Chambering problem!

[Sisco]

I bought a new Savage 10FP .308, fired one box of ammo through it so far.
Got ready to reload using the Remington brass once fired in this gun only.
Full Length sized and trimmed the brass, barely seated a bullet in one of them to find OAL to the lands but the round wouldn't chamber.
I reseated the bullet to factory OAL but still no go. Tried a piece of brass with no bullet, same thing. Looks like the bolt comes up just a hair short of being able to close. Checked the chamber and bore, no obstructions.
Sized brass is all within spec for length, diameter etc.
Help?

 

[kimbernut]

Sisco

Had the same problem with my son's Savage Mod12. Emailed RCBS last week and tried their suggestion to adjust the FL sizing die to cam over very hard.All brass will chamber now. They did suggest that if this corrects the problem to begin backing off the amount of cam over in small increments to find exactly where you need to be to avoid overworking the brass. Hope it works as well for you!

 

[30Cal]

FWIW, if you follow the factory instructions for setting a FL sizing die, you're doing just a little better than simply guessing. You'll probably be very surprised at what you find if you get a cartridge headspace gage. And if you mix die and shellholder manufacturers, you can forget about it completely.

I've set dies by the instructions forever and finally got a gage for .308--turns out I was pushing the shoulder back by about 0.006" (quite a bit farther than the 0.002" that I think is ideal). I now own cartridge gages for every bottleneck cartridge I reload for.

Ty

 

[Sisco]

Problem solved.
Should've done this before I posted but I went out and bought another box of factory ammo, chambered fine.
Went back to the loading bench and discovered the brass I had prepped was not the stuff I had fired but some range pickup brass I've had for a long time (I resized it, trimmed etc).
The brass I fired chambers fine, the range pickup stuff doesn't. Both were sized with the same die (Lee) without changing any settings.
Apparently someone out there has a headspace problem. Just eyeballing the brass I can't really see any difference though.

 

[lonniemike]

Sisco, your range brass may not be your best brass but it should be able to be resized and function properly in your rifle. Seems like something is not right in your set up or technique. Reread kimber's and 30's posts. Some people like to get a crush fit in the chamber. Sometimes this can cause feeding problems and the bolt will not close easily. For others a couple of thousandths more sizing gives easier chambering and more reliable feeding. Sometimes incomplete/partial resizing will cause the shoulder, of fired brass that will rechamber in your rifle, to move slightly forward and not allow the brass to chamber properly. Rechambering problems have been attributed to the expander also. Rough surfaces of inside necks or ball, lack of lube or cleaning may be possible culprits. Best-o-Luck

 

[lonniemike]

Forgot to say your die settings may be different for different types of brass.