View Full Version : reloads jam in chamber
This post is a little premature but I wanted to ask while this is fresh in my mind.
I reloaded a number of .223, thought I had the process down. What's happening is that my reloads chamber & extract fine in some older guns and I have troubles in newer builds. This past weekend I had a few rounds that jammed in the chamber of a brand new build and I had to rap the buttstock on the ground in order to pull the charging handle to eject the round. When I ejected the rounds the cases appear fine, some soot on the shoulder, no creases or galling or anything like that. I case gauge all my brass after resize but before I reload and again after they're complete to double check. This is with a Dillon case gauge: flush on the bottom and top of the gauge, if not a hair short, so if the shoulder needed to be bumped down I would think the brass or complete round in the case gauge would be too long. What am I missing?
This post is a little premature because I have not taken the calipers to some of the completed rounds but I'm kind of at a loss sitting here thinking about it. Like I said, I have used rifles my reloads fire flawlessly in, and 2 newer rifles that seem to be tight. So does that mean the chambers are a touch tight? The problem rifles are a PSA and a Windham. Bushy's and Colt seem to be problem free.
Thoughts please.
If I had a bulged case, it shouldn't fit in the case gauge... would it? They arn't bulged to the naked eye, but like I said I haven't mic'ed them yet.
The dies I use are Dillon. It's true they only size down to the bottom 1/4" or so of the brass. Another thing is funny is that of course the problem occured at random out of the same batch of ammo.
Well, that does sound like my problem...
Is you press caming over when you are sizing?
Gauges are fine, but unless they were cut with the exact same reamer that cut your chamber, they are only a guide.
Is the press camming over?...
Arg... thanks for bringing that to my attention. I need to be more aware of that happening every time and being absolutely consistant. I wish I could say it did, but I can't say for sure, 100% of the time.
Most of the time small base dies are not needed. My small base die is in a box somewhere. I reload a lot of 223, 300 Whisper and 308 to gun through mag fed rifles.
Size a few cases and see if they jam up before doing any more steps in reloading. Only then will you be able to narrow it down where things are going wrong.
Take some time setting things up and you will be good to go.
It's odd to me the few cases and leftover rounds I ran trough the case gauge seemed fine. I know, that's hardly a scientific way to do things. But now I have to wonder if maybe I wasn't as consistant in my throws and that's the cause of a few bad rounds out of my afternoon of shooting.
Thanks to the both of you for your input, it gives me things to think on and look into.
Buckaroobonsai
08-19-2013, 08:36
Reviving an old thread. I've been having this issue recently with my Remington 700 in .308. The case chambers fine, but then is hard to extract after firing. I previously added a single shot follower, so just took that out to limit the variables. On the last shoot, none of the fired cases would fit all the way down the head space gauge. I do have a small base die, but that set of brass may have been processed before it. I usually load at minimums, so don't think that's an issue. I'll check the cam over setting now as well...
[Dunno]
Was it a warm day? Ammo in the sun or siting in a hot chamber? What's your load?
Sounds like overpressure to me. Deprime a couple and seat some new primers. If they are loose, to know pressure was very high. If not, it's still likely a pressure issue.
Buckaroobonsai
08-19-2013, 09:51
Ok, cam settings are fine. I ran all the suspect brass through the small base sizer to be sure, and they all headspace gage fine now. I'll load them back up as usual, and try half of them without the single shot follower. If they all pass, I'll put it back in and see if there's any change.
SA Friday
08-19-2013, 09:55
I just went through this with my 308s. I have two. The chamber dimensions are different and even full length resizing wasn't cutting it. I had to find a resizing die that would both get the dimensions to "no shit" minimum specs and wouldn't seize up even on a lubed case. Basically, new brass runs just fine, but if I shoot it out of the old PSS, it's not going into the custom cut chamber. It's simply too tight. I quickly learned what I thought was min spec resizing by various dies has huge variations in dimensions. After destroying three different resizing dies, I bit the bullet and bought a Dillon carbide insert resizing die. It full length resizes to the match chamber spec and cases come back out of it even if they are a little oversized.
Buckaroobonsai
08-19-2013, 09:59
Warm day?: No, warm would have been nice. It was yesterday, hot as hell.
Ammo in the sun or sitting in a hot chamber?: No, we hid under a canopy, out of the sun. No, single shot follower, so only one chambered at a time.
