Lever action .30-36 not closing on some resized cases

OverUnder725

OverUnder725

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After I have full length resized, trimmed and clean some once fired brass for my BLR .30-06, I slipped some into the gun and tried closing the action. Some seem to long for the chamber not letting the bolt come into the full locked position and some work fine. What have I done when resizing that has created this problem? Do I have the die set to low and am "squishing" material in the case to places it shouldn't go?
 
Usually one of two causes for this.
1) Firstly, the fired case wasn't sized enough and the shoulder hits before the cartridge is fully in.
2) The other cause is when seating the bullet too much pressure is put on crimping it and that swells the case in the area of the shoulder, preventing the cartridge from going fully in.
First thing to do is to chamber a sized case. If it goes full in without a problem, then the trouble is not #1.
For #2, slack off on the crimping. If there is a canalure in the bullet, make sure it is being crimped in the groove. If it is not crimping in a groove, it is pretty hard to crimp a jacketed bullet. Do it lightly and try it.
Bruce
 
I had the die set exactly how it specified, turn down to shell plate and 1/4 to 1/3 of a turn further. I reset it just to make sure and the last 1/4 of the stroke on the press was a really good push, really felt forced and shells snapping out of the die on the up stroke. I moved it back out until it just touches the shell plate and now feels firm bit not forced. No shells snapping when they come out of the die. I used liberal amounts of lube on both settings. I look at some of the cases that don't fit and they look to have a slight unevenness about the shoulder. Is it possible I deformed the shoulder while resizing and they won't sit deep enough to allow the action to close?
 
Some lubes are not to be applied to the shoulder to avoid wrinkling it. Check your lube to see if they recommend against it.

OverUnder725 said:
I had the die set exactly how it specified, turn down to shell plate and 1/4 to 1/3 of a turn further. I reset it just to make sure and the last 1/4 of the stroke on the press was a really good push, really felt forced and shells snapping out of the die on the up stroke. I moved it back out until it just touches the shell plate and now feels firm bit not forced. No shells snapping when they come out of the die. I used liberal amounts of lube on both settings. I look at some of the cases that don't fit and they look to have a slight unevenness about the shoulder. Is it possible I deformed the shoulder while resizing and they won't sit deep enough to allow the action to close?
Click to expand...
 
OverUnder725 said:
I had the die set exactly how it specified, turn down to shell plate and 1/4 to 1/3 of a turn further. ?
Click to expand...

For my BLR I turned the die in much more than they recommend, probably a full turn. I wanted the shellholder to make solid contact with the bottom of the die. It worked like a charm, the cases chamber just fine now. I did not have any cases "snapping" out of the die. I also don't see how any reasonable use of a resizing die could cause deformation.
 
OverUnder725 said:
I had the die set exactly how it specified, turn down to shell plate and 1/4 to 1/3 of a turn further. I reset it just to make sure and the last 1/4 of the stroke on the press was a really good push, really felt forced and shells snapping out of the die on the up stroke. I moved it back out until it just touches the shell plate and now feels firm bit not forced. No shells snapping when they come out of the die. I used liberal amounts of lube on both settings. I look at some of the cases that don't fit and they look to have a slight unevenness about the shoulder. Is it possible I deformed the shoulder while resizing and they won't sit deep enough to allow the action to close?
Click to expand...

It sounds like you had it set right, then you slacked off the sizing die and now the cases won't go in.
The reason they say to turn the die down until it hits the plate (shell holder,) then another 1/4 turn or so, is because there is slack in the joints in the press and if you don't get the die down further, the press, under pressure, won't get the die down to where It hits the shell holder, meaning the case is not full length resized.
The marks around the shoulder you see is from the excess lubrication you used.
Excess lubrication does you no good and will just result in putting dents in the case.
Again, it won't be those marks on the shoulder that is stopping the case from going in. Get the die down like you say you had it before you s lacked it off.
 
Make sure your decapping pin isn't screwed in the die too far.
Just wondering if the pin is hitting the inside of the case head?
Not sure about the brass snapping out?
Could be the decapping pin stuck in the flash hole from the inside?
 
kamlooky said:
Make sure your decapping pin isn't screwed in the die too far.
Just wondering if the pin is hitting the inside of the case head?
Not sure about the brass snapping out?
Could be the decapping pin stuck in the flash hole from the inside?
Click to expand...

I never thought of that, I'm going to move it up and try resizing a few of the screwed up cases and see what happens.
 
Just as an afterthought, you could purchase a Redding body die. I find these things useful when I'm loading ammo that will be fired in a number of different rifles, one is sure to present cambering issues. What the Redding body die allows you to do is bump the shoulder of the case back slightly (that would be very slightly) so that the round chambers effortlessly. The adjustment is so slight, that normally no case lube is required. The sweet part is that you can tweak loaded rounds with this die, so you don't have to pull the bullet prior to resizing.
 
OverUnder725 said:
After I have full length resized, trimmed and clean some once fired brass for my BLR .30-06, I slipped some into the gun and tried closing the action. Some seem to long for the chamber not letting the bolt come into the full locked position and some work fine. What have I done when resizing that has created this problem? Do I have the die set to low and am "squishing" material in the case to places it shouldn't go?
Click to expand...

No clue but you are doing something wrong. Read the instructions that come with your die and adjust for complete resize.
If it still does not work, buy a lee full length die, they actually work.... all the time.
 
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