Im 18 and I need help Reloading 300 RUM!!!

[Cody Mercer]

Hey. Im new to this forum and even more than that, I am new to reloading. In fact so new to reloading this is only my second day with a press.
Heres my dilemma. I own a Remington Sendero that is chambered for the 300 Remington Ultra Mag. As you can imagine I don't have a lot of money and cant afford buying production ammunition anymore. When I try to reload my brass, all of the ammo I create will not fully sit in the chamber. It gets stuck 90% of the way and jams. I mean really jams. I cant even get it out with the bolt.
Here are my steps in reloading.
I am using production bought brass to reload. It was a once fired box of Remington 300 RUM power level 1 with a 150 gr bullet.
1 I use a Hornady Ultrasonic tub for 30 minutes to clean.


2 I use a Hornady Lock N load single stage press with a #5 shell holder and an F L die set for the 300 RUM from RCBS to remove the primers. I use one shot spray lube for it. (Im not exactly sure how to use die or what the screws do ontop for Depriming Die.)


3 I use the Hornady Ultrasonic tub for another 30 mins.


4 I use the Hornady Lock N Load Press to push in No. 91/2 M Magnum Rifle Primers in.


5 I measure all of the shell lengths with Frankford Arsenal caliper to the specs of a Nosler handbook. (None needed trimming)


6 I spent a lot of time deburring the neck with a hand deburrer.


7 I load it with MAGPRO Rifle Powder of 89.5 grains.


8 I use the hornady press to press the bullet and seat it in the die. Im using Nosler .308" 150 grain bullets and seat the bullet so the overall length of the cartridge is 3.588 inches.


I go to the range and try feeding my cartridges in and every one jam in my rifle and are very difficult to get out. PLEASE HELP!!

 

[bigngreen]

Does a resized but not loaded case chamber up in the rifle?

 

[Cody Mercer]

Yes. They do, actually.

 

[lloydsmale]

either your seating your bullets out to far or the necks of your cases need turning. Could be that you have a tight chamber or a short one. Just on a side note. I dont know which nosler bullet your loading but 150 grain bullets arent ideal in that caliber. I use 168tsx barnes in mine because they just outshoot the heavier ones but bullets 180-200 are going to work better on game and probably fly flatter way out there

 

[375fan]

Are you trying to crimp case mouth on a cannulure of bullet? If so, then your seating die isn't set correctly.
If not, I still suspect seating die as cause of issue. A resized case that will chamber easily should do the same after being primed, filled with powder and bullet seated. I personally can't see a 150 sitting out far enough to cause problem, especially with the freebore most factory rifles come with on the ultra mags. ( I have ultras, 300 and 338,custom builds) To me it sounds like seating die is set too low and is causing cases to be crushed slightly deforming them, probably in shoulder area. Which then causes hard if not impossible to chamber loaded round. ( I learned this lesson a long time ago.) To determine if what I'm suggesting is correct then:
1. Put seating die in press.
2. Put a resized, unprimed, empty case (make sure it will chamber in rifle first) in shell holder of reloading press.
3. Slowly moving handle of press , push case up into die, if you feel pressure/contact on case before your press handle comes to complete stop then your seating die is set too low.
I agree with other poster that 150's are too light for 300 ultra. I wouldn't use less than 200gr bullets in it.
As you are new to reloading, proceed slowly, read your reloading manual thoroughly, most manuals have complete info on start to finish on basic reloading in them.

 

[Korhil78]

I would imagine you are seating your bullets out to far. Get a reloading manual like hornady, Berger or nosler and read the reloading section over and over. When you do a segment of reloading refer to the reloading manual while doing. When you choose powders again refer to the manual and get a powder that worked best and don't stray from the min and max loading in the manual.

 

[bigngreen]

Sized cases fit so take a fired and not resized case and see if you can slip a bullet in it, it should slide in easily if not just fall right in. If it's real stiff or you can push it in at all you chamber has a tight neck which being factory the likely hood of that is slim but none the less check.

The seating dies set up has been mentioned and would definitely do it if set up to tight. The easiest way to set up a standard die so it does not crimp is to unscrew the die quite a ways, put a resized case all the way up and screw the die down till it touches then back it of a 1/4 of a turn and lock it down.

Once you know the neck is OK and the seating die is set correctly then you can concentrate on seating depth if you still have an issue but as short as you were loading them you should have been OK but you never know till you check.

Unless you have a brake on the rifle and while your in the learning stages I would stick with the 150's, the ideal bullet is a 230 gr Berger for the RUM BUT it will get your attention if you fire a full load without a brake, keep it mild while you get your feet under you!!!

