Reloads won't chamber

CoryTheCowboy said:
Hello everyone,

How I set up the die originally was how it was outlined in the ABC of Reloading book. With the ram all the way up, I screwed the die down until it touched, and then backed it off one full turn. When sized like this, the bolt will close, but not lock down.

However, I did some playing around and if I leave the die screwed down so it's touching the shellholder, it will chamber and close with a bit of effort.

The shoulder looks similar, but still not the same.
Click to expand...

that's a little funny- typically, you screw the die all the way down till it touches the shellholder, drop the ram and add about a 1/4 to a half turn- that's full length resizing
 
As noted - try raising your ram, screwing in the die as far as it will go, then lower the ram and finally add one half turn downward on the die. The idea is to take out all the play. (NB - Don't try that with carbide dies; they are supposed to be prone to shattering under the pressure. Not to worry however as - and somebody correct me if I'm wrong - the only carbide dies are made for straight-walled cases.)

Try that and see if it chambers without problem.
 
Cory,
I have come across different headspacing issues with the two 9,3x57s I had. One I have to keep the shoulder pushed forward intentionally to keep the headspace closed up, and the other one I had to have the die cam over pretty good to get it to chamber even with no projectile.
The slight shoulder on these cases can make it a challenge to figure out but once you do make sure you lock the ring on your sizer die so it doesn't get out of adjustment next time. The Hornady lock rings are excellent.
 
t-star said:
that's a little funny- typically, you screw the die all the way down till it touches the shellholder, drop the ram and add about a 1/4 to a half turn- that's full length resizing
Click to expand...

X3. I've had this exact problem and that's how I fixed it. Tighten to holder then add a little bit so the handle cams over on the press just a tiny bit.
 
ATOM said:
As noted - try raising your ram, screwing in the die as far as it will go, then lower the ram and finally add one half turn downward on the die. The idea is to take out all the play. (NB - Don't try that with carbide dies; they are supposed to be prone to shattering under the pressure. Not to worry however as - and somebody correct me if I'm wrong - the only carbide dies are made for straight-walled cases.)

Try that and see if it chambers without problem.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Works like a charm :D
 
I had a similar problem on my 204 and 22 250. Seems like for some reason the cases were about .001 to long and they wouldnt chamber. So i used them up and resized and then trimmed and resized again and seems to have cured the problem. Just a thought.
 
I learned a long time ago from a wise reloader when I was getting started in the reloading game to screw the die down till it touches the shell holder.Then turn it in a 1/4 turn, run a lubed case into the die and check and see if the is any space between the die and the shell holder, if there is turn it in till you have no space there. That advice put an end to any problems I was having with the bolt refusing to close !!!!

Just my 2 cents worth

Bearcat
 
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