Reloading help

[Scoggsy1978]

Evening all,

Please can you help. I have just started reloading and have hit a problem I can’t work out.

So a few months back I bought my first lot of 50 brass ( lapua) which came sized and ready to load. I loaded these on my press and ladder tested loads etc. All went through the rifle with no issues what so ever.

So now I have used them all I have attempted to reload them again. Put them through my press to size and de prime, tumbled. Have just added powder charge and seated bullets as per the time before. So now thinking this is easy!!!!!

So I chambered a newly loaded round and closed the bolt with no issues but when I pull back the bolt the unfired round stays in the chamber. Tried closing and opening bolt a few times but it won’t pick up the round resulting in having to use a cleaning rod to push it back out. Tried this with a number of the rounds and have the same issue. I then tried a factory round and a round from the first batch which all work perfectly so have ruled out any bolt issues.

Any advice of where I have gone wrong would be greatly received.

Rifle - .243 Sako Finnlight

Many thanks

Scott

 

[Greenmist]

How are you resizing? neck or full length, have you checked case length, is your chamber clean

 

[Lateral]

Compare the shoulder of a factory, and one of the cases you have resized.

Not seen it, but I wonder if it’s possible to bump the shoulder back too far.

Fire one of the reloaded rounds, and then see if it extracts ok, once it’s fireformed

 

[Muir]

Are your sizing die and shell holder of the same make? I have a similar problem.with.mt CZ 300 AAC. If I use the small base die for my autos, I get misfires due to.the almost nonexistent shoulder being pushed back. The 243 is a different animal but I'm.thinking you have a similar problem. ~Muir

 

[Alantoo]

Can you see any tell tale marks on the case to show where it has been jammed in the chamber?

It could be a number of causes...like the resizing and seating dies were not set up correctly...you may have crushed the case when seating the bullet...when you set the dies up did you follow the instructions again or rely on memory from last time?

A severe example of case concertina when seating the bullet. You may have done it minimally, but just enough to jam in the chamber.



If you can't see any marks on the brass...use a felt tip on the case as a coat of engineers blue and see where the ink is scraped off when you chamber it.

Alan

 

[gixer1]

What overall length are you using? Could the bullet be wedging into the rifling and holding the found in place? What does the extractor look like? When you knock a stick round out does it have any marks on it?

regards,
Gixer

 

[Klenchblaize]

“Won’t pick up the round”? As in the bolt may be pulled back with zero resistance?

As an aside exercise every caution when knocking out your live round with a cleaning rod. I know it’s not a misfire you’re dealing with but treat it as such.

K

 

[A Guy Out West]

Next piece of reloading kit for you should be a case gauge.

 

[Drum123]

Different rifle granted but when i single feed a bullet straight into the barrel of a cz527 without the bolt stripping it out of the magazine first this happens to me sometimes.

 

[Border]

Can you see any tell tale marks on the case to show where it has been jammed in the chamber?

It could be a number of causes...like the resizing and seating dies were not set up correctly...you may have crushed the case when seating the bullet...when you set the dies up did you follow the instructions again or rely on memory from last time?

A severe example of case concertina when seating the bullet. You may have done it minimally, but just enough to jam in the chamber.

View attachment 192230

If you can't see any marks on the brass...use a felt tip on the case as a coat of engineers blue and see where the ink is scraped off when you chamber it.

Alan

This would have been my guess.

 

[Foxyboy43]

What overall length are you using? Could the bullet be wedging into the rifling and holding the found in place? What does the extractor look like? When you knock a stick round out does it have any marks on it?

regards,
Gixer

I thought the same so definitely would not recommend firing one to see if it extracts - it could “extract” in many directions!!

 

[25 Sharps]

Is the extractor engaging the groove but then skipping over the rim when you pull the bolt back?

 

[Scoggsy1978]

What overall length are you using? Could the bullet be wedging into the rifling and holding the found in place? What does the extractor look like? When you knock a stick round out does it have any marks on it?

regards,
Gixer

I am using the same COAL (2.681”) as the first batch of bullets I loaded of which non had this issue.

 

[Scoggsy1978]

Can you see any tell tale marks on the case to show where it has been jammed in the chamber?

It could be a number of causes...like the resizing and seating dies were not set up correctly...you may have crushed the case when seating the bullet...when you set the dies up did you follow the instructions again or rely on memory from last time?

A severe example of case concertina when seating the bullet. You may have done it minimally, but just enough to jam in the chamber.

View attachment 192230

If you can't see any marks on the brass...use a felt tip on the case as a coat of engineers blue and see where the ink is scraped off when you chamber it.

Alan

 

[Scoggsy1978]

Checked the rounds and all look good to me.

 

[Scoggsy1978]

This would have been my guess.

Hi,

Tried covering the neck and shoulder of the round with felt tip and chambered it but couldn’t see any marks to show it had been rubbing anywhere

 

[Alantoo]

Checked the rounds and all look good to me.
View attachment 192335View attachment 192336

do a side by side comparison visually and with callipers with the ones that do chamber okay.

And try the felt tip trick to see which part is contacting and jamming in the chamber.

just seen your post, try the felt tip on the bullet as well as the case


Alan

 

[ashray]

good evening,might be my eye sight but it looks as if you are not full length sizing correctly.look at the scuff marks just up from the case head.turn you f/l sizing die in half a turn and try to cycle the empty case ,if still wont extract turn the die another half turn etc etc.let us know how you get on .

 

[Scoggsy1978]

good evening,might be my eye sight but it looks as if you are not full length sizing correctly.look at the scuff marks just up from the case head.turn you f/l sizing die in half a turn and try to cycle the empty case ,if still wont extract turn the die another half turn etc etc.let us know how you get on .

Thanks Ashray....I see what you mean. I will try that for sure.

 

[Woodsmoke]

So I chambered a newly loaded round and closed the bolt with no issues but when I pull back the bolt the unfired round stays in the chamber.

Have you had a look at the ejector claw on your bolt? If the rounds chamber with no effort it's highly unlikely that anything would change while they're just sat in the chamber Pull the bolt from your rifle, and drop in another round. Then tilt the rifle back and see if the round slides out of the chamber. If it does, I'll wager you have an ejector issue