need help

[rocweiller]

New to site and new to reloading. Im having problems with the rounds im loading. I put 30 .223 rounds in my AR-15 today and could only get 10 to fire. The other 20 feed like they were suppossed to but stuck with the bolt and I had to pry down to free bolt and get round out. What am I doing wrong? I dont want to reload any more until I can figure this out. Please help any tips and advise is greatly appreciated.

[312shooter]

This sounds like a undersized casing and/or a headspace issue. The proper way to understand and resize bottle neck cartriges is to purchase a headspace gauge and measure some fired cases from your rifle. Some may suggest turning the resizing die down past the point of contact between the shellholder and die bottom; this is a horseshoe and hangrenade approach and may get your rifle cycling properly but may be equally dangerous. Welcome to TFF, lots of help around here, some good valueable input should be coming in soon.

PS if you are in LV, I may be able to offer you a hand, shoot a PM and let me know.

[rocweiller]

I used my caliper and measured mine and Good ammo lol and mine is shorter. I should have done that before now. Mine wont even extract if the bolt doesnt stick

[steve4102]

Originally Posted by rocweiller

I used my caliper and measured mine and Good ammo lol and mine is shorter. I should have done that before now. Mine wont even extract if the bolt doesnt stick

You can't measure headspace or proper shoulder bump with just a caliper, you need to have a comparator attached so you can measure off the shoulder. Looks like this.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/479...ith-comparator

Start from the beginning. Take a piece of fired brass, lube it and size it. Wipe off the lube and see if it chambers and extracts with ease. If not screw the sizing die into the press a little at a time until it does.

Are you crimping these rounds and if so with what?

How did you set up your FL die? You are FL sizing, correct? What brand of press and dies?

[LDBennett]

rocweiller:

2/3 rds didn't fire? Does that mean they would not chamber or the gun just went click with no result?

The instructions that come with the die set tell you exactly how to set up the sizing die. Follow the die makers instructions. Trying to chamber an empty sized cases is only the first step. You must also check the diameters of neck over the bullet and the body of the case using the measurements in the reloading manual.

Did you crimp? If you over crimped the case you may have bulged the case body such that it will not chamber. Make up a dummy round (no powder and no primer) and checkout the fit in to the chamber. If over crimping is your problem then it is best to not crimp in the seating die (position the seating die body up a turn or two) and do the crimping with an extra die. The best rifle crimp die going is the LEE Factory Crimp Die. Because of the way it is made you can not collapse or bulge the case during crimping.


LDBennett

[rocweiller]

Originally Posted by steve4102

You can't measure headspace or proper shoulder bump with just a caliper, you need to have a comparator attached so you can measure off the shoulder. Looks like this.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/479...ith-comparator

Start from the beginning. Take a piece of fired brass, lube it and size it. Wipe off the lube and see if it chambers and extracts with ease. If not screw the sizing die into the press a little at a time until it does.

Are you crimping these rounds and if so with what?

How did you set up your FL die? You are FL sizing, correct? What brand of press and dies?

I measured the full length of my round and a factory load.I tried chambering a fired brass but it wont go from the mag to th chamber.. Im using RCBS die(2 peice) and press. Set up was done from someone that hasnt done it in awhile. Crimping , dont think so. Using boat tail and after resizing for them it looks like the hole is choked down and neck is tall.. Tip probably going in cause its a boat tail.

[rocweiller]

Originally Posted by LDBennett

rocweiller:

2/3 rds didn't fire? Does that mean they would not chamber or the gun just went click with no result?

The instructions that come with the die set tell you exactly how to set up the sizing die. Follow the die makers instructions. Trying to chamber an empty sized cases is only the first step. You must also check the diameters of neck over the bullet and the body of the case using the measurements in the reloading manual.

Did you crimp? If you over crimped the case you may have bulged the case body such that it will not chamber. Make up a dummy round (no powder and no primer) and checkout the fit in to the chamber. If over crimping is your problem then it is best to not crimp in the seating die (position the seating die body up a turn or two) and do the crimping with an extra die. The best rifle crimp die going is the LEE Factory Crimp Die. Because of the way it is made you can not collapse or bulge the case during crimping.


LDBennett

They chambered but bolt stuck to the back of the shell once in chamber. Nothing struck primers. I looked at where the front of bolt was between a facotry round and mine and it wasnt the same.. I didnt notice and probably wasnt good but after I had seated the bullet a shaving of brass was down by my shell holder after each round almost.

[steve4102]

You sizing die is set up wrong. Size the cases and make sure they chamber before seating any bullets.

