FL Resizing Neck Issue

[G. McAlister]

Hey all,

I am reloading 180 gr. TTSX in Norma brass. When loading a new cartridge everything is just fine and the loads cycle like butter. I’ve started processing through my once fired brass to re-size using a Lee FL re-sizing die. Upon reloading these once fired cartridges, they would barely chamber and the bolt was sticky. I measured a few of these loads and found that the neck is way out of standard diameter, and I am not sure what I did incorrectly. Any advice/suggestions to fix the issue?

 

[Salmonchaser]

Cartridge and diameter you are seeing with your brass, also length of the resized brass. Just for grins get the measurements of your bullets. Have you fired any of the reloads?

 

[G. McAlister]

Cartridge and diameter you are seeing with your brass, also length of the resized brass. Just for grins get the measurements of your bullets. Have you fired any of the reloads?

.300 WSM
Trim case length 2.095”
.349” neck diameter
Bullets are measuring right at .308
Empty resized case neck is measuring at .340

I have not fired any of the resized reloads. I have fired the virgin brass with multiple loads, no issues

 

[Carl]

I'd sharpie the neck on a round with a bullet seated (and chamber it to see where the Sharpie is rubbed) just to confirm the neck diameter is the issue.

If it is, you can neck turn the brass you have, or get new brass. The reamer prints I looked up had a neck diameter of .344" so that'd make .349" a pretty crazy diameter.

 

[Salmonchaser]

My guess is your factory rounds measured the spec. .344 outside neck diameter given you didn’t have any problems.
What is the outside neck diameter of a fired case before you resize?
Are you using the resizing die and not the seating die? Sorry how many times have you helped someone who’s car wouldn’t start when they were out of fuel.
Resizing die installed correctly? All the way down touching the ram?
Diameter of the ”button“ on your decamping pin?
First thing you might try,before sending your dies back, is backing your dies off a full turn, essentially just neck sizing the brass. If it still comes in at .349 send them back and get Redding or RCBS.
Just seems like you have something way out of whack and you’re not getting any neck sizing.

Good luck

 

[G. McAlister]

I'd sharpie the neck on a round with a bullet seated (and chamber it to see where the Sharpie is rubbed) just to confirm the neck diameter is the issue.

If it is, you can neck turn the brass you have, or get new brass. The reamer prints I looked up had a neck diameter of .344" so that'd make .349" a pretty crazy diameter.

Tried sharpie. I didn’t notice any rub marks in the neck or shoulder area.

 

[G. McAlister]

My guess is your factory rounds measured the spec. .344 outside neck diameter given you didn’t have any problems.
What is the outside neck diameter of a fired case before you resize?
Are you using the resizing die and not the seating die? Sorry how many times have you helped someone who’s car wouldn’t start when they were out of fuel.
Resizing die installed correctly? All the way down touching the ram?
Diameter of the ”button“ on your decamping pin?
First thing you might try,before sending your dies back, is backing your dies off a full turn, essentially just neck sizing the brass. If it still comes in at .349 send them back and get Redding or RCBS.
Just seems like you have something way out of whack and you’re not getting any neck sizing.

Good luck

Using same brand FL and seating dies. Seating die on new brass has caused zero issues with the brass.

Diameter of fired neck is .346. I’m starting to think this is not a neck issue, but something else as some of the necks in the hard chambers are right at .344.

I as far as .349, I believe my calipers were lower than I thought and upon remeasure I only found 1 above .3445.

I pulled the dies and re-seated them. Tried touching the ram, slightly off the ram, and a half turn past touching. Have not tried a full turn back as it’s getting late.

I did have a set of RCBS that I tried as well. Same issue.

 

[Salmonchaser]

What does the shoulder measure? Did you bulge the case just a little when seating the bullet?

