Two questions on reloading for bolt-action

[Blue68f100]

So I have an update. Maybe someone can tell me if this normal, or not....

I've been trying to sort my FL resized brass into a collection of cases that fit easily into the Lyman Ammo Checker and those that don't drop in and fit without some pressure.
Next I take the ones that fit easily and drop the empty cases into my rifle and close the bolt on the case. This is similar to the suggestions above that the rifle chamber be the ultimate gauge. Now here is where things get interesting. Since all of these empty cases fit into the Ammo Checker they should fit into any chamber that meets the minimum SAAMI spec. Most of these cases drop into my chamber and the bolt easily closes on the case. But for a few, the bolt won't rotate and close on the case. The bolt won't rotate even a little without real effort, and I don't force it. And for one case, after pushing the bolt fully forward and encountering resistance in rotating the bolt handle I tried to pull back and open the bolt... and it is stuck. This is an empty FL resized case that has fit easily into the Ammo Checker! I broke out the micrometer and all exterior measurements on this case are at the SAAMI case dimensions, or smaller. To extract the empty case I needed to use my plastic mallet AGAIN!

So my bolt is not closing on a case that has been FL resized. It was resized using a shell holder that has been shaved 0.002" which means the shoulder should be 0.002" further back than the die itself would have made. And the case has passed the Ammo Checker test. Did I miss a step here? The bolt is stuck closed (not rotated) and requires a tap with a mallet to open. This doesn't sound normal to me. Since I've yet to even charge these cases this is NOT a problem with too much powder. And in case you ask, I had just finished cleaning/oiling the barrel and chamber thoroughly before I started testing the empty cases. I even disassembled the bolt according to the manual and lubed all the wear spots.

I closely inspected this problem case and the only thing I can see is there is a dent in the case body below the shoulder. I went back to those cases that failed the Ammo Checker test. These case dimensions all measured within SAAMI spec (some at spec) but ALL have a dent in the case body. Not a crease, just a small dent.
I have seen similar dents in my 223 cases when they hit the case deflector or hit the ground. These get pressed out when the case is next fire formed. Since they are not on the shoulder I never give these a thought unless they are noticeably deep.

Are bolt action chambers more sensitive to dents in the case body? My experience is only with reloading for semi-auto rifles, which don't seem to care if there are small dents in the case.


As a comparison, I opened a new box of Federal Premium Gold Medal Sierra MatchKing (175gr Sierra MatchKing bullets) and measured the rounds... every dimension is at least 0.003" less than the SAAMI spec. I'm sure this is to ensure the boxed ammo will fit all chambers. These new boxed rounds freely drop in and freely drop out of the Ammo Checker. My resized cases freely drop into the Ammo Checker, but most do NOT freely drop out. Clearly my resized cases are within the SAAMI spec but wider/fatter than the Federal rounds so they fit snugly. A new box of Monarch .308 SP also show dimensions smaller than my resized cases. The Federal and Monarch rounds all fit my rifle chamber, the bolt locks and the rounds extract easily. I want that same consistency with my reloads.
My RCBS small base resizing die should get here tomorrow. I'll start FL resizing using that die and see if it solves the problem. At this point I'm just trying to produce reloads that will fit into my rifle so I can fire form them (at a safe pressure) and then start neck sizing them going forward. With my current Lee FL resizing die I can't produce cartridges that consistently fit my rifle chamber like the boxed rounds do.

I see the suggestion above on measuring the headspacing dimension of the fire formed case compared to a resized case and to adjust the FL sizing die to produce a shoulder that just fits into my chamber. That's a good idea. I had already ordered a Hornady Lock-N-Load Headspace Gauge Kit. It should get here tomorrow. The plan was to get a collection of fire formed cases that fit my chamber and then only neck size the cases going forward. But having the FL resizing die adjusted to create cases that are a perfect fit for my rifle sounds like a good idea to minimize the case stretch.

Have these cases been trimmed? If so are they fully deburred? The burrs can cause them to stick as well as being too long.

