223 reloads won't chamber in AR

[SSGCharlie]

I reloaded 150 rounds of 223 and went to the range the first box of 50 shot fine
the next two boxes would not chamber. The bolt would not close all the way.

All 150 rounds were reloaded at the same time. I have gone back and checked all the spec's and they seem fine. Put the rounds in a Dillon case gage and they are fine. The brass is LC and the bullets are 55gr Nosler Ballistic tip Spitzer. C.O.A.L.=2.250 all brass was trimmed to1.750. Drop test in AR the bullet is not going in far enough but with the case gage it's ok.

I just can't figure out what is going on.

Any help is appreciated

SSGCharlie

 

[Load Master]

SSGCharlie, I know this is a reach, but have you tried cleaning your gun? At the same time I would inspect the chamber to make sure there isn't something interfering. If all looks good, blue up one of the problem rounds and see what area is causing the issue.

 

[Blue68f100]

Not all gauges are equal. Sounds like the shoulder is not pushed back far enough. Pull a bullet and try just the brass. I have not used those bullets so I can't comment on the length. With an open chamber you should be able to push the bullet all the way in by hand and it should fall out on itself. If this works your shoulder is too long.

 

[iagbarrb]

Also vote for cleaning the AR. Use factory ammo and see what happens.
Paint your ammo with a permanent or a board marker. Paint schould scratch at the problem parts.

 

[3GunEric]

There are many things it could be - I just went through this last year with reloads that worked in my Colt HBAR but not my Colt Competition model.

What did I learn? I had rounds that passed the "Dillon" case gauge check but would not chamber. I purchased a JP gauge and low and behold there were rounds that passed the Dillon Gauge but would not pass the JP check.

I did realize that some of my cases trim to length could have been more uniform. I had many different batches made over the years.

Now all are uniformly trimmed on my Dillon powered case trimmer - full speed ahead and zero issues at all.

PS. I only use the JP gauge now!

 

[SSGCharlie]

Load Master The AR was cleaned after last use and again today. I was sure some body would ask that. I took a round a painted it with a sharpie and dropped it in and pushed it with my finger as hard as I could. The only marks were just above the head. I mic. the area and it was in spec's. (.371).

Any other ideas?

SSGCharlie

 

[Fire_Moose]

You didn't have a squib right?

 

[joed]

Same thing here first time I reloaded .223. It's the shoulder. The cartridge gives me fits if the die is not set up correctly.

 

[iagbarrb]

Load Master The AR was cleaned after last use and again today. I was sure some body would ask that. I took a round a painted it with a sharpie and dropped it in and pushed it with my finger as hard as I could. The only marks were just above the head. I mic. the area and it was in spec's. (.371).

Any other ideas?

SSGCharlie

Paint and load it on the magazine. Then chamber. It will not chamber, but the scratches should be at the problems side.

 

[SSGCharlie]

Fire Moose no squib.

3GunEric All cases were trimmed with my Dillon 1200 trimmer.

Blue68f100 I pulled the bullet and the brass would not go in all the way in even with pressure, tried closing the bolt and no go.


SSGCharlie

 

[cfullgraf]

The Dillon case gauge is not a chamber gauge. It measures shoulder position and over all case length. It is cut generously in the body area. Cases can fit the case gauge and still not chamber in your rifle--ask me how I know. Sherridan Engineering makes a gauge that also measures the body of the case.

Maybe you have over crimped the rounds. Over crimping can collapse the shoulder a little or you get a bulge at the case mouth. Both can retard chambering.

Were the cases in question previously fired in your rifle? If not, not all AR-15 chambers are created equal. If the cases were not fired in your rifle, you may need to make some adjustments in your sizing procedure.

Hope this helps.

 

[MEHavey]

Are the original cases from your rifle, or someone else's?

Are you camming over (i.e., FULLY) resizing?

Will sized cases -- BEFORE seating anything -- properly chamber?

 

[rcmodel]

Are you crimping??

rc

 

[hdwhit]

the first box of 50 shot fine the next two boxes would not chamber. The bolt would not close all the way.

