30-06 Bulged case question

[wooldl]

Hello,

I recently reloaded some 30-06 for my Garand....all the brass was once fired (from this rifle) Greek HPX. I resized the brass with a Hornady FL die, trimmed the brass and then made 5 different loads to test.

At the range, I hand loaded each round individually and had 2 rounds that didn't want to chamber. Everything else slid in effortlessly. I do not have a go/no go gauge for 30-06 yet....but one is on order so that I can test each case prior to reloading.

Any ideas on what would cause 2 out of 25 rounds to not chamber, considering they had all been previously fired in the same rifle?

thanks,
wooldl

 

[steve4102]

Two things come to mind.
1) Sizing die not set deep enough into the press, screw it in another 1/8 turn.

2) Seating die set to crimp and bulging the case, back the seating die out of the press.

 

[zacusmc66]

30-06 bulged case

If it was 2 out of 25 , and they were all sized and pressed the same I would assume that all of them would have that issue , are the cases all the same length ? that would be critical for crimping , if they were elongated in the neck compared to the other cases , then that would explain it to me ! Hope that helps , I believe I have made every mistake in the book in that regard ! Lol

 

[gamestalker]

With brass that is fully fire formed, I'll bump the shoulders .002" just to make sure all my rounds will chamber. I don't mind if they chamber with a slight amount of resistance, but they should all chamber.

Actually, your circumstances are perfect for finding zero. By just threading the FL die in using very small increments, you'll be able to accurately locate zero, then measure head to datum line on the shoulder, bump .002" and you've got it. Some like to go .003" just to make sure they all chamber, but I'm kind of picky about how much I bump, I like to get as much life from my brass as possible.

Something else that has worked well for me, is letting the brass marinade or soak in the die for a few seconds, this helps to reduce spring back.

GS

 

[steve4102]

If it was 2 out of 25 , and they were all sized and pressed the same I would assume that all of them would have that issue

Not exactly, it's called spring-back and not all brass will spring back the same.

When sizing to the bare minimum to chamber, it's not uncommon to find a select few that "Sprung-back" more than others and will not chamber.

Semi-auto loads should not be sized to the bare minimum, they should always get a little more than a bolt gun. Sizing a few (K) past fired cases in a semi-auto will net you exactly what we see here.

 

[fguffey]

I do not have a go/no go gauge for 30-06 yet....but one is on order so that I can test each case prior to reloading.

Go-gage, no go-gage? I use go, no and beyond gages as standards. It seems to me like you are purchasing a case length gage, the case gage measure the length of the case from the datum to the case head. Cases do not have head space.

I would save the two rounds that will not chamber, after you receive your Hornady/Sinclair or Wilson case gage measure the length of the round that will not chamber from the shoulder to the case head. You know the two rounds will not chamber, you do not know the length of the cases that will not chamber.

I would avoid getting too fancy with the sizing of cases for the M1 Garand. Unless there is something seriously wrong with the chamber I would suggest full length sizing and I would make sure the cases were full length sized.

 

[243winxb]

What Stever 4102 said. Plus some autos will produce a longer fired brass measurement, head to datum/shoulder, then the actual chamber size. This is because the action opens early while brass is still expanding.

 

[bangswitch]

Not exactly, it's called spring-back and not all brass will spring back the same.

When sizing to the bare minimum to chamber, it's not uncommon to find a select few that "Sprung-back" more than others and will not chamber.

Semi-auto loads should not be sized to the bare minimum, they should always get a little more than a bolt gun. Sizing a few (K) past fired cases in a semi-auto will net you exactly what we see here.

I agree.

Assuming all your reloaded rounds were the same OAL, the failure to chamber on those two would be due either to brass too long for chamber, or case body didn't size correctly. Let's assume that you brass was properly trimmed to length, since that is something easily measured while processing. This leaves what Steve is talking about, spring-back. When you force the fired case through the sizing die, it will push the dimension to the designed diameter, but due to the metallic property of brass, it will "grow" a little when it backs out of the die, mainly in the base area forward of the case head.

If you continue to have issues with reloaded brass feeding in your Garand, buy a small-base die; it will take the sized dimension down a few ten-thousandths smaller than a standard die, and spring-back becomes less an issue.

When you individually loaded these rounds, did you ease the bolt closed, or let it close on its own? How far did the case feed before the bolt stopped, or did it just not lock into battery? M1's and M14's (M1A) should be single loaded by placing the round in the magazine and fed by releasing the bolt, allowing it to strip the cartridge from the magazine. I shoot an M1A a lot, and reloading for reliable feeding is slightly different than reloading for my .308 bolt gun. I can get by with neck sizing only on the bolt gun, but must full length size, and sometimes use a small base die on the M1A, depending on the brass I use.

 

[joem1945]

Quote:
I do not have a go/no go gauge for 30-06 yet....but one is on order so that I can test each case prior to reloading.

I think what you really want is a maximum length case gauge. L E Wilson makes these and Dillon Precision or Midway, or Brownells has them.

 

[Walkalong]

Not exactly, it's called spring-back and not all brass will spring back the same.

When sizing to the bare minimum to chamber, it's not uncommon to find a select few that "Sprung-back" more than others and will not chamber.

Semi-auto loads should not be sized to the bare minimum, they should always get a little more than a bolt gun. Sizing a few (K) past fired cases in a semi-auto will net you exactly what we see here.

I would avoid getting too fancy with the sizing of cases for the M1 Garand. Unless there is something seriously wrong with the chamber I would suggest full length sizing and I would make sure the cases were full length sized.

Yep. Don't try to cut it too close in an auto, especially a Garand.

 

[1KPerDay]

If you don't have a case gage you shouldn't be reloading for a Garand, IMO. YOU MUST make sure the headspace is correct. You can set the die as noted in the directions for sizing and it may not be enough. You may even size 25 pieces of identical brass and it may not be enough for 3 or 4 of them, which need the sizing die dialed down even more and another trip through until they pass.

Were I you I would NOT shoot any of those loads until you have verified proper headspace.

For bolt guns you can call it good as long as they chamber, but with a semi you need to be careful.

 

[joem1945]

1KPerDay offers very good advice. It doesn't take much overlength to get in bad trouble. I have case gauges for almost every caliber I load for.