Tight in the chamber

[ctafoya]

I am not an expert reloader by any means, so im a little bit concerned. I have noticed lately my 300wsm is feeling a little strange. When I close the bolt, its tighter then heck. Still shoots great, but it just doesn't seem right. Brass has been reloaded quite a few times. All the overall measurements are ok. I don't have this issue with any other rounds except this one. Could it just be time to recycle brass?

[kwp]

Are you neck sizing the brass? If so, it may be time to full length resize.

[firstcoueswas80]

Turn the die down just a touch at a time until it chambers like you like. Need to bump the shoulder a few thousandths.

[lancetkenyon]

Have you trimmed brass back in length lately? I have had that happen before when Brass starts getting too long even with a FL die.

[HuntHarder]

Yep, as others said, probably need to full length size or trim the brass. I would imagine it is the sizing tho. Lower your die enough to get good clean chambering with brass only.

[Coach]

Spot on - all the above. The brass gets longer each time it is resized, so trimming is essential.

[ctafoya]

I do trim my brass. Maybe my chamber is a little shorter then normal?

[muledeerarea33?]

Bump your shoulder back .010-.015"'

[Couestracker]

I was out shooting a new set of test loads yesterday with my Model 70 .270 WSM and was having the same issue. I don't do the reloading, my gunsmith does it. I was worried about all what was being said in this thread, but admit I'm just a novice about this stuff.

I was shooting 4 different loads and loading one at a time. Took quite a bit of messing around to get the bolt closed. Well, I was just laying the round in the reciever and trying to close the bolt. Once I pushed the round down into the magazine well, like you normally do when loading it, and then closing the bolt, the issue went away - they chambered fine. Guess they call it controlled feed for a reason, lol!!

Could this be your problem, or am I the only dummy? ☺

 

 

[654321]

I have the opposite problem with reloads and factory ammo, the rounds go into chamber just fine, bolt closes no problem but after firing sometimes I can't get the bolt open. Any suggestions?

[lancetkenyon]

I have the opposite problem with reloads and factory ammo, the rounds go into chamber just fine, bolt closes no problem but after firing sometimes I can't get the bolt open. Any suggestions?

Sound like too hot of a load if you are getting sticky bolt lift. Be very careful.

Any other signs of overpressure, like flattened or cratered primers, case head swipes, ejector marks, brass flow, etc.?

[654321]

 

I have the opposite problem with reloads and factory ammo, the rounds go into chamber just fine, bolt closes no problem but after firing sometimes I can't get the bolt open. Any suggestions?

Sound like too hot of a load if you are getting sticky bolt lift. Be very careful.

Any other signs of overpressure, like flattened or catered primers, case head swipes, ejector marks, brass flow, etc.?

The reloads are the minimum powder load, not sure on factory but buddies gun doesn't have issues with the factory loads.

[HuntHarder]

Remington model 710's had chamber problems where this issue could arise. 710 by any chance?

[lancetkenyon]

 

 

I have the opposite problem with reloads and factory ammo, the rounds go into chamber just fine, bolt closes no problem but after firing sometimes I can't get the bolt open. Any suggestions?

Sound like too hot of a load if you are getting sticky bolt lift. Be very careful.

Any other signs of overpressure, like flattened or catered primers, case head swipes, ejector marks, brass flow, etc.?

 

The reloads are the minimum powder load, not sure on factory but buddies gun doesn't have issues with the factory loads.

 

Books give you a reference. Only your gun can tell you what it likes. Depending on brass make and content, I have had way over pressure from the same loads I always run when it is hot outside, and when using Federal brass or military surplus brass for various chamberings. The more brass content, the less case capacity. Meaning less room in the case=more pressure when fired.

 

There are other possible issues that can lead to over pressure. Bullets jammed or touching the lands of the bore, high ambient temps, different powder charge or different brand or lots of powder themselves. Tighter chamber cut, not all "SAAMI" chambers are cut exactly alike, either from a factory or a good gunsmith.

 

I weigh each case and discard any that are out of spec. I like a 2 grain max difference in brass content for my rifles myself. Something like 124 to 126 grains for each case, or 171 to 173 grains, etc. Mixing different brands is bad. So if you load some Winchester at 160 grains of brass content, Remington at 170 grains of brass content, and Federal at 185 grains of brass content, and size them all with an FL die, they all have the same outside case diameter, but thicker walls equals less case space inside the brass. Bad for velocity, accuracy, and pressure. I have found up to 55 grains of brass content difference in .25-06 cases between 7 brands/head stamps. Winchester, WW Super, Remington, Federal, Frontier, Hornady, Nosler. Nickel plated cases make a difference too.

