Pulling Bullets

BRACES of Bristol - Sauer 100 XTA Stainless Package
Blacknsilver

Blacknsilver

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately I have now got 60 rounds that won't cycle.
I had my crown re done and found out I had head space issues. Which is a little beyond me. It was only out a fraction but he said it could be sorted. So the crown and head space issue got sorted. When I questioned about the rounds I had loaded I was told that they wouldn't cycle. I tried a few I loaded a while ago and no problems. (15 rounds in my wallet) I did a batch of 80. Already fired 20 to test and was happy with the results. The remaining 60 are either very tight or not going to cycle without force. I haven't appyed much pressure but don't feel right so it looks like I will have to pull the lot.
I am fairly new to reloading and looking for any advice. I have a kinetic puller.
I have been using Hornady brass but not all of it was new and unsure of the shot count on most.
I have new Nosler brass which I have FL sized ready to load but will the old recipe work in the new brass or is it a case of starting again with the development?
cheers
 
The bit I am concerned about is re sizing and reloading with live primer in there.
Half tempted to pull them and just keep bullet and powder.
 
I'm curious as to how a recrown turned in to headspace issues.

Pull the bullets. Deprime, or back the decapping pin up so that it will not remove the primer.

Keep records. Don't mix LOTs of brass. Read a good book on reloading.~Muir
 
Muir said:
I'm curious as to how a recrown turned in to headspace issues.

Pull the bullets. Deprime, or back the decapping pin up so that it will not remove the primer.

Keep records. Don't mix LOTs of brass. Read a good book on reloading.~Muir
Click to expand...
This, plus see if you have a standard factory chamber or a custom?
 
After pulling the bullets, Do as Muir says in post #4....backing the expander decap rod into the die will preserve the primer when you resize.
Before loading your new Nosler brass, just check it will chamber correctly.
 
The new Nosler brass was FL sized and primed ready to load develop the 40gr bullet. I have tried the brass I have prepped cycles fine.

The events happened as follows.
The Smith took the rifle apart to recrown. He began to check certain things with the barrel and he came up with there was head space issues. He put two dummy type round in the chamber. One of which shouldn't have cycled. But it did. He said he could sort it. After doing the crown he the proceeded to mill away a small amount from the back of the barrel. In theory curing the issue.
There are other parts the the day which I will leave for another time but not really a happy chappy.
 
Have you measured the case length? You say the cases may have been used an unknown number of times.
 
Yes I have measured. I followed suit with the load data I got when bought the rifle. I started with less powder than was suggested with the loads that shot well. The lengths kept the same. They are all under what is stated in the manual. With out looking and measuring so I now guessing. The .204 COL is 2.260 mine is 2.252. Case length after the first lot was fired I checked length and trimmed the lot at one of the smaller sizes. 1.838 where the book says 1.850
(I need to check as I am just trying to remember. It's been a while since loaded any)
but my point is nothing is exceeded in length. Even the ones that won't cycle smooth are within size.
 
Whitebeard said:
Muir, IIRC from previous threads Blacknsilver was made aware of a possible headspace issues.

Ian.
Click to expand...
Ah! I might have missed that... But frankly, with almost every post on a reloading problem it only takes a few posts for someone to suggest "bad headspace" in a lightly used sporting rifle. I have never seen so much bad headspace in one place so I tend to not take it too seriously. As was said, he definitely has a headspace problem now. ~Muir
 
Feel so much better now. NOT. Lol the rifle shot like a dream.
If he has explained or asked 'how does it shoot? Have you got many loads loaded? If so. Use them and then come back and we can tweak it' but no. It was just done and me not knowing nowhere near as much as a Smith I let him roll with it only to find out the after affects of his actions.
He may have sorted 'the head space issue' but I feel it wasn't warranted as it performed very well.
There was a few other things that I was t happy with but I'm not one for openly dogging someone but I won't be using them again. In certain areas he was great but in the parts I feel are needed in good customer service and help it just wasnt there.
It may just be I scrap the loaded rounds and crack on with new loads and hope all is well.
 
I wouldn't get too stressed about the smith at this time. It sounds like he checked headspace with a go and no go gauge. If the bolt closed on the no go gauge then the headspace is excessive, or at least out of SAAMI spec. I have experienced this issue myself with a used semi custom rifle and it definitely performs better after the headspace was sorted. It will however mean that your current brass probably won't fit the chamber as the shoulder will probably be too far forward. Don't sweat it, pull the bullets, full length size to push the shoulder back until you can chamber the cases and rework the loads. After all you have a different sized chamber so it will behave differently now! See how it shoots with new loads before reaching any conclusions about the smith
 
I agree. Absolutely. It's no major drama. More or a faff. It's definitely watch this space. Or head space if you want pun. Hope to test Monday.
Thanks.
 
tarponhead said:
Cab you not just seat the heads a little deeper - within SAAMI dimensions? BTW, I ask as a novice - not to give advice.
Click to expand...

No you can't. headspace is the distance between the cartridge base and a datum point on the case shoulder. If a case have been fired in a long headspace chamber it will become shaped to that chamber, i.e. Fireformed. If you then reduce the headspace and make the chamber shorter then the previously fireformed case will be too long for the new chamber. This is connected with the case not the bullet. To use the case in the new chamber you would need to full length size the case to bump the datum point on the shoulder back.
Hope this helps
 
Blacknsilver said:
The new Nosler brass was FL sized and primed ready to load develop the 40gr bullet. I have tried the brass I have prepped cycles fine.

The events happened as follows.
The Smith took the rifle apart to recrown. He began to check certain things with the barrel and he came up with there was head space issues. He put two dummy type round in the chamber. One of which shouldn't have cycled. But it did. He said he could sort it. After doing the crown he the proceeded to mill away a small amount from the back of the barrel. In theory curing the issue.
There are other parts the the day which I will leave for another time but not really a happy chappy.
Click to expand...

He will have used GO and NO-GO guages. One is the correct length and the other is 'too long'. If the rifle accepts the No-GO guage then it has excessive headspace. (In order to re-crown the muzzle, the smith has to take the barrel out of the action and then refit it. Obviously, he checked the headspace. By machining off a few though from the rear of the barrel, it screws into the reciever a bit further, thus reducing the chamber length and headspace. Now the NO-GO guage is too long and the bolt won't close. That's as it should be.)

If you have primed brass on which the bolt won't close, then your brass has excessive headspace (is too long at the shoulder for that rifle). Adjust your die correctly in the press. Remove the de-capping pin from the stem but leave the expander ball in place. Wind the stem up in the die so that it is well clear of the bottom of the case but still expands the neck on lowering the ram. Then lube and FL resize as normal. Clean the case of lube and test in the rifle. You want the die set so that the rifle's bolt closes without undue effort. You can test raising the die until you feel resistence when you close the bolt. Now the case headspace is just a touch longer than the chamber. Lower the die a tad so the resistence on closing the bolt is gone. Now your case headspace is just a thou or two shorter than the chamber, which is what you want. You'll need to resize a series of cases to establish the right setting, not resize and resize one case. Test each case in the rifle before you resize: if it's tight before and no-effort after resizing then you know your die is set 'just right' and working properly. That's good for accuracy and good for case life.

JMS
 
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