308 brass doesn't fit

[LordEvilPepper]

My buddy gave me 308 brass he fired in a M14, after resizing and reloading I found it will not fit in my tikka T3 308, I checked the case leangth no issues there... but it looks like the actual neck is now shorter on the M14 fired brass (taller shoulder)

Is this a rare; common; or always problem?

And with that in mind, has anyone run into issues using reloaded, military "once fired" .308 in a civilian riffle?

 

[hk33ka1]

I have had actual military 7.62x51 brass that was fired in an actual military rifle then surplused that did not size well and chamber in commercial .308 chambers. Other people too have complained of this problem with brass fired in "machine gun" chambers. I never had any trouble with commercial .308 Win brass fired in a Norinco M14.


Just to double check was your die a Full Length sizing die and was it screwed down all the way to the shell holder and then some? I know it goes without saying, but just want to eleminate the thought you might just be neck sizing or bumping the should back a tiny bit instead of a full resize.

 

[LordEvilPepper]

yeah I tried that, scewed it down another turn to make sure that wasn't the issue, no dice.

 

[bearhunter]

Some Tikka T3s and other rifles as well have very tight chambers. You may need a set of small base dies to resize the cases small enough to fit the chamber.

I had the same problem with an Anschutz 1500. It would accept most commercial and even surplus ammunition but I couldn't get away with just neck resizing. I had to full length resize with a set of Bonanza small base bench rest dies.

The M14 you're talking about is more than likely a Norinco M305. They have some pretty wicked tolerances in their chambers.

 

[mwjones]

I had the same problem with a BLR in .308. Small base dies didn't do anything. Until i get an old FL sizing die to face a few thou off of, i've been only shooting factory out of it :S

 

[maynard]

I had the same problem with a BLR in .308. Small base dies didn't do anything. Until i get an old FL sizing die to face a few thou off of, i've been only shooting factory out of it :S

You might be better off to take a few thou off the shell holder. Not all shell holders are created equal. Emery paper on a flat surface and a little elbow grease will make short work of this. Measure with your vernier before and after to control your results.

When you bring the ram up to touch the bottom of the die you may need to push the press handle an little more to over-cam the press handle. If this fails, small base dies should work but you might have to resize them a couple times because the brass will spring back a little.

As already stated chambers in military firearms can be on the sloppy side.

 

[zuke]

Is there any type of bulge on the crimp/case neck /shoulder area's?

 

[Barnes_270]

I had the same problem with a BLR in .308. Small base dies didn't do anything. Until i get an old FL sizing die to face a few thou off of, i've been only shooting factory out of it :S

Same deal for my 308 BLR (new takedown model), except the RCBS small-base die was enough to get military brass sized down to chamber smoothly.

 

[LordEvilPepper]

Met up with buddy, his m14 has a "large" chamber and the rounds fit fine... So looks like I need a full sizing die if I want to use his brass.

 

[Shooter ----/]

Met up with buddy, his m14 has a "large" chamber and the rounds fit fine... So looks like I need a full sizing die if I want to use his brass.

You ALWAYS have to full length resize when taking fired brass and loading it for another rifle.

 

[BPCR]

Also had BLR 308 problem.
got SB dies ( RCBS ) and most brass then fit.
Then checked shell holder and changed to RCBS shell holder and problem solved.

 

[hk33ka1]

I think the Full Length sizing question was missed in my post #2. This appears to be the issue here. Brass fired in one gun then NOT FL sized for a different gun.


As a side issue some people do need to turn down a die or shellholder so the brass can enter further in extreme cases. This is different than the Small base die issue as it is not the diameter of the case/die but the depth to which it works the brass mainly at the neck/shoulder. Basically need to get the case further into the die to push the shoulder back more. Not something normal loading usually needs.

 

[Why not?]

yeah I tried that, scewed it down another turn to make sure that wasn't the issue, no dice.

"Another turn" may not be enough. The die must be touching the shell holder firmly.

Also, are you using a full length sizing die?

Ted

 

[c-fbmi]

I've used scads of military brass in every caliber based on a 308 case and many different makes of rifles, and have never come across one that wouldn't chamber after being CORRECTLY full length sized as descibed earlier in several posts. My equipment is all RCBS and there may be differences in other equip, don't know.

 

[David L]

FL sizing