Have you annealed your brass? I have found that with all brass these days, annealing makes the sizing much easier, and gives you better SD's.

Now the only place that does not get sized is base where the shell holder is and maybe 1/16" or more above depending on the dies. I don't recall which brand dies your using. But Lee seams to be the most trouble some, since there specs are all over the place. And their solution is to buy there SB dies. My answer is by some good dies to start off with, like Redding or Foster and ever the RCBS Match if your after the most accuracy, tiny groups. Particularly if your dealing with min spec match chambers. Most match shooters these days FL size for consistency. My neighbor bought some LC once fired brass, that some was fired in a MG. His RCBS dies had problem sizing them down, if not annealed. My Redding dies did not have that problem. Also the type of case lube you use makes a difference. Some lubes are thin film while others are thin. All my match ammo dies are setup on Thin Film, Imperial sizing wax. The thick films work but leave a lot of residue to remove. The setting of the sizing die is different depending on which dies being used.

I would find a set of Go, NoGo chamber gauges and check your chamber. This will tell you if the head space is correct. If short < min. you have the option of just setting your sizing dies accordingly, or have it re-cut to min spec. All my guns that I build are cut to min spec. So I have a good idea of what your dealing with. My AR-15 224V is tuned where the fired brass will fit a std case gauge with no problem. If I put the fired case in my case gauge (made from barrel drop off) cut by the same chamber, it drops into the case gauge, with very light pressure. All it takes is a tap on the counter for it to be removed. There is ~0.0005" above showing, which is very very minimal for a simi-auto. My neighbor though it fit till I told him to use the straight edge instead of his finger. Which just proves your eyes and fingers can not detect small changes.

I wish you luck on getting to the root of the problem. I'm still thinking it's a sizing issue if not chamber below min spec.

 

[AshMan40]

Have these cases been trimmed? If so are they fully deburred? The burrs can cause them to stick as well as being too long.

All resized cases are trimmed to 2.011~2.013" which is just short of max case length. This was because the instructions for the use of the RCBS X-Die is to trim 0.002" short of max.
I'm using a Lee Deluxe Power Quick Trim to trim case length and deburr the ID and OD. But I have found that they still need a touch up so I use a Lyman hand tool to remove the ID and OD sharp edges.

I even went so far as the measure the open lip of the case mouth to make sure it is the same as the neck OD. They are.

Have you annealed your brass? I have found that with all brass these days, annealing makes the sizing much easier, and gives you better SD's.

No. I've not had to anneal any of my brass in any caliber previously so this would be something new for me. These problems have raised this as a possible activity I will need to look into. It will probably help with my .223 to 300 BLK conversions. I'd imagine my 300 BLK cases will last longer if annealed.

Now the only place that does not get sized is base where the shell holder is and maybe 1/16" or more above depending on the dies. I don't recall which brand dies your using. But Lee seams to be the most trouble some, since there specs are all over the place. And their solution is to buy there SB dies. My answer is by some good dies to start off with, like Redding or Foster and ever the RCBS Match if your after the most accuracy, tiny groups. Particularly if your dealing with min spec match chambers.

I bought the Lee Ultimate 4pc Rifle die set. This comes with a full-length sizing die and a collet neck sizing die. The idea was to FL resize the cases, fire form them and then only use the collet die going forward. I'm apparently stuck at step1. With this as my plan I didn't need a great FL die, just one that would make rounds that I could fire form.
Lee doesn't appear to have a "small base" die. So if the full length die doesn't work I'll need to send it back. My experience with Lee dies are they work well if not the highest quality. I don't expect them to produce the best most precise rounds. I was rather expecting them to produce undersized cases which would work in ANY rifle. Similar idea to RCBS small base dies.
I'm waiting for the RCBS small-base die to arrive and see how the cases turn of when run thru.

Most match shooters these days FL size for consistency. My neighbor bought some LC once fired brass, that some was fired in a MG. His RCBS dies had problem sizing them down, if not annealed. My Redding dies did not have that problem. Also the type of case lube you use makes a difference. Some lubes are thin film while others are thin. All my match ammo dies are setup on Thin Film, Imperial sizing wax. The thick films work but leave a lot of residue to remove. The setting of the sizing die is different depending on which dies being used.

