Brass is hard to chamber after full-length resize

[can1010]

i would put my money on an improperly adjusted die. sounds like oversizing causing a bulge in the middle of the case.
.528 on new and .530 sized is normal the chamber is .533
the best fix is to back your die out and reset. first check if your fired brass chambers easily after it is deprimed and if tight then lower your die slowly until your case chambers easily. get a bump gauge and check cases to set proper bump

 

[338 dude]

I'm reloading 6.5 PRC Hornady brass. Factory ammo chambers fine. After resizing the brass using a Hornady match full-length resize die, the brass barely chambers—the bolt is sticky loading and unloading the brass. I have the die set so the case goes as far into the die as possible (shell holder hits the bottom of the die and cams over). Hornady customer services says it's because the match-grade dies only bump the shoulder .002" and the custom dies will bump the shoulder farther back.

Does anyone know if this is true? Let's be honest, there's a ton of misinformation in the guns/ammo/reloading world, and I've learned not to trust something just because someone who should know what they're talking about says it (because a lot of them don't actually know, even though they should).

Seems to me that bumping the shoulder even .002" should be enough for it chamber without the bolt getting sticky. I'm suspicious that the resizing die I got is out-of-spec (happened before w/ a Hornady .308 custom die and the problem resolved when I got a .308 match die).

Should I just get another resizing die, this time not a Hornady, and see if that fixes the issue? Dillon doesn't make 6.5 PRC dies yet, so I'd have to get Forster, RCBS, or Redding. Recommendations on which one to get?

Try putting a .002 feeler gauge between the base of the cartridge and the shell holder size that and see if it chambers in your rifle

 

[MagnumManiac]

Try putting a .002 feeler gauge between the base of the cartridge and the shell holder size that and see if it chambers in your rifle

This is exactly what I was going to suggest.
I will add a little more to the story, however.
Using a different piece of brass each time, place a .002" gauge under the head, size it, clean it and chamber it. If still tight, try a .003" and so on until you get just a little resistance closing the bolt, then add another .001" to that number.
Once all this is done, buy another shell holder, they're cheap, then have .010" turned off the top of it and then adjust your die to suit the amount of bump you require. Keep that shell holder in the die box for the rest of that barrels life.
One other piece of advice….dump those Hornady dies in the trash! They are JUNK.

Cheers.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Without measuring the shoulders on new cases, fired cases and resized cases it's all just guesswork. A little careful measuring would go a long way in resolving the problem.

 

[MT6.5PRC]

I doubt it's a chamber too tight. That fired cases expanded 2thou near webs, at least, tells me you have plenty of clearance.
Opening the chamber further will just allow even more growth & kill case life.

If near webs are left in interference fit with the chamber then you likely have weak breech support for the cartridge & load.
If your die doesn't counter that, then the die may be right -but no good for you.
Personally, I'd have a custom die made from fired cases.

The whole thread is long, but super informative. https://www.longrangeonly.com/forum/threads/6-5-prc-dies-not-sizing-enough.6782/page-3 It looks like there's an industry-wide mismatch between the chamber reamers and dies for 6.5 PRC (and 300 PRC). Perhaps Hornady screwed something up when they sent the plans to SAAMI, but reaming the chamber a couple thousandths of an inch fixes the issue, apparently.

 

[MT6.5PRC]

Try putting a .002 feeler gauge between the base of the cartridge and the shell holder size that and see if it chambers in your rifle

Now there's an interesting idea. I might give this a try

This is exactly what I was going to suggest.
I will add a little more to the story, however.
Using a different piece of brass each time, place a .002" gauge under the head, size it, clean it and chamber it. If still tight, try a .003" and so on until you get just a little resistance closing the bolt, then add another .001" to that number.
Once all this is done, buy another shell holder, they're cheap, then have .010" turned off the top of it and then adjust your die to suit the amount of bump you require. Keep that shell holder in the die box for the rest of that barrels life.
One other piece of advice….dump those Hornady dies in the trash! They are JUNK.

Cheers.

