Thread: Resized Cartridges Won't Chamber

Greetings,
Agree with most of the above. To me it is a die adjustment issue. Your die may need to make firm contact with the shell holder to size the case, not just touch it. You seem to have two rifles with slightly different head space. Assuming you have some callipers (and if you don't get some) investing in the Hornady head space comparator kit would be a good idea. These are not expensive and will show you where the problem is and the extent of it. My guess is that the die just needs to be set down a little more. Been there and done that 40 years ago. With two rifles in the same calibre you may wish to invest in a set of the Redding competition shell holders. These are more expensive but would allow you to set the headspace for each rifle without adjusting the die. Lastly in no circumstances grind the top of the shell holder. This just creates more problems and likely ruins the shell holder is well. And as @zimmer says check after sizing and each step of the way thereafter.
Regards Grandpamac.

Make sure the shell holder you are using is the same brand as the die as they are supposedly matched for correct head spacing .
I only learned that a while ago.

Sent from my SM-A226B using Tapatalk

Thank you for all the replies. The best theory I can come up with (based on everyone's advice) is that I didn't screw the die in far enough. The brass that wouldn't chamber was all the same brand: PPU. It must be harder brass and sprung back more.

I marked the casings with a felt tip pen and compared the markings. From left to right: resized casing that won't chamber, case that was fired in the Howa.

Greetings,
From this post it sounds as though you may be using mixed brass in your loads. Different makes of brass can vary widely in weight and hence capacity. This will give different pressures and velocity. This may not show up on the target at close range but it will once the range gets longer. You may wish to sort your brass by head stamp. I do this for my two .223 rifles. The bulk of the brass fits into two weight ranges, 94 grains and 97 grains with several head stamps in each ranges. From memory Federal was lighter and continental brass much heavier. S&B brass weighed 105 grains. Th 94 grain brass goes in one rifle and the 97 grain brass in the other. Each batch of 50 rounds loaded has the same head stamp and loading history.
From the photo I can see a clear mark on the shoulder of the case on the left which indicates to me that the case has not been fully sized. I can also see a bright ring on both just below the shoulder. This could be a loose spot in the chamber or die but if they extract OK don't worry. The case on the right also shows a faint ring a little forward of the extractor groove. It might pay to check for a groove inside the case with a bent paper clip with a sharp point. This can develop if the case is sized too much for the chamber and the case will eventually crack at that point.
Unfortunately, with handloading, the more you know the more questions you will have but remember the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask.
Regards Grandpamac.

Had the same issue with son's new Tikka 243 recently. Discussed on this forum same as here. After all the fancy answers about headspace and grinding this or that it turned out to be a simple RTFM issue. Lee die. Lee instructions - Raise ram, turn die in to touch shell holder, lower ram, turn die in a quarter to a half turn more. Voila! All reloads, mixed HS and all chambered seamlessly. FWIW, PPU factory ammo off the shelf would not chamber either.

I had got into the habit, after reading various forums on the subject of shoulder bumping, of turning the die a quarter to a half turn up from the shell holder. Why? on loose chambered military 303B and the like, as well as older sporter rifles in various calibres, there is sufficient room in the chamber to benefit the brass from not working it too much by relaxing how much the shoulder is bumped back. Accuracy is meant to improve etc. Not having cast any of my rifle's chambers the practice of less shoulder bump was something I approached by way of a wet finger in the air. By the time I got to reload for a new Tikka, I'd pretty much forgotten I even did that. Fortunately, before I got the grinder out, scoured the world for chamber casting gunk, or sold my left testicle to a gunsmith, I re-read the manufacturer's instructions on using the dies I bought. I've noticed this with Lee gear before.it pays to attend to their directions. Your mileage may vary.

sounds like its sorted...S&B brass I found was harder than a hard thing,nearly ripped off press handle resizing it...

Gosh, such a long winded thread.

1. When starting FLS and particularly if you have mixed brass and also several rifles of the same cal always check for case chamber fit after sizing before going full hog to loaded cartridges.
Beware of pushing of pushing the shoulder back too far.

2. These issues can be found very quickly by simple measurement using your trusty vernier calipers (all handloaders have a caliper don't they?) and the Hornady Headspace Gauges.

The only time I had cases that I had correctly sized the shoulders for my rifle not fit was brass given to me. I ended up having to borrow a tight base die.