Thread: FL resized rounds wont chamber

Originally Posted by BenTheBuilder

I don’t mind remeasuring the powder. So happy to pull the pills out and crank the die down. What I can’t wrap my head around is that the case holder makes contact with the bottom of the die so how does cranking it down further change anything ?

If that's the case, try anyway get it to the point where the press doesn't reach full travel if you have to.

If it still won't chamber that tells you that the chamber the brass was previously fired in is bigger than yours in the base of the cartridge that doesn't get resized by the FL die due to the shell holder.

One solution to this and not one I'd recommend for most is to get a spare shell holder and thin it down slightly and try to get the brass chambering in your rifle. Then once chambering, fireform and use the normal shell holder thereafter.

Another solution is a small base die, which may work. Or simply another brand of die which may be of slightly different dimension.

Looks like some rub marks a cm or so up from the base which suggests you are not getting full resizing last cm or so before the head. I think I’ve got some Redding 7mmWSM dies if you wanted to borrow them to try and see if that fixes the problem

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

hard case we bot htyping at same time to say same thing LOL

Great minds or fools seldom differing Micky?

Greetings @BenTheBuilder,
I too have been there. There are two measurements that you have not given us that will help.
1. The length of a case to datum that has been fired in your rifle, and if possible
2. The length to datum of an unfired case.
The difference between your case that will chamber and the one that will not chamber is 0.2mm. That is shitloads. The shoulder bump we are looking for is only 0.05mm. The length of the fired case to datum is essential to getting your die set up properly as we are talking very fine differences.
Glad to help Grandpamac.

Can we just go back to posting #6. Can you confirm that the first picture shows a case that fits your chamber?
And the third picture shows a case that doesn't?
If that is the case the last picture shows a case with the shoulder 7thou too far fwd.
Your are adjusting your die to contact the shellholder and the screwing down maybe 1/3 more are you to take out linkage slop etc?
Don't get too hung up on overall case length. You normally have leeway with that and published lengths have a safety margine set in them. Each rifle can be different.

If your trying to use brass not fired in your rifle as well as the datum point measurement it is useful to measure the base diameter 0.1 up from the base and compare.
I have second hand brass that although full length isized correctly for my chamber still wouldn't fit due to the base being oversize.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

if your thinking of adjusting shoulder bump you ARE NOT full length resizing
you might be partial length resizing...but your NOT full length resizing...eg your die isnt contacting your base....so your round isnt getting squished back to the saami specs..... this is the balancing act..squish it enough to fit but not too much to overwork brass.
if your die and base ARE touching and you still having same issue...possibly a large die and small chamber. but it shouldnt happen.... the only other solution/reason given for this has been not lubing necks and the expander ball pulling shoulder forward when ball is pulled back through neck....

ok so this goes against what the hornady video shows in regards to pulling the lever arm all the way back ? My base and die ARE touching, i thought i had a large die so bought another set (should of bought a different make) but it still had the same result.

Originally Posted by Makros

Is the fired brass from your rifle? A few above have assumed not I didn't see if you've confirmed.

I was given 40 one fired cases from a friend as brass is hard to come by but if this is no use to me i shall add it to the scrap tub.

Originally Posted by BenTheBuilder

ok so this goes against what the hornady video shows in regards to pulling the lever arm all the way back ? My base and die ARE touching, i thought i had a large die so bought another set (should of bought a different make) but it still had the same result.

i will see if can find the last thread on this and link it......
and please tell me this....if your die and base are already touching..how could you POSSIBLY bump it further???? you cant.... therefore if you COULD bump it just a few thou,as it were..you could not have been having them touching...when the solution is found it will be something really simple..always is..always frustrating as hell untill you do.

Ok so through all this I think this may be the cause of it all. I could very well of not run full length to the case holder on the few don’t fit at all. When I’m back at the workshop I’ll look over all your guys support and feed back in more detail and pull apart some of the ones that tonight fit and go from there. Thank you to all your fast responses and I’m sure WE will get to the bottom of this

What I don’t get is on the brass that was given to me that was once fired from a friends rifle I have now run about 5 pieces through my FL die and checked that it ran all the way to the case holder. Yet they do not fit.

so POSSIBLY you have a maximum length die and holder combo...and a minimum length chamber....
try running a few bits through WITHOUT the guts in die..so it squishes neck down but doesnt expand back out and see what happens.... if the issue is this...the expander ball is pulling the shoulder back out a bit...maybe...

I searched for and rebumped the last two relevant threads on this type of issue for you...

Greetings again.,
Touching the shell holder is not the same as hard down on it. There is spring in all the linkages that will result in an undersized case as I found out over 40 years ago. The measurement of a case fired in your rifle will tell us the next step. It sounds as though your rifle could have a tight chamber which is a good thing.
GPM.
PS. My experience around 1980 was that some cases that I thought I had FL sized chambered well, some hard and some not at all. The fact as I understand it that you have some cases in the batch that you have resized that are OK and some that don't chamber. This tells me that your kit is OK but your technique needs work. Please do NOT go grinding anything as your kit sounds fine. It is just a matter of getting it adjusted properly. I assume that you are using a decent case lube.
GPM.

So an interesting issue cropped up the other day with the Dirty Ackley....I changed from a radial brake to a directional brake due to the radial brake not really doing enough to reduce the recoil on what is a very light rifle (3kg ready to hunt) but decently recoiling cartridge....
I went to the range to double check zero and shot a couple if 3 shot groups, made a slight tweak on the zero, then offered my mate a few shots as he's a bit of a gun slut like me
he also shot a couple of really tight groups but commented that the bolt was a bit tight to close when chambering rounds
I had not experienced this myself but immediately suspected maybe I had not bumped the shoulder back enough when I full length sized the cases
Well it finally got the better of me so I checked the remaining 40 odd rounds and yup most of them were hard to chamber (I did not force them, stopped if I felt resistance), checked the fired cases for length just to confirm trimming wasn't the issue, it wasn't....out of 40 odd rounds I have 5 left that chambered ok looks like I'll be pulling the lot and full length sizing them then reassembling them.
To double confirm it was the shoulder bump I used a fired case that was also hard to chamber and wound the sizing die down until the case chambered nicely.....which I should've done form the beginning
Guess I know what I'll be doing on my next days off, I'm happy with the load, but will run a couple 3 shot groups through once I have re made the rounds to confirm that all is hunky dory.
I was a little too concerned about over working the brass and didn't wind the sizing die down far enough after fire forming. Due to the forming loads not being very hot they didn't require as much pressure when full length sizing to chamber nicely otherwise I would of noticed when I was doing my charge ladder (in hindsight I should've checked the brass chambered when I resized the charge ladder cases). The charger ladder loads were certainly full power loads explaining why some of the higher load cases weren't bumped back sufficiently. I hope that makes sense.
lesson learnt, hopefully this will help someone else if they come up against the same thing.




from Dannybs landcruiser...oops I mean dirty06