new gun new lesson

[mdevlin53]

i picked up a Mossberg 4x4 in 30-06 and started working up a load for it. i sorted out 50 Win super X cases and sized them and belled the case mouths primed them and then charged one and seated a 308-165-SIL (sized to .309)into it. As it was a new rifle i went to check the round in the chamber and it would not chamber far enough to close the bolt. My first thought was the boolet was too fat but the engraving on the nose was very light. I took out the calipers to quickly check some measurements as i thought perhaps i might not have completely removed the flare. nope not that. So I took a casing and re-sized it to remove the flare and tried to chamber it and it would not chamber. The die was set per the instructions so i was still wondering what was the issue. After a quick trip to the internet i found a fellow that had this same problem and he re-adjusted the die to get what you might call max full length sizing. I did this and after sizing a few more and checking the empty cases they were clambering with no issues. I went ahead and loaded the rest of the cases after resizing them and checked each one in the chamber and i was good to go. just for a sanity check i took the loaded cases that would not chamber and checked them in my other 30-06 and there was no issues, That rifle is a re-chambered 1909 Mauser so i guess it is a bit more forgiving.
Just another example of the importance of checking each step as you go, would have been a real bummer getting to the range wit 50 rounds of ammo that i could not shoot.

[chutesnreloads]

Very wise of you to check.Sounds like you have a rifle with a very tight chamber or a die that's on the larger side

[Bzcraig]

A lesson I too am learning.......the other thing I am learning is just how 'small' factory ammo has to be made to chamber in so many guns.

[Big Boomer]

Was having case head separations several years ago in a then-new Winchester M670 .30-06 I still have. Couldn't figure it out ... had hang-fires. I could hear the firing pin hitting the primer and in a nano-second the thing would fire. I wrestled with this for some time and finally read an article by the late Bob Milek who said that sometimes reloading dies are not made properly. The Lyman dies I still have and still use did not have the reamer run into the sizing die far enough or properly. In other words, when sizing I was setting the shoulder back too far due to an improperly formed/made sizing die. When I screwed the sizing die down so that it touched the shell holder, the shoulder was set back too far, creating excess headspace. Now I simply screw the sizing die down to where the neck is sized to the shoulder, try the empty case in the chamber, and proceed from there. The problem is not always the rifle chamber. In my case it was the sizing die. Big Boomer

[runfiverun]

wait till you have a die set that's cut a click too deep for your rifle.
that will drive you nuts.

[vzerone]

That's why I tried an empty sized case first. If it doesn't fit I know it's case solely as there is not bullet in it. Then I load a dummy round with the bullet I want to use. If that's good I go ahead and load. Now that is only with new rifles to me. Once I'm setup I know what each rifle likes.

[S.B.]

Was the brass originally shot in this rifle(obviously not), if not, full length sizing would be advisable, at least on their first firing in this rifle from then on, maybe just neck size them.
Steve

[mdevlin53]

I guess that was the point. some of the brass was shot in my other rifle and some was range pick-up i set the die per the instructions. i read them every time as i have difficulty remembering all the set it to this and turn it a quarter turn or back off to that. so i full length sised them and the did not fit. So i gave the die another half turn and then there was no issue. I have several different die makes and these happened to be the green box Lee set. I may pick up a different brand if one shows up in S&S.
Just goes to remind me never assume anything and as vzerone said check first.

[runfiverun]

i'm kind of a spaz about rifles and their brass.
i have boxes marked for each rifle and the brass goes into those boxes to be used only in that rifle.
i of course swerve from that with some stuff like the AR's but i do keep their brass separated from the bolt rifles.

[southpaw]

I have a 22-250 and a 300wsm like that and a friends 338wm. Took awhile but I figure out that I have to get the die to just about touch the shell holder WHILE sizing a shell. My 338 wm I can set the die to size 3/4 of the neck and not worry about a thing.

Jerry Jr.