FL Resized 6.5x55 Not Chambering??

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Hi all, I picked up some once fired (in a ljungman) PPU 6.5x55 Swedish brass from a buddy who doesn't reload it and after full length resizing in my properly adjusted brand new Lee die it still won't chamber in my Swedish Mauser... I mic'd every spot I possibly could and it all seems to be in spec. A visual inspection of the neck is that is very similar to some factory PPU that WILL chamber in the Mauser. What gives? I thought FL dies would correct fire forming in a looser chamber...
 
Potentially dumb question, but did you make dummy rounds or are you trying to chamber just the case? Mausers MUST feed from the magazine for the extractor to fit over the case, or else you cannot close the bolt. If you are using an empty case, it's pretty hard to feed from the mag, so I'm wondering if you're just feeding one in the chamber? If you then put the factory ppu rounds in the mag they will then chamber properly, causing the confusion?
 
I'm going to assume that your die is indeed set properly, even though in the history of dies and sizing problems nobody has ever thought their die was set wrong. ;)


With the range of chamber sizes out there, and the range of sizing dies, sooner or later you come across cases fired in a large chamber, try to size them with a loose die and then put them into a small chamber. Sometimes the easy fix is just a random new die.
A faster check than madasureing the sized cases is to colour the sized case with a marker and observe where it rubs off..sometimes shortening the die or thinning the shell older is the cure, but watch that you don't crest excessive headspace doing it.

Is the supply of free brass big enough to be worth the hassle?
 
The brass was fired in a "generous" chamber. In some cases like this, a "small base" sizing die that reduces the cartridge dimensions to unfired factory size is required. They're typically custom dies outside of 308 and a few others.

If you've got the shellholder tight against the sizing die, then there's not much more you can do with that die.
 
I've run into the odd case over the years, in several different calibers, that absolutely will not resize like the rest, no matter what I seem to do.

They just get tossed out. We're talking way less than 1 in 100 brass in my experience.

Life's too short to spend crazy time fiddling with one bad apple........
 
Over the past two years, I had two .30/'06 rifles with very tight chambers, both factory sporters. One was a Ruger 77 and the other an FN Mauser from the sixties.
Cases full length resized just would not chamber. The dies were Lee's that I had used for over two decades with no problems in well over a dozen rifles, including a couple of sloppy M-1's.
I bought a set of RCBS dies and the problem disappeared. I just gave the Lee dies away.

Perhaps a different die set is required.
 
As Andy mentioned above, if the brass was fired in a sloppy military chamber, it can cause issues. Particularly at the base of the case, which can be very difficult to resize back to a smaller dia, You should be able to ascertain this by direct measurement against a virgin case.
 
I had the same problem with brass out of an Ag42b going into a T3. I noticed that the rims had been deformed by the ejector. Some almost cut through. I lost most of the brass I fired in that rifle.
 
Adjust your sizer so it hits the shellholder and stops. That is, the handle does not cam over.

Lube a case and stroke it down hard to the shellholder.

Seat a bullet, put it in the mag and close the bolt. If it does not close, there is nothing you can do with that brass and that sizer.

I hope this will solve the problem. Please let us know.
 
Ganderite said:
Adjust your sizer so it hits the shellholder and stops. That is, the handle does not cam over.

Lube a case and stroke it down hard to the shellholder.

Seat a bullet, put it in the mag and close the bolt. If it does not close, there is nothing you can do with that brass and that sizer.

I hope this will solve the problem. Please let us know.
Click to expand...

I followed this instruction to a T, no dice. I guess this brass won't be any good which is ok, it's only 30 pieces. I have some proper factory ammo that I'll just neck size after firing in my Mauser.
Thanks for all your help everyone! I sure learned something new about reloading today.
 
If you are bored and want to try something, these are areas I have found that "limit" the proper sizing expected.

Lube... alot of lubes don't work when you need to max out sizing. The RCBS liq in a small 2oz container is some of the best for this type of work... fairly thick and you squeeze onto your fingers to rub on the cases liberally. Unfortunately, some spray lubes just dont handle the pressure in the die.

I use alot of lanoline/iso alcohol lube but when I really get a tough project, I will use the RCBS.. some will use Imperial sizing lube.

Spring back in the press. Lots of presses have some slop at full travel.. ie you can push the ram "down" when at full stroke. If you only have the SH touching the die at full stroke without a case, it may be set too far away once you add the spring back under pressure. Consider turning down the die another 1/2 to full turn and the SH will stop on the bottom of the die before full down stroke.

If your press cams over, you may need to set the die so it touches 2/3's of the way down.

Lube well, run the case through, run through again and you should feels less resistance, run it through again till there is no resistance. Obviously lube the inside of the case neck very well too. With really oversized cases, you may need to work the case back down to min spec.. not saying this is good practise but it will work.

Lee FL sizers tend to be on the min side of SAAMI spec so if your sized case is still too big, odds are something is not letting the die do its job.... or you may want to check the headspace of the rifle in question.

From no fit to fit could be as little as a thickness of paper so it really doesn't take much to limit success.

New brass is the best solution BUT give this a try and if it resolves, you know a trick for future jobs.

Jerry
 
Keep them around, maybe you'll find someone with the same caliber die who can run them through his and maybe they'll work. I know a couple guys who shoot .300s. One doesn't reload and cheerfully gives them to the other who as luck has it can't size them to fit his rifle. Every few years I run it all through my SB die and he's GTG for the life of the cases. Or, since you got them for nothing it doesn't cost you anything to chuck them.
 
So to further investigate, I coloured a case purple with a sharpie and forced it into the chamber repeatedly to see the wear pattern. A quarter inch above the base of the case a ring has formed on the brass. I'm guessing the reason this is so difficult to chamber is that my dies can't size that portion of the brass well enough back to spec? Is there a way to correct this without one of those small base dies?
 
Measure the case diameter and compare to a SAAMI cartridge drawing.

If the sized case is the right size, maybe you have a undersized/narrow chamber?

You can always try another FL sizer... they all vary.

Jerry
 
As I mentioned you can cheat a bit by grinding/sanding the top of the shellholder (evenly) to get more of the case into the die, they are very cheap so even if you screw up it's not a big deal.
 
I was just experiencing the same thing with a 6.5x55.
I recently got a new to me CG63 target rifle built by Norma, and it has a much tighter than military spec. chamber and shorter throat. No need to shoot the 156gr. round nose I guess.
I was making up a dummy round to try in the CG63 with a PPU case fired in one of military rifles, and no way would it chamber. I trimmed, lubed, screwed down the die, still no way. This was an RCBS die. I also have a Lee, but I didn't try it.
I finally gave up and tried one of the once fired Norma cases I ordered with the rifle from TradEx, and it chambered with no resistance using the same RCBS die, so thankfully the Norma brass must have been fired in a tighter spec. target chamber.
I'll try the Lee die out of curiosity.
 
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