What's my load?: Don't remember exactly what batch this was, but I load at minimums according to manufacturer data.
Loose primers?: All once fired brass I believe, so primer pockets nice and tight.
Was it a warm day? Ammo in the sun or siting in a hot chamber? What's your load?
Sounds like overpressure to me. Deprime a couple and seat some new primers. If they are loose, to know pressure was very high. If not, it's still likely a pressure issue.
Buckaroobonsai
08-19-2013, 10:03
That's what I started to wonder as well. That's why I took out the single shot follower to test, since it seemed to make the action even a tad tighter, and that's the last thing I need at this point. I'm using all RCBS dies, so if the brass is still tight in the next round of testing, I might have to look into a Dillion one.
I just went through this with my 308s. I have two. The chamber dimensions are different and even full length resizing wasn't cutting it. I had to find a resizing die that would both get the dimensions to "no shit" minimum specs and wouldn't seize up even on a lubed case. Basically, new brass runs just fine, but if I shoot it out of the old PSS, it's not going into the custom cut chamber. It's simply too tight. I quickly learned what I thought was min spec resizing by various dies has huge variations in dimensions. After destroying three different resizing dies, I bit the bullet and bought a Dillon carbide insert resizing die. It full length resizes to the match chamber spec and cases come back out of it even if they are a little oversized.
Buckaroobonsai
08-19-2013, 10:33
Also of note. I was shooting that day with a friend who has the same gun, a Remington 700 ADL .308 but without a single shot follower and newer. After tapping out a case, I asked him to chamber it in his gun. In & out, no issues. Back in mine, and I had to struggle to eject it again. I asked him to shoot a round from the same batch, and once again, no issues...
Buckaroobonsai
08-19-2013, 10:52
Yikes, the cheapest I could find online was $148 for the Dillon Precision 10234 Carbide Sizing Die. Anybody find a better deal?
I bit the bullet and bought a Dillon carbide insert resizing die. It full length resizes to the match chamber spec and cases come back out of it even if they are a little oversized.
SA Friday
08-19-2013, 10:56
That's what I started to wonder as well. That's why I took out the single shot follower to test, since it seemed to make the action even a tad tighter, and that's the last thing I need at this point. I'm using all RCBS dies, so if the brass is still tight in the next round of testing, I might have to look into a Dillion one.
I used RCBS for years. Then I got this custom gun and figured out that RCBS reloading dies are BIG in their dimensions. I can resize a case and it still won't chamber in the match chambered gun, not even close. the Dillon case goes in and out of the match chamber after being shot out of my PSS chamber which is huge sloppy. I have $5 that says your once fired brass came from a loose chamber and your RCBS die isn't gett the dimensions small enough for your chamber.
SA Friday
08-19-2013, 10:57
Yikes, the cheapest I could find online was $148 for the Dillon Precision 10234 Carbide Sizing Die. Anybody find a better deal?
I killed three dies...
Cry once.
If you want, send me your address. I'll full resize a case and send it to you to check in your gun. Then you will know if it will work or not and if it's the problem or not.
I killed three dies...
Cry once.
If you want, send me your address. I'll full resize a case and send it to you to check in your gun. Then you will know if it will work or not and if it's the problem or not.
That's a great offer.
Buckaroobonsai
08-19-2013, 12:33
I appreciate the offer and will take you up on it if things go the same way on my next shoot. I went to town on the suspect brass, small base sizing, decapping, tumbling, flash hole brushing, primer pocket uniforming, even trimmed and de-burred them all. Now not only do they gauge fine, but also chamber and eject with ease. Next, I'm going to load them up "light" again to specs, including careful attention to OAL, and test them next weekend.
Hopefully that fixes the issues.
[Thanks]
If you want, send me your address. I'll full resize a case and send it to you to check in your gun. Then you will know if it will work or not and if it's the problem or not.
Buckaroobonsai
08-19-2013, 18:18
Ok, here they are. Listed by Nosler as the most accurate load tested for their 150 grn. Ballistic Silver Tipped. All cases small base sized and trimmed to 2.010". OACL of 2.80". TAC powder at 42.0 grains for an 87% load. Federal LRP hand primed nice and tight after flash hole brushing and a primer pocket uniformer. Seated with no crimp. Falls in and out of the head space gauge and chambers/ ejects with ease. I've done all I can for now. We'll find out how they do this weekend. Fingers crossed...
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