Reloading HELP!

[spar1790]

I was cooking up a batch of .308 for my rifle tonight and everything appeared to be operating smoothly. I was using once fired brass from my rifle and decided to full length resize for some reason. It felt a little tight but not too bad.. I continued on throughout my other steps and primed and dispensed powder then I loaded my first bullet to check set depth and my rifles action was extremely tight and would not close. "I did not try and force it." I then took a piece of brass with a primer that I had resized and checked it in my chamber and it had the same problem. I forced it shut with minimal strength but more than normal and when I ejected it I noticed the primer had a small ring around where it would normally be dented if it was already fired. What did I do wrong? where did I screw up? I have never had this problem before but I havent reloaded that long. Thanks, all help appreciated.

 

[rbstern]

Did you trim the brass after full length resizing?

Your case shouldn't grow terribly much from one firing and full length sizing, but if the case started out near max length, it may be over max length. 308 Win headspaces on the shoulder. If the case is too long, it makes the action tough to close because the brass from the shoulder going back is longer than the chamber. The bolt face is pushing against the base of the cartridge near the primer, but the shoulder is already as far forward as it can go. Hence the imprint of the bolt face around the primer.

 

[kimchee45]

I was cooking up a batch of .308 for my rifle tonight and everything appeared to be operating smoothly. I was using once fired brass from my rifle and decided to full length resize for some reason. It felt a little tight but not too bad.. I continued on throughout my other steps and primed and dispensed powder then I loaded my first bullet to check set depth and my rifles action was extremely tight and would not close. "I did not try and force it." I then took a piece of brass with a primer that I had resized and checked it in my chamber and it had the same problem. I forced it shut with minimal strength but more than normal and when I ejected it I noticed the primer had a small ring around where it would normally be dented if it was already fired. What did I do wrong? where did I screw up? I have never had this problem before but I havent reloaded that long. Thanks, all help appreciated.

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As "rbstern" said, you may have an overlength case now.

As you know, the .308 is a tapered, bottle-neck cartridge.
If your die allows the cartridge to go too far into the die, you will have problems as you describe.



You can test this by using a 'Dry-Marker' to discolor the neck and shoulder of one of your cases, without powder, and without a bullet.

Gently ease the case into the chamber of your rifle, until you feel the first significant resistance.
Then extract the case, and look for where the case is making contact.

If the contact is the 'Neck', trimming may solve your problem. But you should not fire any of those loads with your present condition, as it seems that you would have very high pressures.

If, on the other hand, the contact point is the shoulder, you might have a very different set of conditons.

"Chuckdog" is a reloader you can trust to give more detailed help, and he often helps others.

 

[kimchee45]

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There is 'Full Length' resizing, then there is 'FULL Length' Resizing.

If you will only be firing your reloads in that one rifle, suggest you do this in the future ...

Prep your 'once fired (in your rifle) cases', then back your sizing die out to where it will NOT contact the case shoulder when you run it into the die.

After lubing the case, run it into the die, extract it and see where the die contacted the neck. Keep turning the die in, and repeating the sizing motion until you see where the die is "just 'kissing' the shoulder of the case".

Now, test the chambering of the empty round.
It should go in very smoothly.

Next, still in an 'uncharged case (NO Powder)', seat one of the bullets you will be using.

Again, use the 'Dry-Marker' to cover the bullet, and chamber the round slowly and carefully.

This is the part where you need somebody to talk to. Some swear that the bullet should just barely contact the rifling at this point.

I AM NOT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE.

The part of the bore ahead of the chamber that does not have rifling, is called free bore. Too little free bore, and pressures go way up very fast.

You gave no info on your rifle, but if it is a standard commercial rifle from any of the big name companies, and you bought it new, you will probably not have any problems with this.


If you are really concerned, a gunsmith could do a chamber cast and tell you whether you have a normal, or a tight chamber.


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As one of the other posters indicated desire for help, and responders noted, there are many, many books on this topic.

RamrodDoc mentioned 'Metallic Cartridge Reloading' I believe, by Gun Digest Books. Could be the best $ buy of the year.

Hope this helps.

 

[Petro_58]

Can you post a couple Pic's of the cartridge? Full length and the Primer Mark. Check your cartridge neck size with your calipers, compare fired to unfired, reloaded to new. It could just be a little to hard on your neck sizing or seating die causing an ever so slight bluge.

 

[Chuckdog]

With most brand dies, bring the ram to the top. Screw the die in till in makes contact with your empty case holder, then another half turn or so and lock it. Lube the brass, including brushing inside the neck for the expander ball to pass through. Run it through the FL sizer, and measure the case length post sizing.

I uniform all mine @ 2.005". With the case lubed cleaned off, test to see if it'll chamber freely? It ain't a bad idea to check em' before you do a long run on any of em?