.45-70 won't chamber.

IanON

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So, I have never had any issues loading for my 1895 before but I recently decided to try out some different bullets. I got some Berry’s 350g RSFN to try out. I loaded 15 rounds in various charges. I seated them to the listed 2.540 O.A.L. I got out to try them the other day and they just jammed into the chamber and the action would not close, leaving the cases stuck in the rifle. I have to assume the bullet is jamming up against the rifling and is to long to allow the action to close? Which I can't really understand as they are not the biggest bullets in the first place and they are seated to the suggested depth...

I have pulled them at this point but before I did I seated the bullet in one of them to 2.495 and it chambered but the extractor was having trouble grabbing the case to remove it. I'm no pro but I have never had any issues and have loaded thousands of rounds for various firearms. I'm feeling confused about this issue though.

Should I just seat them slightly deeper than suggested so they will chamber? At the same time making sure the spent cases will actually get pull out...

So, what would your approach be to figuring this issue out?

Someone please lay some knowledge on me! Thanks.
 
using an empty, unprimed case seat your bullet and candle the bullet and case down 1/2 "...it'll show up your problem

you can also cerrosafe your chambre and throat and compare

i'd start with the candling...stupid easy and shows up like a moose track in snow

...looking at Berry's 350 gr bullets not much give in that ogive
 
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You are making a small mistake. You are taking the manual OAL as a "suggestion". It is just a statement. It means almost nothing, unless the manual guys borrowed your rifle.

Each time you want to load a new bullet, in any caliber, you have to do a bit of testing to see what seating depth clears the rifling. Just start long and keep seating a quarter turn deeper, until it clears. Make a note of that OAL for that bullet in that gun.

If you have two guns in, say, 45-70, not the OAL that clears for both of them, and then maybe decide to load all ammo at the shorter OAL, so the ammo will work in both guns.

Different manufactures use quite different chamber dimensions. Remington usually has a much deeper throat than Winchester, for example.

And the throat erodes forward with use, so an older gun might need bullets seated out farther than a new one.
 
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