Reloaded rounds won’t chamber

[RWT]

Background. Reloaded 20 years ago on a 300SAUM. Did fine for 100= rounds then got to tinkering with searing depth. Screwed up and put a donut on the neck. Scared me and didn’t have tent resources at that time to confirm what I did that caused the issue.

Move forward, new set up in 6.5CM. Loaded 10
A week ago and they shot but didn’t group any better than factory ammo. Hornady new brass already primed from Midsouth. 42.7 gr of h4350 and 129 SST’s. Measure COAL of factory at 2.56 and matched it. Chambers a little tight but nothing concerned. Brass was virgin and not resized.

Now trying to load same brass not resized with 130TMK. Loaded this with once fired brass from this rifle. Tikka 3x to determine OAL. Based on my low end testing I am at 2.75 OAL with the TMK 130. This test round chambers. Then grabbed new brass, resized and drop 42.0 grains of h4350 measuring 2.75 and it won’t chamber. Not a compressed load as I can shake it and hear powder moving. Checked it with a COMP and it measures same 1.57 as a factory round.
Measure it with the .26 adapter on the COMP and it measures 2.18 when a factory measures 2.22

I don’t know enough about using the COMPARATOR to know exactly what I am doing but I can compare measurements to factory load that chamber very easily. All measurements are just below or equal to factory load as a base line.


Will try once fired brass after lunch but not hopeful as it will follow the exact same process.

Lost on next steps. Suggestions are greatly appreciated. I have already scrubbed the chamber and empty cases of both virgin and once fired chamber with no issue.

 

[JMundy84]

How is your sizing die set up?

 

[Axlrod]

Make sure your seat die isn't screwed in too deep. It will cause a slight bulge at the case shoulder. To check, run an empty resized case all the way up on your press. Then screw the seat die down till you feel resistance, then unscrew the die 1/2 to 1 full turn.

 

[Jimbee]

Primers sitting proud?

 

[Pickettpuncher]

To rule it out quickly, if a sized piece of brass with no bullet fits you know it’s a seater issue. If the sized brass with no bullet doesn’t fit it’s a sizing issue.

 

[Sadie]

First guess is sizing die is not screwed in the press far enough. This will cause the shoulder to be pushed foreword making base to shoulder too long. Nice to have base to shoulder comparator for sizing die adjustment.

 

[RWT]

So what’s interesting is I am able to chamber unprimed brass with a bullet with minimal issue. As soon as I put powder in primed brass it won’t chamber. This feels like there is a bulge at the base of the case

All virgin unsized, virgin sized and once fired empty brass all chamber without a bullet.

 

[Jimbee]

Again, is your primer sticking out?

 

[ResearchinStuff]

He specifically said not resized, which is the whole problem. Resize your brass.

 

[wind gypsy]

Make sure your seat die isn't screwed in too deep. It will cause a slight bulge at the case shoulder. To check, run an empty resized case all the way up on your press. Then screw the seat die down till you feel resistance, then unscrew the die 1/2 to 1 full turn.

To rule it out quickly, if a sized piece of brass with no bullet fits you know it’s a seater issue. If the sized brass with no bullet doesn’t fit it’s a sizing issue.

^These.

 

[RWT]

Primers are fine. Both new primed brass from Hornady and hand primed one fired brass by me. No issue.

I am thinking resizing issue as now the resized virgin brass won’t chamber.

 

[MThuntr]

In situations like this, I've found that my sizing die needed to be turned in a bit more.

Get yourself a comparator and you can actually measure your brass "grow" a little until it is actually sized to the right dimension. The comparator will help reduce the amount you're working brass and ensure it's consistently sized. 2-3 thousandths down from fired brass is where I aim though some people will desire more or less.

I just got these delivered today purely out of curiosity but you can get different brands

Amazon.com

 

[RWT]

So I pulled EVERYTHING apart for the 5th time.
Ran every piece of virgin resized primed brass through my rifle to see if they chambered. No issue. Once piece came out with crude on it. I had already scrubbed and brushed this chamber twice and did not see anything in there with a flashlight. Uncertain if the crude is what caused it.

Reset seater. 3 rounds I previously loaded that would not chamber. Ran through new seater and the still do not chamber. Then tried 5 more as I verified each empty brass primed case chambered. Dropped powder and ran bullet to 2.75 All 5 chambered easily. I am curious if the crude came from my seater? It was new in box and per direction I sprayed it with gun scrubber prior to use. I’ll load a few more today and see if the issue is resolved. I really need more speed than the factory Hornady 143 ELDX is giving me. Also want to get the 130’s to run in both the creed and Grendel.