
 
Something is not right, so just take it one step at a time to figure out what. No original thoughts here, but this may be a logical order of trying things:

1. Make sure the shell holder is coming hard against the sizing die, and not the stop in the press (assuming there is one). You have to get the case as far into the sizing die as possible.

2. Measure a case length before sizing and after. If it grows in length, then you may have the issue H4831 pointed out -- the expander ball is stretching the case and shoulder when you withdraw it. Canadian Tire sells powdered graphite. I dip a bore brush into the graphite and use it to lube the inside of the neck. That may reduce the stretching.

3. Try chambering the cases after you size them and before you load them. This should determine if you are distorting the cases by seating the bullet.

4. If these steps do not solve the problem then probably only two choices. If it is only a few cases that do not fit, then just ditch them.

5. As a last resort (and many have to do this) you can take some material off the shell holder. A Lee shell holder is only worth a couple of bucks, so not much at risk here. Taking material off the top of the holder will not affect the use of the holder for seating. However if you are loading other cartridges with the same holder, then it might cause you an issue with them being over sized. In that case you need to get another shell holder. I would not take material off the die, as it is the most expensive part to replace. I would put the shell holder down on a piece of 220 wet/dry sandpaper with oil, on a flat surface like glass, and do a figure 8 pattern. It will take a while but you can slim it down. You may only need to take 0.002" off. Ideally you do not want to push the shoulder back more than 0.001" on each load.

Hope that helps, and you will not be the first by any means that needed to thin down the shell holder.
 
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