Lately, I've had problem chambering neck sized brass. I thought it was maybe my chamber that was dirty so I cleaned it. Tried to chamber, it goes in but way too tight to close the bolt and got one jammed in that the extractor couldn't get out. Had to fire it and then tap it out with the cleaning rod from the barrel side. Checked the measurement to some that chamber well, a thousands of difference here and there but nothing major. I went to FL resizing. They chamber well but I just shoot everywhere compare to neck sizing. I've been reloading for ever with Lee collet die and never had a problem with this before. So i've been reading about redding dies and would like to know if it's the only way to "bump" the shoulder back. I beleive it's the only thing left that could cause my problem. Can it be done with my Lee or Dillon dies? What else can be done? Tks
Rem .308 chambering problem
- Thread starter Black Jack
- Start date
After full length sizing, you should be able to go back to neck sizing after the next firing.
Next time they won't chamber, using the full length die, just turn the die in a little bit at a time, until you get to where it will chamber with slight resistance.
Next time they won't chamber, using the full length die, just turn the die in a little bit at a time, until you get to where it will chamber with slight resistance.
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
Back the FL die off the shell holder a half turn with the expander/decapper removed, see if the brass will chamber if it will just keep backing the die off till it won't, I keep a set of automotive feeler gauges handy and record the gap I need between the die and shell plate... Once you bump your cases make sure to run them thru the neck size die or your neck tension will be out of wack.
Buy a Redding Body die. You can run your loaded rounds into them, to resize the body and bump the shoulder slightly and everything else stays the same. A must have item if you are running more than one rifle in the same caliber. Even if fired in the same rifle you need to FL resize after 4-5 trips through the rifle.
Neck sized brass does not shoot better or more accurately than FL sized brass. Neck sizing just works the brass less.
Neck sized brass does not shoot better or more accurately than FL sized brass. Neck sizing just works the brass less.
Neck sizing over full length sizing in some cases can keep the case more centered and concentric within the chamber improving accuracy. Also bumping the shoulder and resizing the body in a body die can change other things like concentricity and case length.
Well, I can't say I have you guys level of knowledge for reloading. But my rifle is a factory Rem 700 VLS in .308 and the accuracy I lose on FL resizing is nuts. Don't know if my chamber is too big and makes too much of a difference but I can definitely see a difference if I only neck size. With the work done on my rifle, I can shoot 1 moa all day with neck sized. I shoot up to 3 moa with FL at 100yds. What factor comes into this to make that big of a difference?
lejarretnoir
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- 162km from Connaught
Never had that problem with any Rem 700 factory gun. Always have neck sized and wore out brass before F/L resizing in the same gun. When swapping guns, then I've had to F/L resize.
I suspect something else may be wrong. Are you using hot loads?
Might be a bad chamber. Did this problem just start and always worked fine before?
I suspect something else may be wrong. Are you using hot loads?
Might be a bad chamber. Did this problem just start and always worked fine before?
NShunter1254
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia Canada
Does your brass fit after neck sizing but before seating the bullet?My guess would be over crimping and swelling the neck.
This statement bugs me. Regardless of how the case was sized, once chambered and fired it should extract normally.
~ Crud or rust in the chamber may be an issue. Inspect the brass for dimples or areas that look "frosted".
~ Check case length on resized brass, it may need trimmed.
~ Check all load data and settings for correctness.
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
You could do that... But I doubt your going to push the shoulder at all with 3/16" gap between the shell plate and die...
When the British Rifle Team comes to Canada for the Canadian Fullbore Rifle Championship they bring bulk match ammo loaded to one size fits all chambers. The bullets are seated long and pushed back using Lee hand presses.
If you take a look at the results on the DCRA web page you will find a lot of Brit team members at or near the top of all prize list.
MHouser, the body die will resize the body a slightly bump the shoulder. .001"-.002" may mean the difference between chambering a round easily or forcing the bolt closed. However that same .001"-.002" difference on OAL or change in seating depth do to the shoulder being bumped, really make no difference in accuaracy.
