brass problems

biker1

Well-Known Member
hi all, i brought some once fired rws 243 cases. But find after a full resize, alot of cases dont fit into my rifle ie cant close the bolt.The rifle is a tikka hunter in 243 thanks biker
 
biker1

I think you need to adjust your die. Screw it in an eighth of a turn and try again with a couple of lubed cases (inside and out). If they don't fit your rifle, put them aside, screw the die in further and try a couple of fresh cases. I put a splash of Tippex on the die/lock ring to mark my starting point. Make small adjustments, but don't keep resizing the same cases, pick fresh ones each time.

Good luck. JCS
 
have you checked the trim length of the case? is the COAL correct? was the die set correctly? sorry if this is stating the obvious :) when I resize 7.5x55 I rotate the case 90 degrees to ensure the case is fully sized as my K31 is very positive about what it will and won't work with :D
 
I put a simalar thread up a couple of weeks ago with a problem very much like this one. Mine was once fired federal brass and my rifle is also a Tikka M590.

I am new to reloading and set my die according to the instuctions that came with the press - Raise the ram with shell holder to the top of its stroke and then screw in the die until it touches the shell holder, lower the ram and screw in another 1/2 a turn.

Out of a batch of 50 that I trimmed and resized 23 of them chambered fine, about 10 - 12 where a little tight and the rest are really tight ?

I could not get my head round how some where ok and then others where really tight.
 
hi wayne, out of a hundred cases only 9 cases are tight, i have tryed adusting the die but its made no difference. also i have some sako cases, and all of them are tight and you just cant close the bolt on the rifle
 
have you checked the trim length of the case? is the COAL correct? was the die set correctly? sorry if this is stating the obvious :) when I resize 7.5x55 I rotate the case 90 degrees to ensure the case is fully sized as my K31 is very positive about what it will and won't work with :D
hi kenny i sized the cases then trimmed to size adjusted the die, even tried turning them 90 degrees
 
Sounds like your sizing die was not correctly adjusted in the press, or the ram didn't go all the way up.
When correctly sized there shouldn't be any real effort to chambering & closing the bolt on a round in your rifle.

Adjust your die and give it another try. If that still doesn't work, try and borrow a full length sizing die ... RCBS or Redding to see if they cure the problem :old:
 
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Okay.... everyone has Tikka's, including me.

From what I've seen these have minimum dimension chambers, and won't accept fired cases from any other rifle including Steyr, Remington, Sako, AI, and other makes. Believe me I've tried this in several calibres to avoid the chore of resizing. Tikka's are tight.

I got hard chambering in my M595 .243 after full length resizing with the Lee FLRSZ die when the press ram was set to cam over. I thought that in this situation there could be some flex in the linkage, and cases which had expanded more might not be being resized as much as the others needing less effort. All my dies including Lyman and RCBS are set up to bottom on the shellholder at only three quarters of the available press stroke.... that's with a RCBS Rockchucker. None of my Tikka's will take once-fired cases unless they're Maximum resized, and then they're neck-sized only.

My only other thought is to try a different brand of shellholder, as some have shallower top sections than others. The case will go further into the FLRSZ die, and allow more of the pressure ring area to be squeezed back down. A few thousandth's reduction could make all the difference here.
 
never had that happen to me whether fl or neck sized,ive necked down 270 cases to 25-06 and avent had a prob,sorry mate but u must be doing sumut wrong,atb swarovski
 
Normally the problem is due to the web of the case not being sufficiently sized by standard dies. I have heard about specific dies for sizing the web but never looked into it, it may have just been for reclaiming ex army brass etc?
 
Just found it, the answer may be 'small base' sizing dies, which are tighter round the web for autos etc. May help with once fired brass.
 
use some engineer's blue or similar on the sized case to see where the constriction is before changing anything, otherwise you could be starting a chain of changing things that could lead to more issues!
 
I always use small base dies for bought in 1 x fired brass.
If that doesn't work I use a carbide 45ACP die that has been opened at the top (remove the thread) to allow the case to pass right thro'.
This works on30-06 and its' derivatives and .308 and its' derivatives.
 
On RWS 7x57 cases I found the extractor groove of different spec to other makes so it required the use of a different shell holder. So bearing this in mind I am wondering how good is the fit of the cases into the shell holder?
 
Have you thought that the chamber in your rifle might need cleaning?
A mate of mine has a Mannlicher & this year he couldn't chamber his rounds - it turned out that it was c**p in the chamber / bolt recesses.
Try thoroughly cleaning the chamber, the bolt thrust faces & lug recesses - It might just help.
I have a Tikka 595 in 243 & have never head a problem with tight cases when using either new ammo or full length resized cases - as long as the dies and shellholder (Lee) are set to bottom out properly!

Ian
 
On RWS 7x57 cases I found the extractor groove of different spec to other makes so it required the use of a different shell holder. So bearing this in mind I am wondering how good is the fit of the cases into the shell holder?

+1

I had this problem with RWS 7x57 cases too, the new brass was very good, concentric, but with 'thick necks' and led me to believe that RWS brass is of robust dimensions. This was supported by early pressure signs with both new and resized brass. Now switching to Norma brass, or I shall as soon as I get back from working away. Obviously need to start load development all over again with the Norma stuff, but shouldn't be too onerous.
 
Have you thought that the chamber in your rifle might need cleaning?
A mate of mine has a Mannlicher & this year he couldn't chamber his rounds - it turned out that it was c**p in the chamber / bolt recesses.
Try thoroughly cleaning the chamber, the bolt thrust faces & lug recesses - It might just help.
I have a Tikka 595 in 243 & have never head a problem with tight cases when using either new ammo or full length resized cases - as long as the dies and shellholder (Lee) are set to bottom out properly!

Ian
Hi mate, rifle is cleaned after every outing. i went to norman clarkes and brought 100 rsw once fired cases, i have tryed all 100 cases in my rifle without sizing and found about 19 cases that wont fit, ie tight and i cant close the bolt. All the other cases fit ok no problem. Im thinking it has to be to do with the cases rather than the rifle regards biker1
 
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