I was under the impression that you could identify MG fired rounds because the chambers are fluted and would create an impression on fired cases. None of my LC cases appear to have any fluting marks.
I only use Imperial case lube. A light coating goes a long way. I've tried Lee case lube and it was okay but messy. The good thing about the Lee dies is they have a "vent hole" which allows excess lube to bleed out and bot cause dents in the case.

I would find a set of Go, NoGo chamber gauges and check your chamber. This will tell you if the head space is correct. If short < min. you have the option of just setting your sizing dies accordingly, or have it re-cut to min spec.

I've never needed a head space gauge but maybe for this new rifle I will need to get one. I always thought if I needed one it would be a No-Go or Field gauge. Here I'm gonna need a Go gauge and see if it won't fit.
When you you speak of setting the sizing die... what are you describing? Other than leaving a gap between the shell holder and die where else can a change in setting be made to control the case dimensions? My shaving the shell holder was my attempt to "adjust settings" in a very brute-force way. This has been criticized above, but I'm wondering if I didn't shave enough!

 

[Nature Boy]

Have these cases been trimmed? If so are they fully deburred? The burrs can cause them to stick as well as being too long.

This, and have you cleaned all the lube off of your cases before checking them with your case gage? The should be clean or you'll get a false "no go"

While you're in cleaning mode, make sure the case gage is clean too, and take an extra whack at your chamber as well. You might have a carbon ring forming.

 

[AshMan40]

Ok, been re-working the rounds.
Under close inspection I found that nearly every case has a dent like those pictured below. Some closer to the shoulder than others. All of these cases have already been resized and trimmed. When the dent crosses the shoulder or changes the shape of the shoulder the empty case gets stuck in the chamber. Of the cases pictured here, only the 1st one gets stuck. The bolt will close on the last three cases.

After this inspection I'm getting better at visually identifying which cases will fit and which won't based on the size and location of the dent. I'm thinking these dents are from an AR-10 style rifle??

My resizing process now includes running the case into the FL resizer twice with a 90-deg rotation between. After this, I clean off the Imperial lube and trim the case and de-burr the case mouth. Then drop the case into the Ammo Checker.
If it drops into the Ammo Checker and easily drops out, it ALWAYS fits into the rifle's chamber and the bolt will easily close.
If it drops into the Ammo Checker but needs to be tapped out, it USUALLY fits into the rifle's chamber and the bolt will close. Some will result in a stiff rotation of the bolt but the bolt still locks.
If it takes light pressure to fit into the Ammo Checker and needs to be forced out, it usually WON'T fit into the rifle's chamber and the bolt will NOT close.
If it doesn't fit all the way into the Ammo Checker after resizing, I toss the case into the discard bin (I'll re-try sizing these when the RCBS small base die arrives).

In case anyone is interested, my Lee FL sizing die is installed as far into the press as possible. The shell holder makes contact with the bottom of the die at the point where the pull arm is at about 90-deg to the ram. I figured this would provide the max pressure to the cartridge.

All of these cases are once-fired cases that I have resized and I'm struggling with them getting stuck in my new rifle's chamber. So previously where I had joined the side that felt this was an over pressure issue... I'm back to thinking this is a resizing issue. All evening long I have been cycling resized empty cases into my rifle and around 1/3 are not working smoothly.
I have around 15 cases which were new before I fire formed them in my rifle. I will try using the neck sizing collet die on these and see if they will chamber. I'm really skeptical because NONE of them will fit into the Ammo Checker. I can't see how full length resized cases will fit into the Ammo Checker but will not fit into my rifle... and how I would then expect a once fired case (fire formed in my rifle's chamber) which will NOT fit into the Ammo Checker is expected to fit into the same chamber?!

 

[Blue68f100]

Since your using Imperial sizing wax try some Lanalon base spray lube. It thicker and will size about 0.001" smaller when applied uniform to the lower part of brass.