 

[Cody Mercer]

I am using 150 grain Nosler Accubonds. I will step it up to larger bullets. Do you have suggestions for a long range bullet? I have deffinately been infected with the long range fever.
Also. I will try all of these tricks when I get home, I have a few more questions about dies. There are several differnt dies that you can buy. Some packages come with three dies and some come with only one. I read that it is best to use just a neck sizing die on cases that have already been fired. Why is that?
Finally, could I have done any permanent damage to my rifle by trying to chamber these un-chamber able rounds?

I appreciate the help for a long range rookie!!

 

[lloydsmale]

neck sizing will increase case life and some claim accuracy (i havent seen much) downside is if you have chambering problems they will be amplified by only neck sizing. As to long range bullets it depends on whether your shooting game or shooting targets. Big differnce in what bullet will be ideal for each of those.

 

[lloydsmale]

one other thing that can cause the problem your having is not champering the inside fo the case mouth. I ran into last year with a batch of new 257 wby brass. I loaded it without champering and alot of my ammo wouldnt chamber. It was actually pushing the neck back and swelling the case due to how hard it was to start a bullet in the case.

 

[Cody Mercer]

neck sizing will increase case life and some claim accuracy (i havent seen much) downside is if you have chambering problems they will be amplified by only neck sizing. As to long range bullets it depends on whether your shooting game or shooting targets. Big differnce in what bullet will be ideal for each of those.

For targets, mostly.

 

[thatguyshm]

What dies do you have?

I've taught a few people to reload. I have NEVER been fond of spray on lube. I want something I can feel being applied with my fingers. I always use imperial wax, its really cheap. Its like hardened vasoline. Do not substitute anything. When you start to resize, Get it on the neck and then the portion right after the shoulder. None on the shoulder, as it can cause dents the more lube you get in your dies.

Put an empty round in your stand, move the ram up all the way, so they bullet is sticking out of the top of your press. Notice where the bottem of the case is. Lower the ram, screw in your sizing die. Make sure your decapping pin is lower than the back of the case so the round is deprimed. Start lowering your die a quarter screw at a time, looking at the neck of the round. You will notice that the die starts to leave a shiney spot on your neck that the die is actually resizing. I always try to get it as close to the shoulder as I can, leaving room so the lube doesn't cause dents in the shoulder. 1/16th of an inch will do well.

That is your sizing. Get your ring down onto the press so the die cannot lower further. Lock it in with the screw in the ring.

I'm assuming that is the step that is problematic. Make sure you cover your OAL by SAAMI specs until you get the concept of loading, and play wiht it from there. Do you have a micrometer? How are you measuring lengths? Case length when you start to load? OAL? Have you watched YOUTUBE videos?

If you need help, lots of help here. PM people if they are open to it.

-shm

 

[SidecarFlip]

After rreading all the replies, my single comment is.... No matter what the budget constraints, get a reloading manual from the manufacturer you plan on reloading their pills and read it and in the beginning, follow their recommendations for powder and pills.

Every reloading manual covers the operation of the press and dies and how to set them to achieve a cartridge reworked to SAMMI specs. I'd start with reading before doing, anything.

Most of us have been reloading for years and experience allows us to deviate without things 'blowing up in our faces'. Thats not your option, especially at 18.

 

[Barrelnut]

Are you trying to crimp case mouth on a cannulure of bullet? If so, then your seating die isn't set correctly.
If not, I still suspect seating die as cause of issue. A resized case that will chamber easily should do the same after being primed, filled with powder and bullet seated. I personally can't see a 150 sitting out far enough to cause problem, especially with the freebore most factory rifles come with on the ultra mags. ( I have ultras, 300 and 338,custom builds) To me it sounds like seating die is set too low and is causing cases to be crushed slightly deforming them, probably in shoulder area. Which then causes hard if not impossible to chamber loaded round. ( I learned this lesson a long time ago.) To determine if what I'm suggesting is correct then:
1. Put seating die in press.
2. Put a resized, unprimed, empty case (make sure it will chamber in rifle first) in shell holder of reloading press.
3. Slowly moving handle of press , push case up into die, if you feel pressure/contact on case before your press handle comes to complete stop then your seating die is set too low.
I agree with other poster that 150's are too light for 300 ultra. I wouldn't use less than 200gr bullets in it.
As you are new to reloading, proceed slowly, read your reloading manual thoroughly, most manuals have complete info on start to finish on basic reloading in them.

I agree that this is a VERY good possibility as to cause. I have seen this before. If you look closely at the shoulder area of a case that will not chamber, you may find that is has a slight bulge just below the shoulder. Just compare a resized case with not bullet to one that has a bullet seated in it to see if there is any difference at all. It does not take much of a bulge to cause it not to chamber.

Also, dies come with some detailed instructions on how to set them up. If you do not have the instructions, you can probably get them from the manufacture on their website.