why so tight

more than likely you are expanding them too much. Back off on your expanding die and test one by dropping it into the cylinder.

Clean cylinder well, try the loads in another gun and let us know what happens.
Was the sizing die in full contact with the shell holder causing it to cam over?

Where is the large part of the case? Is there a bulge at the base of the bullet? Or is the bulge near the base of the case?

Can I buy a period?

It isn't the setting of his sizing die unless he's trying to stick them in the cylinder backwards. It happens in the first half inch of insertion.

What part of the case is dragging on the cylinder? If it is the mouth, you didn't crimp enough. If it is just behind the crimp, like Jane said, you may have over expanded the mouth.

I would also be looking at the diameter of the expander plug in the expander die. In my lee die, it expands the case a 1/2" down and if the diameter was too big, crimping wouldn't fix that.

Try this. Size a case. Put a charge in it without using an expanding die. Seat a bullet and crimp it. Drop it in the cylinder. If it drops in the cylinder that suggests the expander die or your setting of it as the problem.

The very first thing you need to try is taking a sized case and see if it fits in the cylinder. If it does, then you move on to the next thing that might cause your problem, which would be expanding, without belling the case mouth. If the case still fits in the cylinder, then you move to the next step, which after belling the case mouth, would be seating the bullet and removing the bell of the case mouth with the proper crimp.

By testing after each step, that will tell you where the problem is occurring and what you have to do to cure it.

Hope this helps.

Fred

I didnt see if it was mentioned, but you could also be overcrimping. When you overcrimp it will bulge the case below the bullet, which would be about a 1/2". Maybe you could post us a pic of your loaded rounds?

X-Rap said:

Was the sizing die in full contact with the shell holder causing it to cam over?

Click to expand...

If they are carbide dies, RCBS recommends adjusting them so they do not touch the shell plate and cam over to prevent cracking the carbide ring.

ljnowell said:

I didnt see if it was mentioned, but you could also be overcrimping. When you overcrimp it will bulge the case below the bullet, which would be about a 1/2". Maybe you could post us a pic of your loaded rounds?

Click to expand...

My thoughts also, especially if seating and crimping in one step. Reloader Fred's suggesting of trying to chamber a round after each step in the process is a good one, altho if your chambers are tight, ever a slight flare that hasn't been removed by crimping may bind.

I didnt see if it was mentioned, but you could also be overcrimping. When you overcrimp it will bulge the case below the bullet, which would be about a 1/2". Maybe you could post us a pic of your loaded rounds?

Click to expand...

That is my guess also...

ljnowell said:

I didnt see if it was mentioned, but you could also be overcrimping. When you overcrimp it will bulge the case below the bullet, which would be about a 1/2". Maybe you could post us a pic of your loaded rounds?

Click to expand...

Agree. One very important tool for troubleshooting chambering problems is a micrometer. Measure the "bad" rounds to see where the round is too big. "About" and "part way" aren't measurements. A chamber is a hole and a cartridge is a peg. If the peg is bigger than the hole, it won't enter the hole. Rather than "shotgunning" the problem with guesses, start with a sized case, will it enter the cylinder? Flare and prime the case, measure the case. Any bulges? Charge and seat bullet, measure. Any bulges? Crimp bullet in place, measure. Any bulges?

My guess is over crimping.

Like others, my guess is over-crimping as well.

scout777 said:

reloaded some 357 mag shell were fired in 686 s&w full length resized using nos 125 hollow point bullets will not go into cyl but maybe half inch than becomes to tight to go all the way in dies are rcbs carbie dies have only reloaded matbe 400 rounds with dies still new have been thight fit with other guns but never had this kind of problem thanks if anyone know answer to my problem

Click to expand...

Next time don't reload 400.

I agree with reloaderFred. Try one step at a time to determine the problem.

After you finish un-loading 400 rounds with a a kinetic hammer....




...you'll start to understand why we make a few test cartridges.



Welcome to the learning curve.

Do you have a carbon ring build up from shooting 38 specials?