 

[Walkalong]

If you are setting the sizer correctly those tiny little dents pre-sizing won't be an issue after sizing.

The case top left has way more chamfering/deburring than is needed, all you need to do is knock off the 90 degree edges of the case mouth.

 

[Cemetery21]

In case anyone is interested, my Lee FL sizing die is installed as far into the press as possible. The shell holder makes contact with the bottom of the die at the point where the pull arm is at about 90-deg to the ram. I figured this would provide the max pressure to the cartridge.

A possible ahha! So, you are not making a full stroke with the ram? I'm not sure leverage is best at a partial stroke, even if you solidly contact the die. I'm aware that not all presses cam over, but I always operate the press with a full stroke of the handle/ram to try to take any stretch out of the system. You should be able to set the die where the ram makes a full stroke and still solidly contacts the base of the sizing die when full length sizing a case.
Sounds like you are dealing with a tight chamber and brass that's on the difficult side to size, but the press should be able to win.

 

[rsnell]

Military brass usually has a internal volume approximately 5% less than commercial brass. Based on the Hornady data, your final load is very close to the recommended maximum of 49.6 grains of CFE 223. This could easily produce a high pressure round. Reducing the load or using commercial brass will probably eliminate the pressure problem if this is the problem.

Since you are using a press designed to cam over (Lee), the dies (Lee) are designed for their press. This has happened to me several times. After purchasing a full length sizing die designed to be used in presses that do not cam over, the problem disappeared.

 

[AshMan40]

Thanks all for the great feedback.

If you are setting the sizer correctly those tiny little dents pre-sizing won't be an issue after sizing.

This was my past experience with other cartridge sizes. Unless the dent was significant they would "iron out" during the next firing. At first I ignored these small dents. It is only because I'm looking for a reason for these cases not chambering that I'm giving them a closer look.

The case top left has way more chamfering/deburring than is needed, all you need to do is knock off the 90 degree edges of the case mouth.

Yeah, normally the Lee Quick-Trim cutter both cuts and chamfers, but it has recently left the cut cases with a very flat end. I probably got too aggressive with the hand tool. I've got a new cutting head that I will try, and lighten up on the tool when needed.

A possible ahha! So, you are not making a full stroke with the ram? I'm not sure leverage is best at a partial stroke, even if you solidly contact the die. I'm aware that not all presses cam over, but I always operate the press with a full stroke of the handle/ram to try to take any stretch out of the system. You should be able to set the die where the ram makes a full stroke and still solidly contacts the base of the sizing die when full length sizing a case.
Sounds like you are dealing with a tight chamber and brass that's on the difficult side to size, but the press should be able to win.

So I re-adjusted the Lee FL sizing die to the recommended 1/4-turn more after contacting the shell holder at full extension. I can feel the cam action that has been described. I can see that the shell is in full contact with the bottom of the die. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to make a difference. After running cases that would not fully chamber thru the die once more they STILL do not chamber. This is after running it thru the newly adjusted die 3x with 90-deg rotation of the case between each press. I'm tempted to shave another 0.001" off the top of the shell holder to bump the shoulder back even more. I'll wait until my headspace gauge arrives so I can compare the resized cases with the fire formed ones.
BTW, I took case measurements from a collection of new cartridges, resized cases that chamber and don't chamber. All are less than the SAAMI spec for diameter and lengths The only dimension I can't measure yet is the headspace. I took the new once-fire Federal XM80C cases that were fire formed in my rifle... they do NOT fit into the Ammo Checker but they DO fit into my rifle's chamber and the bolt closes on them!! So their headspace is what I want to measure and compare with the resized cases. It is the only dimension that I have not compared.

Military brass usually has a internal volume approximately 5% less than commercial brass. Based on the Hornady data, your final load is very close to the recommended maximum of 49.6 grains of CFE 223.

Agreed. My only confusion comes from the Hodgdon data which has 48.4gr of CFE223 as a starting load for 150gr bullets. I typically try NOT to go below the suggested starting load and I lean towards the powder maker as the best reference. Hodgdon actually have 49.0gr as starting load for one of the listed 150gr bullets!

