Question, 308 brass resized won't fit in my bolt action

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Magnum3

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I have a large collection of 308 brass fired from both semi-auto and bolt action rifles mixed together. I'm preparing the brass for loading so it has been resized and trimmed but some of it will not fit in any of my bolt action rifles. I'm assuming this would be what was fired in my semi-auto rifles. Is this correct and can there be something done so in will fit in my bolt action rifles. I'm assuming that a semi-auto has a loser chamber thus alloying the brass to expand more. Is this a currant problem and brass should be keep separated or maybe the cambers on my semi-auto are no good. Any help on shedding some light on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Ken
 
Assuming you are using a FL resizing die, did you try giving the cases an extra few passes through your sizing die? Obviously a neck only die won't be any good for this, and I know myself and a few other people have had issues with brass not chambering with only one pass through the sizer. 2-3 passes does it every time though.
 
Just curious but are you new to reloading? It could be you are not sizing the brass completely or properly setting the dies, although this may not be the issue.

I've used a lot of .308 from other peoples rifles some known, some unkown and the only stuff I really had a problem with was some IVI 7.62 NATO brass that may have been fired by an Army machine gun. It was harder to size and one of my bolt action rifles was hard to chamber with it. Otherwise I have always had good sizing results with RCBS and Lee 308 Win Full Length sizing dies for 308 and 7.62 NATO brass.
 
Good advice by hk33kai.
Shouldn't need a small base die, as I'm sure your bolt action rifle(s) has a standard size chamber.
If you follow the advice of hk33kai and the cases still won't chamber, here is what it may be.
Old, hardened brass and/or heavy brass, like military, tends to spring back from full length resizing.
I had that happen with old, fired cases, in a 243, where careful, full length sizing with RCBS dies would not let the cases chamber in a new rifle. I annealed all my old brass and after standard FL resizing, the cases easily fed into the new 243 bolt rifle.
 
Make sure your press handle is over cammed (all the way to the bottom, past center) when the shell holder touches the bottom of the die. Might solve your problem.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Yes it is almost all IVI and DA brass. I'm cleaning it and lubing it before resizing. Some of it takes a lot of force to get the brass into and out of the FL Die. (it is Lee Dies I'm using) I have done reloading before; 9mm, 5.56 and some 7.62 but the 7.62 was only going into my semi-autos so there was no problem with it. I can try resizing some cases 2 or 3 times and see if this works. Ken
 
Resizing it 2 or 3 times seems to work. It is tighter than some of the brass but I can now close the bolt. Thank again Ken
 
Reg FL Sizing dies Should size the Brass enough for any off the shelf rifle

What i think is happening is that you do not have enough cam over on your press

the Body of the brass is too long.

Re check the the instalation of your die in your press and try to size the brass again
 
do what maynard said..........adjust the die so it just touches the shell plate at full extention, lower the shell plate, then give it (the die) about 1/3 more turn down. Tighten.

They will fit fine after that. In fact the newer dies instructions say to do that.
 
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