Reloaded shell issues

[7mmfan]

So I just reloaded 50, once-fired brass. All of them are at least a little stiff when being chambered, and some of them are very stiff when being chambered. I've reloaded for this gun before and have only had a couple that were a little stiff, most slid in like factory rounds. Any thoughts as to what could be causing this? Is the head not being sized down enough? I really don't know enough about the physics involved here so I hope someone can inform me.

[h20hunter]

Caliber?

[Feanix]

Possibly a seating depth issue.

[7mmfan]

Caliber is 7 mag. I don't think its seating depth. I've always seated right on the cannelure and never had a problem before.

I had this problem once before, but it was because I was using brass fired from another gun. This is definitely my brass this time.

[CP]

My guess is that you are deforming the brass when seating or crimping.  If the brass was fired in the same gun then it was sized to the chamber during firing and should easily fit back into that same chamber.  You could neck size only and not have a fit issue, unless the brass has been deformed somehow.

[brokenvet]

causes could be:
Case trim to long
COL,  Bullet seated to high, ( cannelure could be off, you need to measure)
cases being deformed after resizing
Chamber to tight
dirty chamber

[7mmfan]

Good enough guys, thanks. i'm on my way to reload a few more and will address all this possibilities and see what happens. Thanks again.

[ducksoup]

It could be your die is out of adjustment. Check the lock ring on the die to make sure it's not loose. Or you might have some dirt or maybe even a grain of powder between the top of the press and the lock nut on the die. If you can't screw the die down tight it won't size the case all the way. It doesn't take much.

[7mmfan]

So we narrowed it down to the die set. Unfortunately, grandpa didn't lube a shell enough last weekend and got one jammed in it and absolutely, no matter what, could not get it out. So he went and got a new die set. We got it set up today, resized the first shell, and slid into the gun like a factory load. Not sure if the old dies were just wore out, they were about 25 years old, or if there was some other issue. Either way, problem solved. Thanks for your input thought, it helped a lot.

[h20hunter]

Have you not extracted a stuck shell from your die?

[Heredoggydoggy]

Have you not extracted a stuck shell from your die?

  You better learn how, 'cuz it's gonna happen again!

[snowshoes22]

FYI they sell stuck case removers. I have had to use them a few times.  It happens.

[Huntbear]

Belted mags are terrible for this if you bump the shoulder back to far.  It will bulge it just enough to make it not chamber real smooth, or even not let the bolt close at all....  Had the same problem with .338 wm when I first started loading them.

[7mmfan]

I personally have done very little reloading on my own, its always been with my grandpa. In my mind, if he couldn't get it out, it wasn't coming out. Sounds like this is more common then I thought though. I'll mention the shell ejector to him and see what he thinks. Thanks for all your input guys, its really appreciated.

[h20hunter]

Take a look online fir a build your own kit or look at Dillons wesite. I, with help from a buddy, used the dillon kit to extract a .223 case.....saved me an expensive die.

[Heredoggydoggy]

Go to the hardware store and buy a 1/4-20 tap and a #7 drill bit.  A 1/4-20 bolt and some washers larger than the shell diameter or a socket, and that's all you need.  grabbing the shell with a pair of pliers or vise grips won't work. don't even try!

[snowshoes22]

I used one to extract a shell from a chamber on a savage 110 i bought from a gunshow one time.  I took it home and cleaned it and when i test fired it the shell casing wouldn't eject.  I tried to punch it out with a rod but it blew out the primer pocket.  the case remover worked great.  I sold the gun.   wish i would have kept the action for a custom build. 

[marlin]

Usually I find that if a reloaded shell is hard to chamber in a rifle it is because the brass needs to be trimmed.. i use the lee case length guages and lock stud/cutter with my power drill. Trim your brass and full length size every time I bet you wont have that problem anymore.. I find that seating depth only really effects feeding out of a magazine if its too long. I also seat to the cannelure.. works for me. if it doesnt have a cannelure than I either seat to minimum OAL or just make sure it will feed in a magazine.

[Heredoggydoggy]

Usually I find that if a reloaded shell is hard to chamber in a rifle it is because the brass needs to be trimmed.. i use the lee case length guages and lock stud/cutter with my power drill. Trim your brass and full length size every time I bet you wont have that problem anymore.. I find that seating depth only really effects feeding out of a magazine if its too long. I also seat to the cannelure.. works for me. if it doesnt have a cannelure than I either seat to minimum OAL or just make sure it will feed in a magazine.

Also make sure the bullet isn't seated out so far that it touches the rifling when it's chambered, or excessive pressures will build.  There has to be a bit of "jump" between the bullet and rifling to maintain the acceptable amount of pressure in a load.