If you take a look at the results on the DCRA web page you will find a lot of Brit team members at or near the top of all prize list.
MHouser, the body die will resize the body a slightly bump the shoulder. .001"-.002" may mean the difference between chambering a round easily or forcing the bolt closed. However that same .001"-.002" difference on OAL or change in seating depth do to the shoulder being bumped, really make no difference in accuaracy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Jack View Post
Had to fire it and then tap it out with the cleaning rod from the barrel side.
The brass shouldn't be tight enough after fireing to require it to be tapped out
Originally Posted by Black Jack View Post
Had to fire it and then tap it out with the cleaning rod from the barrel side.
The brass shouldn't be tight enough after fireing to require it to be tapped out
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Jack View Post
Had to fire it and then tap it out with the cleaning rod from the barrel side.
The brass shouldn't be tight enough after fireing to require it to be tapped out
I agree, something is amiss here. But if the .308 was seriously overloaded in a 700, the head expansion should make it difficult to get the casing off the bolt face rather than jumping the extractor; perhaps you have a worn extractor. How many rounds has that action seen? It would be interesting to measure your fired brass and compare it to virgin brass. Are you checking your fired brass length and trimming your brass? How did you decide on your load? Which bullet are you using and what is your OAL? Does it require unreasonable force to lift the bolt handle after firing?
Ok, i'll try to explain myself a little more about the taping out of the fired casing. I first started to try to chamber that particular round. It kinda got stuck for whatever reason when the bolt was maybe 1/2" from reaching the end. When I saw it became hard to push like that I tried to pull it back and not fire it. Wrong.... the momentum of the chambering "jammed" it too far in and the extractor damaged the section it's suppose to grip on to remove the round. So now I got a jammed... live round 3/4 in or maybe more inside the barrel. Plan B, what if I could "push" it in and fire it. Then I could tap it out from the inside out and not risking accidents or damage to anything. I tried it, and it was hard to chamber, but it worked. Bolt fully closed, I fired it. Now after that, I could lift the bolt, but the round would not come out. The round was damaged so that is why I "tapped" it out. I inserted my cleaning rod all the way inside the case. Tapped it with my hand, and it fell out. That specific round was one that I only neck sized. So after reading all this info you guys are writing I'm pretty sure that the shoulder got a few thousands too long and got to that point. It's not a hot load. I put in 39gr of H4895 and OAL is short enough that I can load them in the magazine. Boomer, you asked if it took unreasonable force to lift the bolt after it was fired. Interesting question because it did happen a few times. I blamed it on a dirty chamber and never thought about it afterwards. What could cause that if my chamber would be cleaned?
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
It sounds like you are getting high pressure to me, yet 39 grs of 4895 is far from an over load. The immediate questions then are: are your fired cases trimmed so as not to exceed 2.015", are you sure your bullets are .308", do you weigh your powder charges or load by volume, if you weigh, is your scale trustworthy and do you re-zero it if its bumped, is your scale at eye level or are you looking up or down at it, do your fired cases looked unusual compared to virgin brass? Neck sizing isn't likely to result in a cartridge that allows the bolt to move only half its travel.
Even though the powder charge may be in the book, other factors come into play that affect pressure. Changing bullets or primers, debris in the case, necks too long, bullets seated too deep. A rifle with a short throat may raise pressure also.
Recoil can seat a bullet deeper. Measure overall length of the last round in the mag, after shooting the rest of the mag. Compare length with other cartridge.
High pressure can cause brass from the base of the case to move into the ejector hole, rotating the bolt can shear a tiny amount of brass. If the bolt is stiff to lift, look at the base of a case for a circle.
Raising the bolt handle is also the primary extraction. There is a little cam on the receiver that forces the bolt to the rear.
A long scope mount screw can bind the bolt rotation. A too long front guard screw can also bind rotation. Look at the sides of the bolt lugs for scratches that correspond to these areas.
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The brass that was neck sized only, was it ever fired in another rifle?
