Sticky cases

[lmerickson]

I have a question. I recently put new barrel (7mm RUM) on my remington 700. I started with starting loads, and my brass is getting stuck. I have tried about everything. I'm thinking my brass might just be wore out. It just stretches to easy. I know it is suppose to be chambered tight, I used the rcbs precision mic to set my dies to bump the should back a little, and I have been seating the bullet at all different depths. I started thinking it was a pressure problem but I am getting the correct chrono velocities. It was the 4th reload. But have had brass do the same thing for the 2nd reload. Factory ammo doesn't stick. Any ideas??? First time I have had this trouble.

 

[rick smith]

Have you cleaned your chamber/bolt face? Neck or FL sizing? Guess you are PFL using the Mic. Have you annealed the necks? Are they tight after firing or before? Were these fired in another barrel?Rick.

 

[JD338]

lmerickson

Rick offers some very good questions.
Have you tried any virgin brass in the rifle?
If the brass was shot in another chamber, I would start with some new brass.

JD338

 

[JungleJim]

Try smoking up a dummy round with a bullet ....( with no powder or primer ) with a cheap candle especially the neck and shoulder area. Than chamber the round carefully. My best guess is it may show clearance marks at the neck/shoulder junction. It is also possible to have issues down near the base. A blue permanent marker also works but doesn't seem to show as well as smoking the case.

 

[lmerickson]

I have just ordered some brass. I'll pick it up Monday. I have shot the brass in another chamber, but also have some factory ammo that was only fired in the current barrel- after resizing that brass will stick. I haven't annealed the necks of the cases. I was fl sizing, pushing the shoulder back .010. I also tried pushing them back to original specs as well. The cases chamber fine before firing. I'll get you the measurements before and after firing. I have cleaned the bolt and chamber.. I'll smoke a case and get back to you guys with what i find. If I do have clearance problems how can I fix it??? ???Custom dies??? Its driving me nuts. Thanks

 

[JD338]

I was fl sizing, pushing the shoulder back .010. I also tried pushing them back to original specs as well. The cases chamber fine before firing.

Set your body die or full-length sizing die to bump the shoulder .0015″. That is all the bump you should need.

JD338

 

[lmerickson]

I smoked the case of a fired case and resized case. The fired case had 2 marks on the shoulder...almost the length of the shoulder.(2 high spots???) And also had racing stripes the length of the case. The resized case still had one of the marks on the shoulder..a lot smaller however.

 

[JD338]

Try backing off on the shoulder bump to .0015". This should take care of the sticking case in your chamber.
Let us know how this works.

JD338

 

[lmerickson]

Thanks!!!! I'll let you guys know as soon as possible!!!

 

[JungleJim]

I smoked the case of a fired case and resized case. The fired case had 2 marks on the shoulder...almost the length of the shoulder.(2 high spots???) And also had racing stripes the length of the case. The resized case still had one of the marks on the shoulder..a lot smaller however.

Not sure if I'm reading this right? Did you check it with a dummy round (bullet seated)? It can make a difference because the bullet will expand the neck area into the shoulder area of the case.

The two high spots, are they sharp looking like Reamer marks (tool marks)? For now I would suggest just working with cases fired in the chamber you are currently using if possible.

 

[rick smith]

Check case length, measure neck OD before/after sizing and after seating the bullet. Compare measurements of a once fired case, new to that chamber, with that of one of the cases that stick. If you are setting the shoulder back 0.010", think you mean 0.001", I would go to 0.002". If a new case doesn't stick and it does after sizing leads me to think it is in the sizing. If there were an irregularity in the chamber causing the problem, it would more than likely show up with a new case as well as a resized case.Rick.

 

[kraky]

Are you sure you don't have a bulge ahead of the belt?? NO sizing die gets all the way down to the belt and with some "loose" chambers you will leave a bulge ahead of the belt. Look for rub marks just above the belt. Also....if you measure just above the belt and you are .513-.515 that's a sign of the problem. I have a friend who has a couple custom built wby's and we had to get a magnum collet sizing die for that area of the case. It's a PITA to have to use the tool but it works good and solves the problem.

 

[rick smith]

No belt on the RUM.Rick.

 

[kraky]

OOPS---my bad.........my A.D.D. kicked in....I thought I saw 7 mag in the original post.....and I thought I had the problem solved!!

 

[lmerickson]

Well I have some interesting findings. I have been reloading for only 5 years and when I switched from the stoney point measuring tools to the RCBS. And apparently I must have been in lala land when I was measuring and trying to work this problem out. I thought all along I was knocking the neck back .001 not .010. after the cases were fired. Well I couldn't have been. I pick up some new brass today and went ahead and just necked sized it. Then proceeded to pick up the RCBS precision mic to measure the case. I got a reading of right at 0 which would be the standard. I was thinking all is great in the world. Then I picked up a piece of fired brass and took a measurement. It was .0018 less than 0. So I tried to chamber a resized case in my rifle. The bolt closed but was tight.....must have missed that the first time. So I proceeded to full size a case to knock the shoulder back to where it needs to be but don't have enough adjustment in the die. The shoulder still needs to go back about .0025 to get the shoulder back .002 off the lands. I smoked the case and you can see there is contact on the shoulder thus causing the stuck cases. I wish I would have measured the factory rounds before shooting them. I'm guessing the gun smith just must have tried to get the chamber just a little to tight. Kinda feel stupid after all of this. Goes to show a guy gets frustrated and it becomes easier to miss simple things. So what are the suggestions from the group. ???custom dies???? or have the gunsmith ream out the chamber a little bit more???

 

[rick smith]

Redding makes competition shell holders that are sold as a set. that should solve your problem. Check with Sinclair International they list them for $37.50. Haven't checked my RUM cases to see if they will fit the set for Belted Mags but they should be able to tell you. Or buy a seperate shell holder and modify it to let you get the case deeper in the sizer die. Or contact the company who made your dies they may modify your dies to fit your needs.Rick.

 

[rick smith]

Just checked and my 300RUM cases will fit the belted mag competition shellholders.Rick.

 

[kraky]

Competition shell holders are not the answer. They ADD headspace they don't make it less. All you need to do is take a spare shellholder and grind a bit off the top so you can push the casing up into the die a bit more. There is a ton of unneeded metal on top of the shellholder...well at least .020"....just put it in a vice grip and hold it against the side of your grinding wheel. It doesn't even have to be a perectly straight grind job as the top of your shellholder has NOTHING to do with keeping the resizing job in line.

 

[Britz]

Are you sure that the neck isn't reamed to be a tight neck?

I am pretty sure that the redding comp shell holders are the same for RUM, WSM, and belted mags. I like this setup for keeping the cases consistant.

 

[rick smith]

Kracky, they can be used in either direction. But are made to reduce headspace by 0.002" per shellholder.Rick.