As mentioned above I'm no longer convinced this is ONLY an over pressure issue since I'm still having problems closing the bolt (and even a few failure to extract issues) on empty resized once-fired cases. That has me re-thinking it is a resizing problem causing the stuck cases. At this point I'm running every resized case thru my rifle as a final step to confirm it will function. Of the 30+ once-fired cases I've resized about 10 have issues with closing the bolt. That 1/3 failure rate is telling me something is wrong either with my dies or my process. I can't find any dimension that isn't in spec. I'm waiting on a headspace gauge that will let me compare the fire formed case headspace with the resized cases.
The other step I'm considering is to anneal the cases then run them thru the resizing die one more time. If this works it suggests the NATO cases are much harder than most and preventing the die from sizing them correctly.
The very last option is to toss out any resized case that doesn't cycle thru my rifle and settle on the reality that 1/3 of my once-fired cases are unusable in my rifle. I can add to that a few boxes of new cartridges which I have been using to baseline the expected FPS in my rifle by bullet weight.

It is starting to look like once-fired NATO (LC) cases are too much trouble to deal with. At least for my rifle's chamber.

 

[Cemetery21]

Another option to shortening the shellholder is taking the slack out of the bottom (I've never done either one, but just offering options). If you have something to use as a shim between the case head and the bottom of the shellholder, you can raise the case in the die body. I've heard of using feeler gages. I don't know how much slack is in most shellholders. I just grabbed one off the bench and I could get a .010 feeler gage under a .308 cartridge and it had room for more.
Again, I've never had the problem, but I have pushed the shoulder back too much, resulting in stretched, cracked, and separated cases until I got a headspace gage to show what I was doing wrong.

 

[Cemetery21]

Oh, and all machine guns do not have fluted chambers. The M-60 does not. I don't know what Uncle is using 308 in now.

 

[z7]

The 240 machine guns do not have fluted chambers,

On one or two of the cases that don’t chamber, use a sharply to color any areas you suspect of causing the Hangup and then gently chamber it until you need resistance, don’t close it so tight you need a mallet to open the bolt

This will positively identify where the hangup is

If the dents in the shoulder don’t iron out and you can’t get those cases to chamber, trash the ones that don’t chamber

Powder valley had Winchester 308 brass for $20 per 50 pcs, I can vouch that they work well for 6 firings as least and will hold 1/2” groups in my 308, they will at least be as accurate as the LC brass and you don’t have these issues

I have LC 308 (machine gun fired) brass and it’s a beast to get chambered sometimes, but mine don’t have those dents

 

[AshMan40]

Another option to shortening the shellholder is taking the slack out of the bottom (I've never done either one, but just offering options). If you have something to use as a shim between the case head and the bottom of the shellholder, you can raise the case in the die body. I've heard of using feeler gages....

I’ve read the same. Considering the shell holder only costs a few bucks I went with the more permanent “shaving the top” method. But I may try shimming the bottom and see if it can make a case useable. If it works then I’ll shave the top by that amount.

Oh, and all machine guns do not have fluted chambers. The M-60 does not. I don't know what Uncle is using 308 in now.

My understanding was the use of once-fired cases from a MG was ONLY a concern for those with fluted chambers. These chambers allow the cases to be pulled from the chamber easier because they are not supported from all sides. The fluting also aids with running dirty chambers. The downside of fluting is the cases may bulge into the flutes and weakens them for use when reloading.

As long as the MG chamber is NOT fluted are there any concerns with resizing and using the cases? I understand that due to the MG firing rate the cases may be pulled from the chamber before pressure has dropped. This could cause things like case heads separating or damage to the rims. But I’ve not see such signs on these once-fired LC cases. What should I be looking for other than fluting impressions?

BTW, my RCBS small base die just arrived in the mail. I’ll see if they will resize the cases that failed to function in my rifle and make them useable.

