Extraction issues

[codybrown]

So I bought a Rem 700 220 swift 2nd hand from a gunshow a couple months ago that has an aftermarket barrel on it. I don't know anything about it other than that, no markings on the barrel except the caliber. I've full length sized brass and trimmed it to length, but I'm still getting stuck cases and hard to chamber rounds. Shooting 34.5gr of IMR4064 under a 52gr bullet so I'm under max loads, and no signs of pressure. I've broken the extractor and the lip on the bolt that holds it in trying to remove a stuck fired case. I should have the bolt back within a few days with a new Sako style extractor in it.

Not all rounds are hard to chamber and/or extract. I've played with seating depth and I know I'm well away from the lands. The cases that are harder to chamber seem to be the ones that are getting stuck. My next step I think is to color a case with a sharpie and see where it looks like it's rubbing.

Am I on the right track with the sharpie idea, or should I be trying/looking for something else?

 

[Just Say Moe]

I might try the sharpie thing on one of the easier chambering rounds particularly in the neck area. Maybe a chamber cast also. Are you pushing the shoulder back enough?

 

[codybrown]

I believe I am, I'm using a rcbs fl sizing die.

 

[Willie]

I'd measure base to datum on the easiest to chamber cases and then compare BTD of the hard to chamber cases. It will show if you need to reajust your die for more bump.

At least, it will eliminate that as your problem.

 

[RegionRat]

Nothing wrong with gently trying an inked up case, but I would not try and force a bolt closed on one.

I would grab a chamber cast and see if the previous owner did something out of the ordinary with the reamer to the point where you have to either have it set back or find a way to size for it.

 

[Jager]

A sharpie mark may or may not tell you something, depending upon how large/broad the area of constriction is.

Your "playing with seating depth" suggests you're not entirely sure where the lands are with respect to the your bullet. Have you tried chambering a sized, but not-loaded cartridge case?

A few other things you might try...

Fire several factory loads, preferably with different make and bullet.

Verify your rifle's headspace with NO/GO and FIELD gages.

Verify the dimensions of your handloads with a Sheridan slotted gauge. And/or actually measure your bolt-to-datum-line (setting your sizing die according to directions doesn't tell you if or how much you're actually bumping the shoulder... sizing and measuring will tell you).

Those should give you enough information to know if the problem you have is easily fixable, or is going to require the services of a gunsmith.

 

[LHSmith]

I'd try new brass or factory loads. I know in these times of hard to get components, using brass fired in another chamber, or brass that has an unknown round count may be the only route available. But in my experience doing so usually leads to frustration.

 

[fourpower]

So I bought a Rem 700 220 swift 2nd hand from a gunshow a couple months ago that has an aftermarket barrel on it. I don't know anything about it other than that, no markings on the barrel except the caliber. I've full length sized brass and trimmed it to length, but I'm still getting stuck cases and hard to chamber rounds. Shooting 34.5gr of IMR4064 under a 52gr bullet so I'm under max loads, and no signs of pressure. I've broken the extractor and the lip on the bolt that holds it in trying to remove a stuck fired case. I should have the bolt back within a few days with a new Sako style extractor in it.

Not all rounds are hard to chamber and/or extract. I've played with seating depth and I know I'm well away from the lands. The cases that are harder to chamber seem to be the ones that are getting stuck. My next step I think is to color a case with a sharpie and see where it looks like it's rubbing.

Am I on the right track with the sharpie idea, or should I be trying/looking for something else?

I got a brand new remington 700 and had the same problem! Had to work the bolt up and down to get some of the new factory brass to come out. Finally found the problem was bolt timing. Had the handle cut off and retime and tig welded back on and works likes great.

 

[AlNyhus]

Am I on the right track with the sharpie idea, or should I be trying/looking for something else?

