One batch of used brass Cases won't chamber after fl sizing

[sixpointfive]

Just bought Lee 3 die set and trying to fl size for my bolt action rifle. I have two types of once fired brass, and they were fired in two different rifles which are not the one I'm loading for. Anyway after full length sizing, one batch of brass chambers fine but the doesn't . The Lee fl die doesn't seem to be setting the shoulder correctly. So what do I do? I ground a shell holder to go deeper and didn't help with chambering

[JWT]

Have you trimmed the brass?

[sixpointfive]

Yes I have

[obssd1958]

Have you tried coloring a case with a permanent marker, then chambering, to see where it is stopping at?

[sixpointfive]

Yes tried that

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Caliber? Rifle that won't chamber? Rifles that fired brass?

[country gent]

Several issues may cause this to happen. Brass fired in rifles with longer headspace than yours. This puts the shoulder farther forward than your chamber can accept, this is probably the most common cause. Couple this with a dies and shell holder than wont size to 0 or - headspace dimensions and you have a problem. Ammo fired in a chamber of bigger dimensions on the body than your rifles chamber is. Couple this with a dies that's on the plus side and again problems. Even brass spring back may create this issue some. A die that has a heavy radious on the mouth not sizing all the way to shell holder also can be an issue. Ink the cartridge up good and chamber it carefully look for rub marks or tight areas on the neck shoulder and body.

[sixpointfive]

Ok I did that thank you. It appears to be hitting at the shoulder just above case body

[country gent]

You may be buckling the shoulder a little when sizing now. This can happen when trying to reform or push a shoulder back. Raise the die up some ( to where Its just above the shoulder) and size a case, lowering the die 1/4-1/2 turn each time till brass just chambers. A mos gage or rcbs mic can be a big help here in that you can measure a fired casefrom your rifle then the sized cases and know where you are at.

[Larry Gibson]

Cartridge?

[Harter66]

Formed brass in Lee dies is almost always fussy . NOT A LEE BASH .
Since you've ground the case holder an identified the shoulder sizing I would suggest lube . I had this issue with a very tight 06' . To achieve consistent chambering in the slide action I had to have a hard can over leaving the case holder in contact with the die with a case in it and allow it to hold 15+ seconds . This was for brass fired in known rifles but not that 1 .

[abunaitoo]

I had this happen in a tight chamber .270 rifle.
To solve the problem, when sizing, I would run it through the die three times, turning the case 1/3 of a turn each time.
Never had a problem since.
Die set didn't make a difference.
I used Lee and RCBS. Both did the same thing.

[sixpointfive]

Ok thank you

[Norske]

I use Lee collet dies for most of my reloading. Every once in awhile, I need to use the full-length resizer to chamber the neck-sized cases. You're absolutely sure you used the full-length resizer instead of the collet die?

[sixpointfive]

Yes , I know the difference between a collet die and a full length size die. I have been reloading and bullet casting for 40 years and am loading for 30 different chamberings. I just came across this recently. I shoot plenty of 22 -250 out west and I know when it's time to full length size. This deal is unique , I bought these cases on this page. They were used in two different rifles and I am sizing them for use in a third. I managed to get it sorted out by squeezing the ones that wouldn't chamber down in a 8x57 die and now they chamber.

[TDB9901]

My brother in law had similar situation years ago with Browning BLR .243. Ended up getting a "small base" die set to solve problem. Seemed like rifle had a minimum chamber and needed cases sized completely back to factory specs to chamber.

We tried 3 sets of standard dies with no luck (his, mine, and another borrowed set) before he got the RCBS small base set... worked great for him from then on. Only rifle we owned out of 5 in that caliber that needed it.

[3006guns]

I had a similar problem when reloading .223 for my AR. Should be a simple process, right? At the range, all was well until the bolt suddenly wouldn't go into battery......or retract. I had to whack the charging handle with a hard rubber mallet to extract the round! This was a custom made rifle with a rather tight chamber by the way.

A close examination of my ammunition turned up several cases with an almost microscopic "bulge" at the shoulder, which was enough to prevent chambering and jam. I started paying more attention, trimming my cases and monitoring my F/L sizing after that.

[kungfustyle]

Do you have a turret press? The flex in the press might be just enough to throw it off. If you have a single stage press use it preferably an "O" type press, because you still get some flex from a "c" type. I had this problem with a new 308 and then an old Winchester 30-30. Run the ram up and screw the die in till it touches then go a few more turns. Try out a few cases to see if they will now chamber. I assume that you are using a lee shell holder with your dies, Yes? If you are using a different shell holder that could make a difference. If that doesn't work buy a set of RCBS or Redding from ebay and try them out, you know you'll be able to sell them right off if it doesn't work.

[17nut]

Once had a 270WSM and FL sized brass from another gun didnt chamber.
Sharpied a case and found it scrabed the front of the shoulder.
Me using a Lee FL sizer and a RCBS shell holder was enough to throw off the length.
Ground a smidgen off the shell holder and they went in like a glove.

[725]

Annealing might help some.

[jimb16]

There is another possibility that no one has mentioned. How thick is the neck wall on that batch of brass. If it is thick enough, you could be pulling the neck and shoulder forward when you pull the case out of the die. You might need to thin the neck walls on that brass. Try removing the case neck expander then sizing a case. Then see if it chambers. If it does, the thick necks could be the problem.