Reloads won't chamber

CoryTheCowboy

CoryTheCowboy

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Hey everyone,

I'm doing some loading for my 9.3x57 and seem to have run into an issue. When using once fired brass (from a previous rifle) run through a full length die, it won't chamber (I can close the bolt, but can't lock it down). However, new brass chambers slick as snot. At first I thought it was because of using a different bullet with the once fired brass, but then I tried with the same and it still didn't work. I took a closer look at this is what I see

IMGP0899.jpg

(Once fired on left, new on right)

Obviously the shoulder is different, and I'm bit confused why. Both were put through the die at the same setting, so shouldn't they both be the same? I'm new at rifle reloading, so if my theory's wrong, please let me know.

Any ideas besides just using the new brass?

Thanks,

Cory
 
I reload for handguns, not rifles, so not an expert for yours - but to me it looks like your once fired on left is not seated far enough. That ring on bullet above the crimp looks like a cannulure. That I do have experience with for 41 magnum and 44Magnum using lead bullets with a lube cannulure - that is where you want the crimp
 
On my 300wsm I could not bump the shoulder back far enough to chamber (could not rotate bolt) until I took a little off the shell holder. (I took it off the shell holder instead of the bottom of the die because shell holders are cheap. Not sure if this is the same deal but maybe.

Chad
 
Something definitely wrong with that shoulder. Try adjusting your full-length die until you can close the bolt on the fired brass. Just keep adjusting your sizing die by quarter turns and try chambering and closing the bolt on the brass until it closes properly.
Are you able to close the bolt on a piece of the sized brass without a bullet seated?
 
Since you are having problems with once fired from another rifle, there are a couple of things to check. Some were mentioned above, but to establish a process:
- Try the sized case before you put in a bullet. See if this chambers. If it does not, use a marker pen or something similar to see where it is sticking. Could be the shoulder, or could be the base just above the extractor groove.
If it is the shoulder, then you need to size it back more. Are you fully sizing your cases? If not, turn the die down and see if it pushes the shoulder back. If you are sizing fully, then you will need to try grinding a bit off the bottom of the die so you can push the shoulder back. But, don't do this until you have fired your new cases, and see if they work OK. If they do, it is with the batch of once fired cases, and then up to you to decide if it is worth your time and money and a modified die to use the cases.
- Another possibility is that your once fired cases are too long and need to be trimmed. Again, best to check with a sized case and before you seat a bullet.
 
If your case is fully entering the sizing die and the shellholder is contacting the bottom of the die, you can try shimming under the case head(between case head and shellholder), if this doesn't work, you can take some off the bottom of the die as a last resort.
 
ben hunchak said:
If your case is fully entering the sizing die and the shellholder is contacting the bottom of the die, you can try shimming under the case head(between case head and shellholder), if this doesn't work, you can take some off the bottom of the die as a last resort.
Click to expand...

Or some off the shell holder. You can also buy shell holders that are thinner and I think Redding produces them.

You can also measure the shell holder and on a flat surface use emery cloth and slowly rotate the face of the shell holder one way and then the other and try and keep the pressure uniform. Try 10 clock wise rotations and then 10 ccw and measure with calipers to see how much if anything has been removed.

I have one .270 that I took 2 thou off the top of the shell holder and that is all I needed to close the bolt on a reload.
 
Do the once fired cases look the same as the new brass after you have run them thru the FL die? I expect they will. It looks to me you don't have your seating die set right. I think you have the seating stem backed to far out and you're trying to compensate for that by screwing the body of the seating die too deap and you're knocking the shoulder off the case yet still not seating the bullet deep enough for the bullet to chamber. Try putting one of you new unfired cases in your seating die and adjusting to that. Back the seating stem well out then run the die down to where it's close to the shell holder but not touching it then run the seating stem down until it touches the bullet. Then try seating a bullet in the once fired brass. I good idea is to build a dummy round. A sized but unprimed brass and see if it chambers. If it does then you always have the dummy round to go back to for your basic settings.
 
Until he answers the question asked, "Does your sized but not loaded once fired brass chamber?Does the shoulder of once fired brass look the same before you seat a bullet?"
we are only guessing at the problem.
 
hunter64 said:
Or some off the shell holder. You can also buy shell holders that are thinner and I think Redding produces them.

You can also measure the shell holder and on a flat surface use emery cloth and slowly rotate the face of the shell holder one way and then the other and try and keep the pressure uniform. Try 10 clock wise rotations and then 10 ccw and measure with calipers to see how much if anything has been removed.

I have one .270 that I took 2 thou off the top of the shell holder and that is all I needed to close the bolt on a reload.
Click to expand...

Redding Competition shellholders are actually thicker not thinner.
 
That once fired case wasn't fired out of a 9.3 x 57 chamber. The whole shoulder has been blown out. You should make a chamber cast.
 
You're right 4831. Until we know whats happening with the sizing die the rest means nothing. Possibly the other gun has a longer chamber but there's no reason that brass can't be sized to fit his. As you know if the first step is not the problem then you look at step two. That's why I think it's the seating die but unless you're the one sitting at the press all these theories are moot.
 
You could have your seating Die to low or resizing die to low
Click to expand...
This actually sounds about right. I have done that myself. When seating the bullet, if your seating die is too low, I have seen shoulders collapse on .223 cases before. Try backing your seating die off .
 
Overall length of the brass may have something to do with it but I aggree that it looks like the seating die is too low.

I have done that so often I should be able to recognize it.
 
looks to be something with the sizing die. I had this problem with my .303 brit when I started loading for it. I had the sizing die a bit too far down and buggered the shoulder just enough so it would not allow bolt lockdown

Was very faint but could see that I was barely crushing the shoulder down yet enough to chamber but not close the bolt.

Just my guess though.
 
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.
 
By backing off 1 turn, you are not resizing, but neck sizing. Since the rounds are not from your rifle, lower your die to touch the shell holder when fully up and give it a bit more. Once they have been fired in your rifle you can then try backing off the die and neck size.
 
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