Contender failure to fire

[TrapperBR549]

I am new to the Contender world and recently aquired an SSK 14" 6.5 Grendel. The frame is Contender, not G2, serial number around 450k.
I have once fired Hornady brass that was fired through an AR, decapped and pin tumbled. They went in the chamber pretty easily so I adjusted the sizer to barely touch the shoulders, loaded and fired all 20.
They still were not real consistent in length measured with the Hornady gauge, I assume they haven't all fully grown to fit the chamber. I barely bumped the shoulders again and loaded some. These are about .006 longer than the first time I loaded the brass.
They chamber and close with very little effort but it appears that the hammer block isn't getting out of the way since the primers aren't even touched. Last night I pulled a bullet, dumped the powder, and bumped the shoulder another .003". I chambered it and the primer went pop when I shot it.
I am thinking that I need to pull the rest and size them a bit more but wonder if I am missing something. It seems odd that the action closes with very little effort but he case is too long to be fired. What is a surefire way to know I sized them enough, assuming this is the source of my problem?

 

[Cadoo]

Since you are new to The Contender please spend the time reading :
www.Bellmtcs/.com/blog/headspace/
This will help in your quest for your answer .
I shoot a 6.5 TCU for over 40 years so I understand the problem.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

What primer are using, most need a soft primer I normally use Winchester or federal never had luck with CCI

 

[TrapperBR549]

What primer are using, most need a soft primer I normally use Winchester or federal never had luck with CCI

Cci 400. They fired fine first time and the pin didn't even scratch them this time so I suspect something else.

 

[TrapperBR549]

Since you are new to The Contender please spend the time reading :
www.Bellmtcs/.com/blog/headspace/
This will help in your quest for your answer .
I shoot a 6.5 TCU for over 40 years so I understand the problem.

That link didn't work for me. I looked at the bellm site but will search some more.

 

[Mauser06]

That link didn't work for me. I looked at the bellm site but will search some more.

I had random failures with a older used Encore. I only fired the muzzleloader barrel...but using CCI large rifle magnums.

I did a bellm spring overhaul and haven't had an issue and have since bought a 20ga turkey barrel with 0 issues.

 

[Dan V.]

The contender I had would shoot centerfire or rimfire. It had a little lever to switch from one to the other.

 

[Dan V.]

It's been about 30 years ago but I think the switch is on the hammer.

 

[Mike Casselton]

One of the things I learned shooting them was to insert the cartridge and then snap the action closed.
Disclaimer: I started with a 30 Herrett and that is what Bob Milek recommended

 

[snert]

The best advice you got was to read Bellms headspace article.

Just because a Contender closes easily doesn't mean it will shoot.

You have to get the headspace right. And that means from base of the case/breech face to the shoulder. If it shot when first fired, then after first sizing it didn't, and then it did after you bumped more, I think you are on to it. In my experience, I don't measure the bump. I just size till it fires and then lock it there. Been shooting a 357 Herrett for 35 years.

If the gun isn't properly locked up (and it may well feel locked up but isn't) it will not fire because the transfer bar will not fall out of the way. The hammer didn't make a dent because it never came close to the primer. It was stopped by the bar. Be glad. If it fired without being fully closed it would hurt.

There was a thread about three weeks ago about this very issue. Search it using the search bar.

 

[snert]

TC Contender-Click no pew

search that and it will take you to the thread

 

[K22]

Contenders are notorious for headspace issues. I helped a fellow shooter who was having similar problems including incipient case head separation.

I'm sure there are those who have had no problems using with field salvaged cases in these firearms but unless you get the case headspace (fit) correct you're going to have problems.

While I'm not fan of neck sizing, this is one case where it may have value if you start with virgin cases and let them fully fireform to the chamber. This is how we solved my friend's problem. When after several reloads, it became necessary to full size, we set the FL die to zero case head space as measured with a bump gauge and caliper. The FL die, while not bumping the shoulder, did size the radial dimension of the cases which was sufficient to permit adequate chambering.

 

[JSH]

Anything you know about a bolt gun, very little applies to one of these break actions.
A rimmed case headspaces on the rim I hear so much. It headspaces against the action face.

 

[dhagerty40]

That link didn't work for me. I looked at the bellm site but will search some more.

try this link

Home | BELLM TCs LLC

www.bellmtcs.com

 

[TrapperBR549]

One of the things I learned shooting them was to insert the cartridge and then snap the action closed.
Disclaimer: I started with a 30 Herrett and that is what Bob Milek recommended

I got the same advice from a friend via personal message. When I got home last night I gave it a try and sure enough it worked.
Thanks Mike Casselton and bulletman.

 

[HandgunHTR]

I got the same advice from a friend via personal message. When I got home last night I gave it a try and sure enough it worked.
Thanks Mike Casselton and bulletman.

Yep, I opened this thread to give you that advice. Just because it closes, doesn't mean that the lugs have fully engaged the hammer block.

 

[gemihur]

You can look in front of the hammer, while holding it back at half-cock, and see the hammer block safety fall if the cartridge is sized correctly for the chamber and the barrel's locking lugs have satisfied the HBS 'butterfly' within the receiver as the trigger is pulled.
Sometimes the locking lugs need a bit of 'fitting'.
Don't use a file! A sharpening stone is strongly suggested. You can't put it back.

 

[dhagerty40]

Here is a test of barrel fit and if headspace is correct.

first, without a case installed, open and close the action lightly AND do not pull hammer back. pull the trigger and you should hear a click. now just slightly pull hammer back and release. it should drop to the frame. If it does not drop, the bolts(lugs) need to be fitted or the interlock safety has a problem.

if that is fine, do this:
Now with a sized case with no primer, perform the same test as above. If it does not drop, your headspace is off and you need to bump the shoulder back a little farther on the case.

and now a word of Warning. The 6.5 grendel pushes the limits of a original contender and should not be loaded near max pressures. the 6.5 grendel is recommended only for contender G2 frames.

 

[gemihur]

39,00 PSI max loads for a contender with 6.5 Grendel

Same threshold tolerated for 250-3000

 

[TrapperBR549]

Thanks for all the replies. I am learning, slowly but surely!