[gdmoody]

Look closely at the shoulder of thy round after you have finished loading it. Is there a bulge right at the shoulder? Even a very slight bulge will cause the round to not chamber. If there is a bulge there, you need to back off on your seating die. I had that problem when I started loading .223 and had a heck of a time with them. The bulge was so slight that I could not see it but by running finger and thumb up the brass, I could feel it. I only use the seating/crimp die to seat the bullet and I bough myself a Lee factory crimp die to use for crimping. I also got one of these little jewels to make sure they fit: http://www.opticsplanet.net/jp-rifle...gauge-cut.html

[rocweiller]

Yeah was talking to guy at gun shop where I purchased most of my set up and he said to start over and that all my dies are set wrong. Now I have to pull all the tips out and start over and salvage what I can. I want to get this down so I can reload for my sons .243 for his first hunting season. i hope this is easier once I get it down . LOL

[rocweiller]

A few of the rounds were pushed down so far I didnt have a neck or shoulder.

[steve4102]

Originally Posted by rocweiller

A few of the rounds were pushed down so far I didnt have a neck or shoulder.

Your terminology is off a bit. Not sure what you mean by "pushed down", but all bottle necked rifle cases have a neck and a shoulder. Do you have a few manuals? They will help you understand the process and also help with terminology.

[soundguy]

posting a pic would help us visualize it too.


are you saying the seater die crushed the shoulde rof the case downward?

[rocweiller]

yes

[medalguy]

I'd also suggest getting a good case gage such as a Wilson:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/653...243-winchester

It sounds like you just don't have your dies set up right and your seating die is set wrong. You need to reset that die. Read the instructions on how to set the die-- run the ram up with no brass in the shellholder, and screw the die down until it touches the shell holder. Then screw the die up until it's about 1/4 turn above the shell holder and lock it. Screw the seating plug way up high. Put a factory round in the shell holder. Run the ram all the way up, and slowly screw the seater plug down until it just touches the seated bullet. Snug up the nut on top, and try one of your rounds and measure the OAL. Then simply adjust up or down until you have the correct OAL.

The case gage will tell you if the trimmed length is right, and if the shoulder is set back properly before you start the loading process. If there's anything wrong with the sizing process, this is the time to catch it.

[Sherrer1*]

I agree with the last post. when I first started reloading 223 about 6 years ago I ran into the same problem. After reviewing with a local gun and reloading professional I learnedthat I wasnt setting my seating die right.

[steve4102]

Originally Posted by medalguy

I'd also suggest getting a good case gage such as a Wilson:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/653...243-winchester

It sounds like you just don't have your dies set up right and your seating die is set wrong. You need to reset that die. Read the instructions on how to set the die-- run the ram up with no brass in the shellholder, and screw the die down until it touches the shell holder. Then screw the die up until it's about 1/4 turn above the shell holder and lock it. Screw the seating plug way up high. Put a factory round in the shell holder. Run the ram all the way up, and slowly screw the seater plug down until it just touches the seated bullet. Snug up the nut on top, and try one of your rounds and measure the OAL. Then simply adjust up or down until you have the correct OAL.

The case gage will tell you if the trimmed length is right, and if the shoulder is set back properly before you start the loading process. If there's anything wrong with the sizing process, this is the time to catch it.

This may or may not work to set up the seating die, you may still encounter the "crimp" this way.
The way I set up my Seating dies.
Screw the seating die into the press just enough to get it started, back the seating stem way out or remove it completely.

Place a sized and trimmed case in the shell holder and raise the ram.

Screw the seating die into the press until you feel the die make contact with the case neck.

Back the die out of the press at least one full turn and lock it down.

[LDBennett]

Using a factory round as a gage is NOT the way to do it. Are the bullets exactly the same?

You need to:

-Read and follow the instruction for the die set for both the sizing and seating die

-Read and understand how reloading works. The best source I have found is the Hornady reloading manual as it has some good pictures to illustrate the results of both proper reloading and common errors. When finished reading it once, read it all again and again until you dream about it.

-Memorize the correct nomenclature like cartridge case, bullet, primer, case-overall-length, cartridge-overall length, throat of the case, shoulder of the case, extractor groove of the case, body of the case, etc....

-Use the dimension in the reloading manuals for the finished cartridge for the bullets you are using, not some generic about the same bullet.

-Until you can make ammo that fits you gun and operates it correctly, use a cartridge gage to assure everything is OK. DO NOT USE THE GUN AS THIS GAGE since it would require loading the gun with live ammo and closing the bolt in the confines of your home. If that is your only option take the gun and the potential ammo to the range, point the gun down range there to test the cartridge for proper fit in your gun. A cartridge gage removes all that danger. Safety first!!

You can not be well enough informed about the processes of reloading. Done wrong they can be extremely dangerous.

LDBennett