case hardening

[gamestalker]

A couple of thoughts. I once had a .270 that would separate brass in the mid body, never figured out why. So that's always a an area of inspection I perform.

As for FL sizing, and especially so with brass that's been loaded 5 or more times. Presses will flex, quite a bit actually, so making sure you are effectively setting those shoulders back, or enough, can be deceiving when using methods that halt FL die adjustments at first contact with the shell holder. I have run across this on a number of occasions in which the press was flexing more than I thought, so I wasn't getting the amount of shoulder contact I thought I was. Sometimes the amount of cam over necessary to get the job done may seem extreme. At full ram extension take a look between the shell holder and the die to see if they are touching.

And also measure the area just above the extraction groove and below the line where the FL die stops to see if it's beginning to expand. I've noticed that with brass that I'm loading fairly warm loads through with neck sized brass, it will begin to expand that web region slightly, this will cause the brass to stick a bit.

 

[bob4]

It looks to me that the 2 cases on the left on your picture are bluish in color all the way down the body. Confirm for yourself that it is just the way they look in the picture.

Thanks, I did mention that in my post. I is my lack of photography skills.
I appreciate all the help everyone has offered.
Well folks sorry to say annealing didn't seem to help. As my rifle even seems to catch my brand new Nosler brass. I ordered this as soon as I thought I was having an issue. I am leaving next Tuesday for a hunt. First case seemed to go in and out fine. Tried it a second time and it got stuck. Tried all the brass both new and old in a different 270 and they slid out like riding o n glass. ( I know I know, should have thought of this much sooner, lesson learned) So it has to be my rifles chamber. I spent 45 minutes last night on cleaning the chamber and hasn't made a difference yet. Using both Hoppes #9 and a copper solvent.
I am open to thoughts and ideas. I don't think it's unsafe and hasn't effected accuracy. Like I said early on it's the slightest touch with a rod or even sometimes just slap or bumping it on the floor it falls out. So I'm not worried about extraction in the field.
If I haven't mentioned the gun is about 3 mos old. Probably has 3-350 rounds through it. Loads aren't hot.
58.5 h-4831sc Close to max but not quite. No signs of pressure at all. Can't think of what it is unless some small piece of a case is hidding from me in there. :banghead:

 

[Lee S. Forsberg]

The case moves forward in the chamber as far as it can when the firing pin strikes the primer. Then ignition takes place and the thin part of the case grips the chamber walls. As pressure builds the head of the case move reward till it contacts the boltface stretching the case the amount of headspace. Then the case is full length sized and the shoulder pushed back and the cycle repeated causing it to separate after so many firings.

 

[bob4]

Well today I stopped by a friends who owns a few or more Remington 700s. Told him my issue and we immediately pulled 2 of his rifles out. A 243 and a 257. He hand loads also. Both rifles did the exact same thing mine do. We tried several rounds. Both hand loads and factory. When I told him about my Mossberg, that's the rifle that let the cartridges slip right out, he had his opinion that kinda made sense to me.
My lower end Mossberg was probably made with much lower tolerances than the Remington that cost about 2 times the amount. Possibly one reason the Remington is a bit more accurate. Now this was just his opinion but made sense to me. He says he has no issues with his guns doing this. Although he never tried it before.
Maybe I'm over reacting to not that big a deal.
Again thanks to all who offered their help.

 

[Lee S. Forsberg]

Both Remington and Mossburg chambers need to meet SAAMI specs. One could be on the high side and the other on the low side. That being the case I don't think there is enough difference to account for your problem. Relocating the shoulder would account for it.

 

[bob4]

At this point I would like to ask other rem 700 owners if by chance they can duplicate this problem. The issue is, cases just getting slightly stuck without locking the bolt? Push the bolt forward just don't engage the extractor and pull it straight back again. I hope I've worded this correctly.
Does your case/cartridge just fall /slide right back out ?

 

[epoletna]

Annealing cases

You keep talking about heating cases to anneal them. I guess you probably know brass needs to be quenched when red in order to anneal it. Your heating jig looks good, just make sure to drop the case into water when it is red hot. Heating it and letting it cool in the air will actually harden brass. Just opposite steel.

 

[bob4]

No red hot cases here. No I don't know quenching anneals brass. It doesn't.

 

[homatok]

If you heat brass to the point that it becomes annealed it matters not how you cool it down!! Brass becomes harder when it is worked, heating it softens it and the only way it will heharden is with being worked! Dropping the heated cases into water is done simply to prevent the base of the case from becoming annealed, which would be a very dangerous thing to have happen.

 

[bob4]

I use water to cool it down for the exact reason you mentioned. I just don't take it to a red glow.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=9178769&postcount=22

Moving right along at a snails pace: Used a socket and cordless drill to to anneal. Seems to work pretty well.
As soon as they were the color
I wanted in the water they went
so as not to
change the head temper.