Problem with .308

[josebd]

I full length sized some lc brass,and set the die (forster)to where it didn't push the shoulder to about the same as a fired case.
I went to range to try some loads and they were hard to chamber, after I shot 2 of them I had to use a piece of wood on bolt handle to eject the brass,brass looked fine,3rd one it's stuck in chamber?
Did I not push shoulder back far enough?that's how I do it with my .223's

 

[cmillard]

you should set your die to bump shoulders back .003-.004. get yourself a l.e. Wilson case gage and take a fired case--from your chamber and put it in the gage. then take your piece of brass and run it into the die. keep doing this and adjusting your die until you are getting the proper amount of bump.

 

[josebd]

On one of them it chambered fine,but still had to use the wood on the bolt handle.
So maybe that's the problem,not bumping shoulder back enough?

 

[Shynloco]

you should set your die to bump shoulders back .003-.004. get yourself a l.e. Wilson case gage and take a fired case--from your chamber and put it in the gage. then take your piece of brass and run it into the die. keep doing this and adjusting your die until you are getting the proper amount of bump.

OR, may I suggest you buy an RCBS Precision Mic (for .308) and use that to measure the shoulder setting to bump the shoulder .002 after firing. But cmillard's method accomplishes the same thing and probably cheaper, but not as exact as the Precision mic can do for you. I have the Precision Mics for every caliber I shoot and have found them very useful over the years.

Alex

 

[Ggmac]

Was the brass new or used ? Was it ever shot in this rifle ?

 

[MrBottleneck]

Sounds like as others have suggested you did not get enough shoulder set back. You need a mic so you know you are bumping it enough.
I would shoot for around .002 thousands
Good time to get one I see they are on sale at Midway.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/574297/rcbs-precision-mic-308-winchester

 

[josebd]

I do have a way to measure shoulder,why does it work in my. 223's and not this .308?
I'm not a newbie at this

 

[wholman]

Was this brass fire formed in this chamber

 

[josebd]

No

 

[josebd]

I can set the shoulder .003 longer on a .223 and it does have resistance closing bolt,but never had any problems ejecting brass.
Will a .308 not work that way?

 

[josebd]

The brass is once fired,not in this rifle

 

[Steve Ladino]

On one of them it chambered fine,but still had to use the wood on the bolt handle.
So maybe that's the problem,not bumping shoulder back enough?

Sounds like you need a small base FL die...assume pressure is okay?

 

[digrazir]

if you are using LC once fired brass run them through a small base die and your brass will chamber, no problem...good chance they were fired in a machine gun with big chambers which makes the brass oversized big time and a regular die will not size them enough due to a certain amount of spring back in brass cases. Very common problem with once fired LC brass. Ray

 

[smoooth]

As the 2 posts above correctly state, you need a small base die OR find a full length die that has tighter tolerances. I went through 4 die sets for my 243 last week before finding 1 that had tight tolerances to allow my brass to chamber. Ended up using the RCBS Comp FL die, the Hornady New Dimension 308 FL die also worked great, but involved an extra step.

Also, you don't really need to bother with case gauges, they are not cut with the same reamer as your chamber nor the same reamer as the dies, they are gauges with tolerances just like everything else.

The only true gauge is your chamber, adjust your die down a bit and try resizing a few cases, clean the lube off and try to chamber them, if you feel resistance stop. They should chamber with little to no resistance, if your die won't work try another set if you have one or order a small base die (no guarantee here either, see 2nd paragraph, but more likely it will work).

Best of luck!

 

[josebd]

Ok,thanks guys

 

[josebd]

So even if it chambers just fine,and I shoot it,its still hard to eject?

 

[snert]

"Also, you don't really need to bother with case gauges, they are not cut with the same reamer as your chamber nor the same reamer as the dies, they are gauges with tolerances just like everything else."

Agree. Given the range of tolerances (+/-) for SAAMI specs, and potential differences between reamers for chambers (as they wear, as designed etc etc) and the reality that we all know some brass is so close to under spec, or is thick one area, more than another lot/manufacturer, it is a miracle that dies made by any manufacturer work as well as they do. Tolerance stacking can end up biting anyone, and while we like to jump on the wagon and blame the die maker, the reality is the chamber and the brass guys are in a three-way with the die makers. Sometimes you just have to change brass....which is the cheapest thing to try.

 

[josebd]

i shot it 3 times,it shouldn't have hurt the chamber right?

 

[joshb]

I'd like to ask about the load you're using. Might be hot. You'll have an issue closing the bolt if you don't get your shoulders back far enough AND if your brass is too big at the base. Hard to tell without accurate measurements.

 

[josebd]

Load was not hot