 

[Salmonchaser]

So we have resolved the oversized neck issue. That is good. if a resized empty case will chamber and the bolt close easily, then, with once fired brass, we need to look at bullet seating. If you are jamming the bullets into the lands, the bolt will feel stiff. Assuming your seating die is set up correctly try shortening the overall length of the cartridges by .005; .010 and .015. You can sacrifice one cartridge to do this. Measure a hard to chamber loaded round, shorten by .005, still hard to chamber shorten again by .005.
I have loaded for several rifles over the years that had very tight chambers and necessitated loading some bullets a little under max sammi dimension.
Best I can do, it’s 0430 and I’m waiting on coffee.

 

[Carl]

I'd now sharpie the rest of the case and see where it's tight. Sounds like you've reasonably addressed seating depth, neck diameter, and shoulder location, which mostly leaves the web of the case, unfortunately.

 

[G. McAlister]

So we have resolved the oversized neck issue. That is good. if a resized empty case will chamber and the bolt close easily, then, with once fired brass, we need to look at bullet seating. If you are jamming the bullets into the lands, the bolt will feel stiff. Assuming your seating die is set up correctly try shortening the overall length of the cartridges by .005; .010 and .015. You can sacrifice one cartridge to do this. Measure a hard to chamber loaded round, shorten by .005, still hard to chamber shorten again by .005.
I have loaded for several rifles over the years that had very tight chambers and necessitated loading some bullets a little under max sammi dimension.
Best I can do, it’s 0430 and I’m waiting on coffee.

A resized case will not fit in the chamber without a sticky bolt. Bullet seating has not changed between virgin brass and fired brass. Based on my COAL gauge the re-loaded brass is sticking before it fully sits in the chamber. Pic attached of virgin brass and re-sized and reloaded brass.

 

[G. McAlister]

I'd now sharpie the rest of the case and see where it's tight. Sounds like you've reasonably addressed seating depth, neck diameter, and shoulder location, which mostly leaves the web of the case, unfortunately.

Rubbing in the center of the chamber??

 

[Salmonchaser]

Once again I’m at a loss, a once fired case from the same rifle should chamber with out resizing. It might take a little more pressure than a fresh factory load but it’s just kind of a snug feeling. Many people neck size only, myself included. Perhaps I missed it, can you chamber a once fired case without resizing?

 

[Carl]

Rubbing in the center of the chamber??

That looks to me like a plunger ejector pushing it into the chamber wall during chambering or extraction. The case is pretty flexible at that point, so it's not normally an area that would cause issues. If that round chambered very tightly, and it isn't making contact at the case mouth and doesn't have the bullet jammed into the lands, I'm running out of theories unfortunately.

 

[JLS]

Can you take a sized case with bullet and drop it into the chamber and it goes all the way in ? Based on what you said my guess is no.

Drop a marked up case in and then try to close the bolt. See where your contact is. Has to be neck, shoulder, or case head area.

 

[antelopedundee]

My guess is your factory rounds measured the spec. .344 outside neck diameter given you didn’t have any problems.
What is the outside neck diameter of a fired case before you resize?
Are you using the resizing die and not the seating die? Sorry how many times have you helped someone who’s car wouldn’t start when they were out of fuel.
Resizing die installed correctly? All the way down touching the ram?
Diameter of the ”button“ on your decamping pin?
First thing you might try,before sending your dies back, is backing your dies off a full turn, essentially just neck sizing the brass. If it still comes in at .349 send them back and get Redding or RCBS.
Just seems like you have something way out of whack and you’re not getting any neck sizing.

Good luck

If he wasn't getting neck sizing it's likely the resized case wouldn't hold a bullet.

 

[Salmonchaser]

I would really like to run a “mic” looking for case head expansion at this point. I’ve seen it in belted mags with overpressure loads don’t recall seeing it in cases that head space on the shoulder, but I’m getting old and it’s been a long time since I tried to push most cartridges.
My 300 HH is the only rifle I currently own that goes overpressure at pressures every book says should be safe. Go figure.

 

[Don Fischer]

Have ya asked a gunsmith?

 

[Salmonchaser]

Have ya asked a gunsmith?

Hell of a good idea at this point!

 

[G. McAlister]

Hell of a good idea at this point!

That’s my next step, wanted to rule out any human error in the reloading process on my side before taking it to someone to check the chamber.