Neck tension HELP!!!

[motown]

So i just purchased a new tikka t3 243 about 3 weeks ago and also picked up 100 pcs of new nosler brass for it. I worked up some different loads for it and finally found a load with imr4064 and sierra 85grn hpbt that will consistantly shoot 1/2 inch so thats the good news.

Now tonight i was inspecting all the once fired brass and tried to just seat a bullet in the case by hand and the bullet dropped straight to the bottom of the case. I thought that was odd so i tried another piece of once fired brass and the same thing happened. Well after trying this with all 65pcs of once fired brass the bullet just drops to the bottom of every case and there is no neck tension on the bullet at all. All of my loads where well below max charges and the bullets where seated to the sierra manuals recommended depth.

I have never had a rifle that would cause brass to do this. Does anybody know what the issue could be and if there is anyway to tighten the neck of the brass back up? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[idaho elk hunter]

It sounds like the reamer that was used to size the neck area of the chamber was machined to very loose tolerances.

 

[Win.308Stealth]

Is this happening after you resized them? Or is this happening before you resized them?

 

[motown]

This brass has not been resized. I literally bought it new 3 weeks ago and opened the case mouths, primed and loaded them up. I have done this with nosler brass numerous times before as well in a bunch of other rifles and never had an issue.

 

[firstcoueswas80]

Well there you go. Its gotta be sized!

 

[supercrossbmx69]

That's the case neck opening up to let the bullet pass through the neck freely...

Which is why you resize the brass...

 

[idaho elk hunter]

So this is before you have shot them? If so then you need to size before you do anything. If you switch to Forrester dies or the likes of you can set your own neck tension with the expander ball bushing for your firearms specific chamber. My response above is if you have a sent brass from your chamber. Not if it was new brass.lightbulb

 

[motown]

So this is before you have shot them? If so then you need to size before you do anything. If you switch to Forrester dies or the likes of you can set your own neck tension with the expander ball bushing for your firearms specific chamber. My response above is if you have a sent brass from your chamber. Not if it was new brass.lightbulb

This is once fired brass i am talking about. When i loaded the first 60 rounds it was all new brass and i had no issues with the tension and everything was fine. After i fired those rounds is when i had an issue.

 

[4xforfun]

New gun..you simply have a factory chamber with generious neck clearances. Nothing wrong. The only draw back could be shorter brass life because you need to work the brass so much. All you need to do to solve that is to anneal your necks.

No worries!!!

 

[motown]

New gun..you simply have a factory chamber with generious neck clearances. Nothing wrong. The only draw back could be shorter brass life because you need to work the brass so much. All you need to do to solve that is to anneal your necks.

No worries!!!

Thx 4X. I never got into annealing but it looks like im about to start.

 

[Win.308Stealth]

Go and resize a piece of brass. You do have a full length resizing die for the .243 right? After you size the brass, try sticking a bullet into the brass by hand. Then let us know what happens.

 

[longrangehunterII]

This is once fired brass i am talking about. When i loaded the first 60 rounds it was all new brass and i had no issues with the tension and everything was fine. After i fired those rounds is when i had an issue.

If you haven't sized your "Once fired brass" the bullet will drop through the neck! Unless you have a tight neck to chamber issue with the brass you're using. For you this wouldn't be the case in a factory gun.

You'll need to run your brass through a sizing die F/L or Neck die to hold a bullet after firing them!

 

[longrangehunterII]

This brass has not been resized. I literally bought it new 3 weeks ago and opened the case mouths, primed and loaded them up. I have done this with nosler brass numerous times before as well in a bunch of other rifles and never had an issue.

"Not sized" you'll need to resize it to hold a bullet....... that's what you're not getting! You've been doing this "numerous times before in a bunch of other rifles and never had an issue"?

So you've been reloading ammo without ever resizing your brass, how did those primers get removed from the once fired brass if that's the case? A case goes up into a die and punches out the primer and resizes the body, shoulder and the neck unless it's a neck die. How could you not be doing this step otherwise?

 

[Mikecr]

I think OP is suggesting that this is the first he's seen fired necks that didn't spring back to a point of interference fit with bullets.
Bigger neck clearance is all.