Tight chamber

[Clem Bronkoski]

My little Savage Axis Pro that I've been having great success with must have a very tight chamber. I say this because I have fired my brass 3x and now after the 3rd firing the fired brass shows enough resistance when closing the bolt that a shoulder bump is now required. I measured the shoulder using my Hornady Lock-n-Load comparator and after lubing I kept running it through my sizing die and checking the shoulder. It wasn't until my die made contact with the ram where I started to see some difference. In fact, in order to get the .005" shoulder bump I had to screw in the die until it cammed over. It was a tedious task lubing, sizing and making measurements and checking function but I got it down exactly where I want it.

 

[cabelasken]

Once you get it right, your brass will last forever as a result.

 

[Clem Bronkoski]

Once you get it right, your brass will last forever as a result.

I believe I got ot right now.

 

[jseandsje]

My little Savage Axis Pro that I've been having great success with must have a very tight chamber. I say this because I have fired my brass 3x and now after the 3rd firing the fired brass shows enough resistance when closing the bolt that a shoulder bump is now required. I measured the shoulder using my Hornady Lock-n-Load comparator and after lubing I kept running it through my sizing die and checking the shoulder. It wasn't until my die made contact with the ram where I started to see some difference. In fact, in order to get the .005" shoulder bump I had to screw in the die until it cammed over. It was a tedious task lubing, sizing and making measurements and checking function but I got it down exactly where I want it.

.002 bump will save brass.

 

[Seabeeken]

My little Savage Axis Pro that I've been having great success with must have a very tight chamber. I say this because I have fired my brass 3x and now after the 3rd firing the fired brass shows enough resistance when closing the bolt that a shoulder bump is now required. I measured the shoulder using my Hornady Lock-n-Load comparator and after lubing I kept running it through my sizing die and checking the shoulder. It wasn't until my die made contact with the ram where I started to see some difference. In fact, in order to get the .005" shoulder bump I had to screw in the die until it cammed over. It was a tedious task lubing, sizing and making measurements and checking function but I got it down exactly where I want it.

One of my ppc rifles is like that.

 

[tomcat818]

I have the same issue with a Browning rifle where Peterson long brass was very close to chamber head space and wouldn't chamber after first firing. I had to bump the shoulders after the first firing. The good part is it shoots very well and the brass is not being over worked. The downside is I'm running into pressure signs about 1-1.5 gr before book max charge weights even though I'm running much longer COAL than book.

Factory rifles are like a box of chocolates...

 

[Tiny Tim]

Not certain your chamber is "short" or "tight". Could be your die. This is part of the reason Redding makes their shell holder set. This has been the case with several rifles (and die sets) I've had over the years, and that used to be what die manufacturers instructed users to do: Screw the die in till it touches the shell holder and then go a little more to make the press "cam over". Nobody measured this. If it didn't chamber freely, we just cammed it over a little more. We are just more "educated" now.

 

[Clem Bronkoski]

I have the same issue with a Browning rifle where Peterson long brass was very close to chamber head space and wouldn't chamber after first firing. I had to bump the shoulders after the first firing. The good part is it shoots very well and the brass is not being over worked. The downside is I'm running into pressure signs about 1-1.5 gr before book max charge weights even though I'm running much longer COAL than book.

Factory rifles are like a box of chocolates...

Petersen recommends not even running their cases when new into a sizing die. They recommend just chamfering and loading for the first firing.

 

[Cushion909]

Now that you've established the baseline with your fired brass and comparator, the process will be faster next time. You're not just resizing; you're custom-fitting brass to your specific chamber, which is the hallmark of precision handloading.

 

[cabelasken]

Petersen recommends not even running their cases when new into a sizing die. They recommend just chamfering and loading for the first firing.

I've checked their brass dimensions and concentricity and it is very good.

 

[Mark338LM]

It's my opinion bumping the shoulder is your friend. I'm not sure I own a rifle that I don't bump.002-003

 

[Mikecr]

5thou shoulder bump is too much