I pulled the bullet and the brass would not go in all the way in even with pressure, tried closing the bolt and no go.

You didn't say whether the bolt would close on an empty chamber, but I am assuming from your silence on the matter that it will. If not, then check your bolt and bolt carrier.

Assuming that the bolt will close on an empty chamber and since all 150 were loaded at the same time and the first 50 worked while exemplars from the next box would not even chamber and you have cleaned the gun since the malfunction, logic says that you have an obstruction in the chamber.

Did you collect all the fired brass to make sure that they were all compete when ejected?

 

[MEHavey]

Looking at the OP's original e-mail again -- where the problem began all of a sudden --
might there be a piece of a previous cartridge neck broken off in the throat ?

 

[lezmark]

I recently had the same problem with LC brass, but it wasnt the brass. Although everything looked right and good when I set the sizer die the first time around, most but not all chambered ok. I went back and resized (after cranking down more on the die) and it solved the problem completely. The sizer die position that has worked for all other calibers (pistol) didnt work on .223. It took positioning the die so that I can actually feel some tension at the very bottom of the stroke. All is perfect for me now!

 

[Kruff]

I had the same problem with my BCM upper until I bumped the shoulder back a bit further.

The same round would chamber just fine in my Colt Competition HBar.

 

[SSGCharlie]

Sorry I've been gone so long (health problems).
The AR has an H-Bar Barrel.

This is once fired brass and was not fired from my AR the first time.

The bolt closes fine on an empty chamber.

All fired brass are complete.

Very slight crimp .002

Yes camming over.

I have measured the brass against Sierrra's spec's shown on page 213 5th edition and all seems fine.

I will try to go to the store this after noon and buy some fact. ammo to try.

Tried some fired brass and it chambers good no problems.

???????


Thanks to all!!!

SSGCharlie

 

[MEHavey]

If the sized -- but not yet loaded -- brass will chamber easily, then it is in the
bullet seating that the case/shoulder is deformed... just enough to cause trouble.

Back off the seating die to the point that there is no crimp -- none.

You don't need it anyway.

 

[Walkalong]

Over crimping just a hair can buckle the shoulder just a smidgen, and that's all it takes.

I didn't see where you said the sized brass fits the chamber or not.

 

[Steelworker]

Does a sized, trimmed empty case fit in your chamber? Will the bolt close on it?

Seems odd that the first 50 worked and then the next batch didn't.

In your first post you said that they were all loaded at the same time. Was it on a progressive machine, or a single stage?

 

[Spade5]

Case lube buildup?

If the first 50 rounds you reloaded worked fine, and I mean reloaded not just fired, could it be possible that there is some case lube buildup in the die?

I am not claiming that is the issue but just offering an off the wall suggestion.

 

[Curator]

SSGCharlie:

Crimp as a separate step with the bullet seating screw unscrewed a couple of turns. As Walkalong points out, you probably buckled the shoulder just a "smidgen" preventing the cartridges from chambering all the way. Seating bullets while crimping will often cause this problem. Seat bullets with no crimp, unscrew bullet seating screw a couple of turns, re-adjust seating die to make crimp and you won't have this problem. Even better is getting a Lee "factory-crimp" die. Always crimp as a separate step.

 

[tcoz]

Many reloaders have the misconception that case gages are chamber gages and they aren't. The exception is the Sheridan gage which is sized to minimum SAAMI specs. I highly recommend the slotted Sheridan gage for anybody loading .223 but especially those who are new to the caliber. The slotted gage will let you see exactly where the problem is. It's pricey at somewhere between $65 and $75 but worth it IMO.

 

[au_prospector]

Over crimping just a hair can buckle the shoulder just a smidgen, and that's all it t

^^^^^This^^^^^

Crimping .223 can put a slight bulge all the way around where the shoulder starts. You may not be able to see it, but you will feel it with your finger tips.

It is for this reason alone I stopped crimping .223 after my first batch.