I like this idea, but the extensive (and I do mean extensive) explorations the fellas over at Long Range Only did trying to make sense of the issue over the past two years came to the conclusion that it's a mismatch between chamber reamer specs and die specs that has affected the whole industry. Forster, RCBS, Hornady, Whidden custom dies, all have the same issue. https://www.longrangeonly.com/forum/threads/6-5-prc-dies-not-sizing-enough.6782/page-3

 

[Rich Coyle]

I didn't read the posts so I don't know if someone suggested it. I discovered sizing them twice seems to work.

 

[MagnumManiac]

Now there's an interesting idea. I might give this a try

I like this idea, but the extensive (and I do mean extensive) explorations the fellas over at Long Range Only did trying to make sense of the issue over the past two years came to the conclusion that it's a mismatch between chamber reamer specs and die specs that has affected the whole industry. Forster, RCBS, Hornady, Whidden custom dies, all have the same issue. https://www.longrangeonly.com/forum/threads/6-5-prc-dies-not-sizing-enough.6782/page-3

Totally aware of the issue. However his brass appears to be in spec. The offending chambers are leaving the cases too thick and the die isn't touching it.
I have seen many instances now where a die lengthens the case way too much and then the shoulder doesn't get bumped, making the case enter the die more fixes the issue. It may or may not help this individual rifle out…but it won't hurt anything trying it, as altering a shell holder is a last resort.
I've had to do this on every Weatherby chamber I have cut myself, the match reamers I use are on '0' headspace and the radius shoulder springs back more than conventional shoulders until you get into 45° or steeper.
It's no biggie for me to alter a shell holder.

Cheers.

 

[Savagehunter1968]

Get redding shellholders that will increase your bump.

 

[338 dude]

Get redding shellholders that will increase your bump.

The Redding shellholder's that you are talking about Are oversize and actually size your case less

 

[AZShooter]

No one mentioned a very easy way to SEE where the brass is tight in the chamber. If you have layout fluid it will work best but a covering a case by coloring it with a sharpie also works. Carefully place case into chamber and remove with same care and you should see where the case is hitting in the chamber. It is the first thing I do with a problem case. Measurement can follow.

Be sure to let us know what you discover.

 

[JAYgs8163]

You might double check the case length. Could be too long and need to be trimmed. Shouldn't be after 1 loading, but it's possible.

^^^^ definitely check this

 

[jerry moore]

I'm reloading 6.5 PRC Hornady brass. Factory ammo chambers fine. After resizing the brass using a Hornady match full-length resize die, the brass barely chambers—the bolt is sticky loading and unloading the brass. I have the die set so the case goes as far into the die as possible (shell holder hits the bottom of the die and cams over). Hornady customer services says it's because the match-grade dies only bump the shoulder .002" and the custom dies will bump the shoulder farther back.

Does anyone know if this is true? Let's be honest, there's a ton of misinformation in the guns/ammo/reloading world, and I've learned not to trust something just because someone who should know what they're talking about says it (because a lot of them don't actually know, even though they should).

Seems to me that bumping the shoulder even .002" should be enough for it chamber without the bolt getting sticky. I'm suspicious that the resizing die I got is out-of-spec (happened before w/ a Hornady .308 custom die and the problem resolved when I got a .308 match die).

Should I just get another resizing die, this time not a Hornady, and see if that fixes the issue? Dillon doesn't make 6.5 PRC dies yet, so I'd have to get Forster, RCBS, or Redding. Recommendations on which one to get?

check oal case length or maybe bumping shoulder to far

 

[BrentM]

Do a few measurements on the case web and the shoulder set back. I highly doubt you have a base size issue with 1x fired hornady brass. Seems odd you'd have an issue with shoulder set back with 1x too. Really the best course of action is accurate measurements in the right places. I have 6x on hornady brass as a test and resized with a RCBS match die. So far that hornady still comes into spec and proving to be good brass. ADG, GW, and Lapau all have to be resized with a Whidden custom die for me to use the brass after 3-4x firing. The lapau I just got needs the custom die after 1x. It's weird brass.

If you want you can send me a few pieces of fired brass and I'll measure for you and run them through my die.