Reloading helpPlease

[Ultramag45]

Hey Guys, Got a interesting problem going on...Ive reloaded for years and am usually pretty ontop of problems..this one has me stumped....Ok Reloading for a buddys 300 Weatherby...having problem with brass going back in sizing die after it is fired thru this gun....brand new brass goes in and sizes easy...they close nice in the gun...shoot them and they are stuck, have to pound them out....Go to resize...case wont go all the way in. Die...Tried Rem brass and Weatherby brass...even took factory brass, once fired...went in die fine... loaded it shoot it same thing.. its like after shooting thru gun they are expanding too much where the case will only go half way thru die before coming tight..Knowing stuck bolt is signs of pressure...knocked the load way down...3 grains under max....same thing...changed powder and same thing.....is this a chamber problem and extractor problem or am I missing something...Ive loaded this same load for this gun a few hundred rounds No problems....Thanks Guys

 

[Korhil78]

It is hard to diagnose something without being there. Anyway, here is what I would do, I would take the die apart. Look it all over really well and make sure nothing looks wrong with it. I would then clean every part of it, especially inside the cylinder. I would try to look inside the chamber of my gun and see if anything looks abnormal and clean the inside of the chamber really well.

Can you post a pic of a new piece of brass and the once fired? My bet is something has changed in your chamber.

 

[Joe King]

That sounds like excessive head space to me, Brass has a certain amount of spring back but once you pass that, and maybe have pretty soft brass, I can see it happening. I ran into that very same problem when I first started out reloading, quick trip to the GS and yup it had excessive head space. Not knowing then what I know now I got rid of the rifle instead of having it rebarreled.

 

[Trnelson]

IMO you have a headspace issue. You need to get your hands on go/no go gauges to absolutely confirm or dispel this condition. From what you describe I would wager that you can close the bolt on the no go gauge. I would NOT FIRE this weapon again until safe head space is confirmed. Be safe. YMMV

 

[Ultramag45]

IMO you have a headspace issue. You need to get your hands on go/no go gauges to absolutely confirm or dispel this condition. From what you describe I would wager that you can close the bolt on the no go gauge. I would NOT FIRE this weapon again until safe head space is confirmed. Be safe. YMMV

so excessive headspace will cause even new brass to swell enough not to go into the sizing die...very strange...kinda stuck it looks like as there are no GS within 100 miles of us...funny thing, wouldnt there be some pressure signs...there is nothing but a locked bolt after the shot...die is very new..looks good and clean as well...

 

[Joe King]

In my experience yes it will, did you happen to notice anything about the primer? backed out, cratered...........

that's exactly what I rifle I had way back when did, no pressure signs other than a stuck case even with mild loads, I don't remember anything about how hard it was to resize though.

 

[dig]

How's your trim length? 10 thousands under? I would start there. Then measure headspace. Exesive headspace will cause brass to expand to much, normally at the base of the brass. New brass/ammo in belted cases sometimes space off the belt (sometimes).

 

[FUBAR]

Just to be clear:

You are full length resizing fired brass for/from the same rifle?

And the case will not even go in at the neck shoulder's?

 

[Ultramag45]

Just to be clear:

You are full length resizing fired brass for/from the same rifle?

And the case will not even go in at the neck shoulder's?

the cases go in about half way and become tight....

 

[FUBAR]

O.K. Will the fired case that won't go into the resizing die chamber into the rifle you fired it from?

 

[Goofycat]

so excessive headspace will cause even new brass to swell enough not to go into the sizing die...very strange...kinda stuck it looks like as there are no GS within 100 miles of us...funny thing, wouldnt there be some pressure signs...there is nothing but a locked bolt after the shot...die is very new..looks good and clean as well...

Try resizing with a different die. If no problems there, then you might take check the first die for problems. Check your trim length and measure the ODs of the shot cases vs. the cases that had fit with no problems. Interesting problem....Keep us posted.

 

[rscott5028]

Measure everything before and after firing.

 

[Ultramag45]

O.K. Will the fired case that won't go into the resizing die chamber into the rifle you fired it from?

NO..It will not close, as it has to be beaten out with a rubber hammer after firing...strange is right..a new sized case goes in nicely like it should.or once fired factory from another gun resized.. cycles and closes well .after the shot.PROBLEM...I told my buddy its time to invest in a new rifle..this gun has been rebarrelled prior..prob only 300 rounds thru it....

 

[rscott5028]

He needs to quit shooting the rifle until he figures this out.

If the bolt binds with factory ammo, then something is wrong with the chamber/bolt/headspace.

It shouldn't be that hard to measure every aspect of the fired and unfired case to see where the brass is growing/binding.

Digital calipers are inexpensive as is a set of sinclair or hornady headspace inserts. SAMMI prints are available online.

Check the headspace like others suggested. You can rent a set of go/no-go gauges from reamerrentals.com. Remember to remove your ejector so you get a better feel.

You can even do a chamber cast if necessary.

If you're still not sure, take it to a smith (possibly the one that did the last rebarrel) to check it out.

-- richard