 

[Blue68f100]

Do a quick check and make sure that the sizing die is actually a sizing die. It sounds like you using a seating die body to size with. Some how the innards got swapped out during cleaning. Some die mfg use the same threads for depriming and seating stems.

 

[Nature Boy]

Powder valley had Winchester 308 brass for $20 per 50 pcs,

I wouldn't. Winchester brass has turned to do do. Too many reports of mangled cases, flash holes punched off center, etc. If the OP gets that desperate for brass I'll send him some once fired Fed or Lake City for free

 

[Cemetery21]

I was under the impression that you could identify MG fired rounds because the chambers are fluted and would create an impression on fired cases. None of my LC cases appear to have any fluting marks.

My comment about fluted chambers was an answer to this quote. Maybe it was answered later and I missed it.

 

[AshMan40]

Big update...
So I got my RCBS X-Die small base FL sizing die in the mail today. Went home at lunch and had to try it out.
I took one of the once-fired LC cases that had been run thru the Lee resizing die 3x and still wouldn’t fit my rifle (bolt would not turn to lock and case was getting stuck in the chamber — needed mallet to get it out). Ran it through the RCBS die and NOW IT SMOOTHLY LOADS INTO MY RIFLE!!! Even the rotation of the bolt to closed is normal, not stiff. To be sure I tried a second case from my small pile of failed cases... it now loads and cycles as expected. YES!! Now I can start work on loading rounds again.

I will still check the headspace once my headspace gauge (Hornady Lock-N-Load Headspace kit) arrives, but at least I now have a die that will resize cases to fit my rifle. I think it will be okay even if they are slightly undersized. Once they are fire formed in my rifle I will use the Lee neck collet die going forward. I just needed to get all these once-fired cases to fit for the first firing in the rifle and I’m golden. I’ve already confirm new cases fired in my rile will rechamber. I’ll work out if I want to just neck size or use the Lee/RCBS die to bump back the shoulder a “couple-thou”, but at least now I have a choice.

Next step will be to trim all the cases and start a load ladder from 45.0gr of CFE223. I may even start from 43.0gr just to work up the load from a SUPER safe charge. It will allow me to fire form more cases and exercise my chrono which hasn’t been very reliable. Sounds like I need a whole day at the range to work out the full range of loads.

The 150gr FMJ bullets were just to break in the barrel and test the chrono. I also have the following bullets to work up loads for:

• Hornady 110gr V-Max (using H335)
• Speer 165gr SPBT
• Hornady 178gr A-Max
• Hornady 208gr A-Max

Wish me luck!

 

[Blue68f100]

Good to hear.

 

[z7]

Excellent news ashman, good luck, I would expect things to make sense now with normal load development and behavior

 

[Random 8]

Check the case rims, heads and bases vs. samples of commercial .308 and the cartridge drawings in your Hornady manual. I suspect you may have some over thick, out of round or otherwise damaged rims, base or case head. This is not uncommon with surplus brass...sometimes it was surplussed for this reason...or it has been damaged by firing in a violent action or one with a worn bolt face or extractor.

I also concur with others that you may be experiencing a combination of these factors and pressure signs at the upper end of your loads. Also measure and inspect a commercial case fired in your action for ovality or inconsistent expansion in any area to rule out an out of round chamber. Checking off boxes here. Also ball powders can be weird. Never used CFE, but I've had BL-C and H335 do some weird, non-repeatable overpressure things well under max loads.

 

[Slamfire]

Ran it through the RCBS die and NOW IT SMOOTHLY LOADS INTO MY RIFLE!!!

Tight chambers happen. I use small base dies in every caliber I can find them.

 

[AshMan40]

Tight chambers happen. I use small base dies in every caliber I can find them.

I recently discovered small base dies and understand the reason for them is specifically when using semiauto rifles/pistols. But my new rifle is the first bolt action I've even owned. I was expecting that the standard resizing die would produce reliable cases that would smoothly function thru the rifle chamber. This is proving not to be the case (pun intended ).

I now have 50 resized once-fired LC cases. I still need to trim them as they are ALL long, but I function checked each thru my rifle and they all work perfectly! Well, at least the bolt will close on them (see new problem with extractor below).