 

Depending on how you weigh each charge, you can easily get discrepancies in charge weight. A powder throw can miss a charge weight by .2-.4 grains. My Hornady electronic charger/scale is off sometimes up to .2 grains for a 43.0 targeted charge weight. I individually weigh each charge on my RCBS 5-0-5 beam scale for this reason. If you set an auto charger for a certain charge weight (say 50.0 grains), they are good to read within ".1" grain. But they also have an error factor of .2 grains easily. Meaning you can be at the low end of your charge and be at 49.75 grains, or be at the high end and be at 50.25 grains. A .4-5 grain swing is bad for accuracy, and if your max pressure that your gun likes is at the 49.8, but you are getting some at 50.2, that might be enough to cause overpressure. Go up in charge weights, the error factor goes up too.

 

Add a slight overcharge of up to .4 grains, a case that has more brass content/less capacity than previous cases (whether from brand changes or just batch or machining changes), a powder that is temp sensitive (and you did load development in a cool month), higher ambient temps, a bullet that is touching the lands, and a tight chamber, and you have a recipe for a hot load very easily. You might not even know about it.

 

Just spit balling here.

[654321]

 

 

 

I have the opposite problem with reloads and factory ammo, the rounds go into chamber just fine, bolt closes no problem but after firing sometimes I can't get the bolt open. Any suggestions?

Sound like too hot of a load if you are getting sticky bolt lift. Be very careful.Any other signs of overpressure, like flattened or catered primers, case head swipes, ejector marks, brass flow, etc.?

The reloads are the minimum powder load, not sure on factory but buddies gun doesn't have issues with the factory loads.

Books give you a reference. Only your gun can tell you what it likes. Depending on brass make and content, I have had way over pressure from the same loads I always run when it is hot outside, and when using Federal brass or military surplus brass for various chamberings. The more brass content, the less case capacity. Meaning less room in the case=more pressure when fired.There are other possible issues that can lead to over pressure. Bullets jammed or touching the lands of the bore, high ambient temps, different powder charge or different brand or lots of powder themselves. Tighter chamber cut, not all "SAAMI" chambers are cut exactly alike, either from a factory or a good gunsmith.I weigh each case and discard any that are out of spec. I like a 2 grain max difference in brass content for my rifles myself. Something like 124 to 126 grains for each case, or 171 to 173 grains, etc. Mixing different brands is bad. So if you load some Winchester at 160 grains of brass content, Remington at 170 grains of brass content, and Federal at 185 grains of brass content, and size them all with an FL die, they all have the same outside case diameter, but thicker walls equals less case space inside the brass. Bad for velocity, accuracy, and pressure. I have found up to 55 grains of brass content difference in .25-06 cases between 7 brands/head stamps. Winchester, WW Super, Remington, Federal, Frontier, Hornady, Nosler. Nickel plated cases make a difference too.Depending on how you weigh each charge, you can easily get discrepancies in charge weight. A powder throw can miss a charge weight by .2-.4 grains. My Hornady electronic charger/scale is off sometimes up to .2 grains for a 43.0 targeted charge weight. I individually weigh each charge on my RCBS 5-0-5 beam scale for this reason. If you set an auto charger for a certain charge weight (say 50.0 grains), they are good to read within ".1" grain. But they also have an error factor of .2 grains easily. Meaning you can be at the low end of your charge and be at 49.75 grains, or be at the high end and be at 50.25 grains. A .4-5 grain swing is bad for accuracy, and if your max pressure that your gun likes is at the 49.8, but you are getting some at 50.2, that might be enough to cause overpressure. Go up in charge weights, the error factor goes up too.Add a slight overcharge of up to .4 grains, a case that has more brass content/less capacity than previous cases (whether from brand changes or just batch or machining changes), a powder that is temp sensitive (and you did load development in a cool month), higher ambient temps, a bullet that is touching the lands, and a tight chamber, and you have a recipe for a hot load very easily. You might not even know about it.Just spit balling here.

Thanks