270 WSM re-loading challenges

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I am reloading for 4 different 270 WSM's and I'm finding this caliber to be quite a challenge, particulary getting fully-resized brass to work consistently in the various guns. All of these guns were new in the last year. They include a Savage 116, Browning BAR, Browning X-Bolt and Weatherby Vanguard (SubMOA).

First struggle was getting re-sized brass to fit in the weatherby...I ended up trying different dies (i.e. switched from RCBS to Lyman).

Next stuggle was loading 130gr. H. Interbonds for the Savage 116. Brass fully resized using RCBS dies, length checked, etc. but several rounds would not chamber.

Latest hiccup today...loading 130 Barnes TTSX for Browning X-bolt. Brass fully resized using Lyman dies, length checked, etc. but 10/30 rounds would not chamber. These 10 would also not fit in a Weatherby Sub MOA. Oddly enough, some of the 10 rounds that would not fit in the Browning, would chamber in the Savage.

What's going on? I thought that a full-length resizing would/should restore case to near factory specs. I'm not applying any crimping, don't see any bulges or dents in the cases. Brass is typically once fired...maybe I should be separating brass by the gun it was first fired in...but this seems to be the only caliber where I have this particular challenge. I'm pretty anal about measurements and cleanliness...but this one has me at wits end.

Any ideas appreciated.
 
I would keep the brass exclusive to the gun it was first fired in if possible. Nothing says all 4 chambers are the same so if you keep the fired brass with the particular gun you are eliminating a potential problem. It may not correct everything but I think it's a good place to start.
 
I would start by going back to ensure that your resizing die is in the correct position. Make a dummy and try to chamber it. If you cannot chamber it, turn the die down a little bit more. I strongly feel is an incorrectly positioned die. You may have a "sloppy" chamber in one of the guns and thats why some rounds fit, but wont fit in others.
I think you may have an "improperly sized case" that is fitting.

Adjust your dies and see if it helps.
I have the .270WSM and the .300WSM; I ran into a similar problem when I started out. Now that the bugs have been worked out its all good and no problems. very accurate rounds that chamber with no problems.
 
Like hoochie said make sure your die is turned down far enough. When I full length resized some 300wsm brass I set up the die as instuctions said but when I got down to the shoulder there was a bit of flex in the linkage of the press. The newly resized brass wouldn't chamber. All I do now is adjust the die so the linkage doesnt hit the stops and give abit more effort at the bottom of the stroke to ensure I bump the shoulder and the die bottoms out on the shell holder.
 
timmy204 said:
Like hoochie said make sure your die is turned down far enough. When I full length resized some 300wsm brass I set up the die as instuctions said but when I got down to the shoulder there was a bit of flex in the linkage of the press. The newly resized brass wouldn't chamber. All I do now is adjust the die so the linkage doesnt hit the stops and give abit more effort at the bottom of the stroke to ensure I bump the shoulder and the die bottoms out on the shell holder.
Click to expand...

Try resizing a bit too much, but that I mean turn it down another half turn from where you would normally resize. I have this same issue with my .270wsm and this cleared it up 99% of the time. It seems they need a more then FL resizing..Gatehouse suggested it and by god it worked. Also I would keep my brass rifle specific, but for me I found the first fix mentioned the one that works.
 
Yep, bump the shoulder back a tad more. Also, try chambering the empty brass before you load them. I would keep them separate per rifle too...
 
Aside from the aforementioned die setup issues, I think you may have a short throat in one of those rifles. Did you trim the brass after resizing? A 'loose' chamber in one gun, coupled with a short throat in another, might cause your troubles.

In the end, this may be a learning experience about manufacturing and SAAMI spec tolerances.


EDIT: Another thought just crossed my mind; is all the brass the same brand? Softer brass might size down a little more than harder brass, when run through the die one after the other.
 
270 WSM Loading Challenges - Summary

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the great ideas. Here is a synopsis of what I've discovered so far:
1. Mixed Brass - I've experienced this problem with winchester, remington and federal brass. Latest round has been with all federal brass (once fired factory stuff - but from different guns). Not sure if all the same "lots" though. I've always sensed that the same manufacturer may have different qualities of brass - although I'd hope they would be the same within "lots."
2. Mixed firearms - yes, I simply sort brass by caliber and brass manufacturer - not by original firearm...guess I'll have to start.
3. Die in correct position - I've always set dies per the instructions (I'm using a Lyman turret press). And you're right - there is play in the linkage - so now I will turn down to ensure "full" resizing
4. Chamber empty brass before reloading - I've done this before...but did not do that this time
5. Rifles with Short / Long Throats - I can imagine what is going on here - first experienced this problem with the Savage.
6. Hard/soft brass - is there a simple test for brass hardness? and / or do some manufacturers have reputations for hard or soft?

Does anybody know of any advanced re-loading references that I could purchase or view on line? I have most of the current popular references...but most of them seem to be written (at least partially) by the company lawyers. Anybody want to take on editing the Canadiangunnutz Reloading Trouble-Shooters Guide?

Thanks Again.
 
There used to be a site dedicated to the WSM's when they first came out and it has now gone off line. I was experiencing the same problems as you. It sounds like it is a shoulder bumping issue as already stated. A tip I learned from that old site was to take your shell holder and polish a hair off at a time. I used a large flat whetstone. Take .001" at a time and re-size your brass. It will allow the ram to push the case ever so slightly more into the die until the shoulder is set back enough to chamber the round.

Any easier way may be to make sure that the shell holder you have matches the die brand you are using. Might not be a sure thing, but you never know. I had an extra shellholder so I went the polishing route and haven't looked back since. I only resorted to this after I checked all was set properly. Apparently it was very common with the WSM's.
 
Are you using the shell holder that matches the dies?
There are differences in thicknesses that can cause issues, if you are full length sizing so that the die kisses the holder.
Are you crimping? STOP!
If you are crimping, you likely don't need to, and you may be causing a bulge in the case by crimping too heavy (doesn't take much)
The only other thing I see as a solution that hasn't been covered, is to get a set of 'small base' dies. These will size down the bottom portion of the case closer to factory specs.
 
Shell Holder is your problem.
I reloaded 270 WSM for a Ruger all weather and a A-bolt , both gun needed to different Shell Holder.
Shell holder was the same but I had to trim it down a few .001 of a inch.
Both shell where not trim to the same tickness and had to be use in the rifle is was made for. to trim the shell holder I was using my caliper to check tickness and re pressing the empty defective brass every .001 of a inch until they would chamber the gun butter smooth.


All my case where trim with lee trimer, I used lee Dies and I was lightly crimping my bullet (for hunting use)

Annealing every 3 reloads, is was I had to do to save my brass otherwise they would crack the 4th time and were Really hard to press.

Once I did all the above , I fired over 250 WSM reload and never had a problem beside Unreal accuracy :)
 
Full length sizing and???????

Save yourself some head ackes.
1. Sort your brass by manuf
2. Sort your brass for each rifle, (chamber sizes are slightly different).
3. Resize a clean brass and try it in the rifle BEFORE priming.
4. Now you can deal with primer, powder and OAL.
Enjoy. Bill
 
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