Brass sticking at all powder charges

[86alaskan]

It's a TL classic hunter custom action. First post.... sure hope that's not the issue, went away from factory to avoid that kind of problem

 

[Johnny_V]

I know those are nice actions, but I'd still have the timing checked - it happens even with high dollar actions.

 

[Pdvdh]

Upon further testing, a cleaned fired case is sticky going in, then exhibits the same hard lift and bind when I try to extract. Something is definitely up. Case head expansion is .004 over a virgin unfired sized case.

If by case head you mean the rim is expanding 0.004" in outer diameter with a single firing, then something is amiss. That's excessive case head expansion.
Any decent gunsmith should be able to identify the problem. But the rifle should have been function tested before it was ever provided to you. So whether your gunsmith qualifies as 'decent' remains a question.

 

[xsn10s]

The case head isn't the rim. It's the section above the rim and does expand upon firing. Normally you'd take factory ammo and fire it and measure the case head expansion. Then when you use the same manufacture brass you have a baseline measurement to compare expansion to. 0.004" expansion is considered within normal IF you have fired factory ammo and that's the measurement you came up with. At least that's how I remember it from Ken Water's book that I read 30 some years ago.

 

[Edd]

The case head isn't the rim. It's the section above the rim and does expand upon firing. Normally you'd take factory ammo and fire it and measure the case head expansion. Then when you use the same manufacture brass you have a baseline measurement to compare expansion to. 0.004" expansion is considered within normal IF you have fired factory ammo and that's the measurement you came up with. At least that's how I remember it from Ken Water's book that I read 30 some years ago.

Actually the case head is the rim, even on a rimless case. Ever hear the term "Headstamp"? The part you are calling the case head is the case web. It can/does expand upon firing but expanding .004" in a single firing is huge. Expanding .0005" is typically considered a normal maximum for a single firing.

 

[Pdvdh]

I call that the case web - the sidewall of the case forward of the case head.
On a belted casing, where the belt is located.
Case head is what contacts the face of the bolt, no?

 

[Pdvdh]

Actually the case head is the rim, even on a rimless case. Ever hear the term "Headstamp"? The part you are calling the case head is the case web. It can/does expand upon firing but expanding .004" in a single firing is huge. Expanding .0005" is typically considered a normal maximum for a single firing.

That's been my understanding over many decades also.

 

[xsn10s]

https://sierrabulletsblog.com/2015/08/12/reloading-101-case-diagnostics/

 

[xsn10s]

My understanding is the web and the rim is part of the case head. And when you measure for pressure you measure the area of the web for expansion.

 

[xsn10s]

In any "case" I have always measured the web area for pressure signs. Not the rim.

 

[xsn10s]

Otherwise we would have "case head separation".

 

[Edd]

https://sierrabulletsblog.com/2015/08/12/reloading-101-case-diagnostics/

https://saami.org

 

[86alaskan]

.004 as the measured difference between a virgin case and a fired. When I measured the fired and sized case the change was more like .001

 

[xsn10s]

Hodgdon's version on how to measure pressure. Note how they describe the case head. "Measurement is taken just ahead of the extractor groove on the case head and must be taken at the same place on the case before and after firing."
http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/rel...-trick-monitoring-pressure-your-rifle-reloads