Chambering Problem

[tcb1709]

Need some help. I'm reloading for a Marlin XS7 bolt action rifle in .308 cal. I am having trouble getting Lake City Mil. brass to chamber. I have trimmed the case to 2.005 and I'm using an RCBS small base sizing die. The bolt will not close on the case. I am not having this problem with commercial brass.

I'm thinking the Mil. brass is to thick and is not being sized down enough to chamber. The action on the Marlin seems very similar to the old Savage action. When I had a Savage I used an extra small base die with Mil. brass and it worked fine. I am correct in my thinking on this are is there something else I'm missing.

 

[rcmodel]

Color a case with candle smoke or a dry erase marker and carefully chamber it.

Where the soot rubs off is what is tight.

I would be amazed if it has anything at all to do with "small base".

Dollars to donuts, you don't have the sizing die screwed down far enough in your press to take up all the slop & flex.
So it isn't pushing the shoulder back where it belongs.

rc

 

[tcb1709]

I've done both of those and I can see no rub marks. This is only a problem with the mil. brass. Commercial brass chambers after being resized. I'm thinking the Mil. brass being thicker is not being sized small enough.

 

[rcmodel]

I've done both of those and I can see no rub marks.

Well, if it won't chamber, there has to be some sort of scuff mark in the candle soot showing where it is getting tight.

I don't know what else to tell you if the case isn't even touching anything in the chamber.

rc

 

[Steel Talon]

Dollars to donuts, you don't have the sizing die screwed down far enough in your press to take up all the slop & flex.
So it isn't pushing the shoulder back where it belongs.

Agree fully here..

Re-adjust your sizing die or upgrade it.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I asume that your bolt closes on factory loads correctly but you must make sure of this. If it does,
Try trimming the case way to short and see if it will chamber then. If it still won't, make sure your resizing die is touching the shell holder on your press with the ram topped out.
If it is, find a shell that will fit the gun and mic the shell and compare to the one that won't fit.
It really doesn't matter that the brass is milsurp or not, when resized the brass the extra thicker material with go to the inside of the case , not the outside of the case. The outside of the case will be what the sizing die makes it.
By comparing the shell that doesn't fit to one that does fit should tell you where the problem is, Don't forget to check the thickness and diameter of the rim of the one that won't fit. I don't know where you got this brass.
Try running one that fits through your resizing die.
If the one that fits your rifle resizes really easy than your resizing dies may be over sized, Also, make sure you are using the same manuf for the shell holder as the dies were made by. Most of the time this shouldn't matter but something is causing this.
Some of these things sound really petty but go back to the basics.

 

[MtnCreek]

I've done both of those and I can see no rub marks.

If it's the shoulder, you're not going to see a lot of rub marks. I'm not putting up any donuts, but I bet RC is right.

The comerical brass is probably not causing any problems because it wasn't fired in MG (it's not just the area near the head that gets out of wack w/ MG fired brass).

 

[rcmodel]

If it's the shoulder, you're not going to see a lot of rub marks.

You will see a bright line in the soot where the shoulder datum line squeezed it off though.

rc

 

[gamestalker]

Even if the brass is thicker, the outside diameter of the brass is still going to be sized down accordingly if your die is adjusted correctly.
Not that it would necessarly interfere with your reloading process, but a small base die isn't really the die of choice for a bolt action. Small base dies are what is commonly used for an auto loading action. A small base die is designed to resize the base down a bit more than a standard FL die does. This is to ensure consistent feeding and cycling. So I wouldn't think it would cause you any problems other than possibly shortening the life span of the brass.

 

[steve4102]

Dollars to donuts, you don't have the sizing die screwed down far enough in your press to take up all the slop & flex.
So it isn't pushing the shoulder back where it belongs.

Follow this advice, your problems will be solved.

 

[Kingcreek]

Sometimes a case guage is nice to have on the loading bench.

 

[fguffey]

In the beginning I thought it was about the case whipping the die and press,? Now, I believe it is about the case, die and press whipping the reloader, and every answer goes something like “You ‘gotta’ have another tool” and then there is the (‘musta’-been) ‘fired in a machine gun’.

F. Guffey

 

[tcb1709]

Some times you feel like an idiot. I followed my die instructions but some times they have to be ignored. The problem was the die was not screwed down far enough in the press. I've used lit like was and reloaded hundreds of rounds for my 88 Winchester. This Marlin bolt action seems to have a little smaller chamber. Screwing the die down further solved the problem. Thanks for all the help.

 

[kingmt]

What was the instructions?

 

[exbrit49]

Time to invest in a Wilson or another brand of HEAD SPACE GAGE, Dollars to donuts your sizing die is not set up correctly.
Sure sounds like the shoulder is not formed back far enough, you wont see too much in the way it marks, maybe just a thin line.
If the sizing die you are using wont produce a round that will chamber either the die is really badly worn (which I doubt) or its out of spec, but I bet its not adjusted correctly
Roger