.260 loading problems

[Cheyenne19]

loading for a freinds .260 rem. After fl sizing loaded rounds are hard to close the bolt with. It is 120 gr tsx coal of 2.825". The distance to lands is 3.010 with stoney point gauge. Can it be a problem with the fl die?

 

[J E Custom]

Try a factory load.

If it will chamber then the answer is yes!

Screw the die all the way down where the ram will not
break over then back it off untill you can (It should make
some contact with the ram on your press)

If the factory load does not go there may be a problem
with the chamber.

Have it checked by a smith

Good luck
J E CUSTOM

 

[CatShooter]

loading for a freinds .260 rem. After fl sizing loaded rounds are hard to close the bolt with. It is 120 gr tsx coal of 2.825". The distance to lands is 3.010 with stoney point gauge. Can it be a problem with the fl die?

It is not uncommon for a rifle to have a minimum chamber and the FL die have maximum dimentions.

Under these conditions, the die might not be able to FL size the case enough.

I do wonder where the 260 cases originally fired in your friends rifle?

They should go back into the chamber, slick like owl poop.

So I guess the question is...

Are the fired cases from your friends rifle, or did you (he) get them from another rifle?

If so, have you tried cases fired from his rifle?

Is your FL die set all the way down, so you feel resistance when you pull the handle to the end of the stroke, and the ram "goes over center".


I had this same problem recently - a friend gave me 600 pieces of once fired .223 Lap brass, and they wouldn't chamber (expected, kinda).

So I tried a very good FL die - no good, so I tried a small base FL die - no good, so I tried a minimum dimension shoulder bump die - no good.

I finely had to take off 0.023" from a shell holder to get the cases to fit my chamber (snugly)... and my chamber accepts all factory brass, without binding... go figure ?



.

 

[devildoc]

1) will UNLOADED FL resized brass chamber?
2)will un-resized brass chamber?
3)will loaded resized brass chamber? (obviously not)

If 1&2 are yes and 3 is no, you need to seat your bullet more. If 2 is yes and 1&3 are no, you need to bump your shoulder more, that is of course if the brass was fired through the same gun. If all three are no, and your die is set correctly, either the brass was fired in another gun and your die is too long. Or there is a problem with your chamber, either it's rusty, dirty or needs rechambering by a smith.

 

[johnnyk]

Have the cases been trimmed to the correct length? If the cartridge neck is too long it maybe "pinching" right at the top of the chamber where the rifling starts. JohnnyK.

 

[Cheyenne19]

The cases have been trimmed to length, and the brass has never been fired. New it will chamber fine, but after one firing it will no longer chamber. I think he is running into pressure problems. The bolt is not sticky and the primer and headstamp don't show any signs. I think the base is swelling and his die is not sizing it back.

 

[Shawn Carlock]

I shoot a 260 in competition and have had issues with mine as well. It seems that that I have 3 sets of dies. 2 sets will allow the bolt to close but cause difficult extraction. The 3rd set allows normal function. After measurement I found that the dies were not sizing the lower portion of the case enough to allow the brass to work like brass. This same issue only .001" bigger would also cause you problem. I like you had no issues what so ever with factory brass untill after it was fired once. Hope this helps.

 

[devildoc]

I agree with Shawn, probably a die problem. I'd get a Redding body die as they tend to resize the lower portion of the case better than anything else I've used. If there are no indications of high pressure, its probably not a pressure problem.

 

[Winchester 69]

Do you need a small-base sizing die?