While I'm happy I can now produce cases that will cycle well thru my new rifle. Here is what I have done to better understand why some cases would not chamber.

• I took the 16 cases that came from a NEW box of Federal XM80C (white box) that I ran thru my rifle (fire formed) and measured the dimensions. The neck diameter and shoulder diameter was larger than the spec shown in the Hornady manual, but all the cases will still chamber into my rifle (the bolt will close). All remaining case diameters were within the manual listed diameters.
  
• Using the Hornady Lock-N-Load Headspace kit and the .400" adapter I measured the headspace of all 16 cases and found the one with the longest headspace. It was no more than 0.002" longer than the shortest case. This became my reference case headspace.
  
• I confirmed this fire formed case still cycles in my rifle. I reset my micrometer to zero at this max headspace length. So any case with a reading of 0.000 or smaller (negative reading) should have a headspace the same of smaller than my reference case.
• Next, I measured the headspace of the 8 cases that I initially reloaded "too hot" starting from 48.0gr of CFE223. None of these fired cases will chamber in my rifle even though there were fire formed in the same chamber. All of these cases have a smaller headspace than my reference case so they are not too large, at least when it comes to headspace. Except for the shoulder and neck diameters these cases are smaller than the dimensions shown in the Hornady manual, but they will not chamber.
• I measured the headspace on the 50 LC cases that I FL sized in my new RCBS small base die. These cases were 0.001"- 0.007" shorter in the headspace dimension than my reference case. Most were 0.002"-0.003" shorter which could be due to the shaved shell holder.

Oh and one more thing... I have come to the realization that my new rifle no longer reliably extracts/ejects the cases (even empty ones) and this is a separate problem from not being able to close the bolt on the case. This seemed to have gotten worse recently. I found a small chunk of metal on my bolt face. I thought it was from one of the cases. Today I took the bolt apart and noticed the extractor claw had a small gap between it and the bolt face. I removed the claw from the bolt head and discovered it was broken. That small metal chunk was from the extractor. This obviously has been contributing to my stuck cases.

I've written to Thompson Center and asked if they would just mail me a new extractor claw.

I guess I can use this downtime to reload more rounds.

 

[Ireload2]

1. Never load your sized bottle necked brass until you have verified that every round will fit your chamber.
2. High pressure, soft brass and tool marks in your chamber can make extraction difficult.
3. Poor sizing technique is one of the most common complaints and problems on the internet.
Use adequate and consistent amount of lube.
Size your cases slowly. Do not just slam one after the other through your press as fast as possible. Size slowly and let the ram dwell 3 to 5 seconds in the full up position. Withdraw the case slighty rotate about 120 degrees and size slowly again. Repeat for a 3rd sizing. This extra sizing gives the brass time to creep to better conform to the interior of the die. You can actually see and measure the last few thousandths movement using the Hornady caliper case gage. Using this technique you may not need to shave your shell holder or die.
The case will keep moving a few .001 until it matches the die. If after multiple sizing it still does not fit your chamber either the die is too long or your chamber is too short. If your rifle works ok with factory ammo and gages properly with headspace gages you have a die problem.

 

[Poper]

I'm tempted to shave another 0.001" off the top of the shell holder to bump the shoulder back even more.

Now, I may be getting old and feeble after 35 years of handloading, and I am not a machinist. Still, it would seem to me you would need to trim the end of the die to increase shoulder set back. Trim .001" off the bottom of the died to get .001" additional shoulder setback. Trimming the shell holder just makes it smaller but does nothing for how deep the case runs into the die. Please correct me if I am in error here.

Personally, I think your problem will be easily resolved by using commercial brass instead of fired military brass. The little bit of additional cost is easily outweighed by the reduction of hassle and frustration. Again, I could be wrong because I am getting old and feeble....

 

[Walkalong]

Please correct me if I am in error here.

It will push the case farther in the die by the exact amount you shave off, assuming it contacts the die. If it doesn't, it won't matter.

To the OP, I wouldn't do it.