Before doing anything else, get a Hornady headspace gauge checking tool to check how far back, if at all, you are pushing the shoulders when resizing. The Swift case can have sizing issues at the neck/shoulder junction also. With the case taper and shallow shoulder angle, the brass at the neck/shoulder junction can become thickened and interfere with chambering. Factory Swift chambers got around this by having a generous neck O.D. diameter. If when it was rebarreled, the chamber neck was a little smaller than factory specs (but still what would be considered a 'no turn' in other .22 cal. centerfire chambers), it may be getting tight at the neck/shoulder junction. When this happens with the Swift and isn't identified, the normal hand loader just keeps screwing the die back until it chambers. Which results in case failures.

Do your homework and check this out. -Al

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[milboltnut]

So I bought a Rem 700 220 swift 2nd hand from a gunshow a couple months ago that has an aftermarket barrel on it. I don't know anything about it other than that, no markings on the barrel except the caliber. I've full length sized brass and trimmed it to length, but I'm still getting stuck cases and hard to chamber rounds. Shooting 34.5gr of IMR4064 under a 52gr bullet so I'm under max loads, and no signs of pressure. I've broken the extractor and the lip on the bolt that holds it in trying to remove a stuck fired case. I should have the bolt back within a few days with a new Sako style extractor in it.

Not all rounds are hard to chamber and/or extract. I've played with seating depth and I know I'm well away from the lands. The cases that are harder to chamber seem to be the ones that are getting stuck. My next step I think is to color a case with a sharpie and see where it looks like it's rubbing.

Am I on the right track with the sharpie idea, or should I be trying/looking for something else?

One thing I learned is brass behaves differently. I check my brass with a case gauge, If I'm below the high step, that's good enough for me for my M-1, bolt guns.... I set back the shoulders .001 to .002. They size and expand differently. Might want to check out the die to see if it needs the base trimmed for more headspace. But before you do that, make sure the die is touching the shell holder or cammed past the shell holder. Clean the die, to make sure it's sizing enough. Check the vent hole, if it's clogged the brass won't reach far enough in the die to set back the shoulder.

 

[JMayo]

Keep bumping an empty case down .005 and see if it stops being hard to close ....

 

[djporter]

Could it be a tight neck?

 

[Texas10]

IMOP there are a few details that are missing in your assessment and search for answers.

First of all is the brass condition. Is it new? Well used? Do you know how many times it's been loaded? You may be working with brass that has been work hardened to the point of unrecoverable. Unless you know for sure, start with new brass. Do you have capability to anneal your brass?

Second is that you mention no signs of pressure, but do you know the velocity of your loads that exhibit sticking? Is your velocity inline with loading manual values. Pressure and velocity are directly related. If reading primers is your method of estimating pressure, the clearance between the firing pin and bolt head can directly influence cratering and blanking, traditional signs of pressure. A tight fitting firing pin can hide excessive pressure signs long after max recommended pressure has been exceeded.

Since you know nothing about the barrel, and only after you've addressed the other issues, you may need to slug the barrel in case you have an unusually tight bore. Tighter bores will develop more pressure.

IF you have one case that the bolt closes slightly stiff on, you have an accurate measurement of the chamber length. Save it and label it as fully fireformed and use that to set up your dies for shoulder bump.

 

[timeout]

I got a brand new remington 700 and had the same problem! Had to work the bolt up and down to get some of the new factory brass to come out. Finally found the problem was bolt timing. Had the handle cut off and retime and tig welded back on and works likes great.

The OP is also having difficulty in chambering the rounds. Bolt timing will not help that. In order for us to help we need more solid information with measurements. The sharpie process can give some hints as to where the trouble lies but at the very least the OP needs to check the base to shoulder measurement of a fired case and compare it to the case after he runs it through the FL die. He should also be measuring for case expansion near the base, fired neck diameter versus loaded neck diameter. Purchase of a Wilson case guage would probably be very helpful. I would not be loading any more rounds until the problem us found and a resized empty cartridge case chambers without excessive resistance.

 

[wkdickinson]

First thing I would do is check headspace to make sure you dont have a short or undersize chamber. But I think one of your isses is your brass. Because some cases work fine and others chamber hard after full-length resizing. That to me points to the need to either anneal it or replace it. You say you are bumping the shoulder back .002", but do you have the tools to measure that? If not you need to buy them. Also, everyone is concerned about length (shoulder bump) when sizing, but another thing to consider is whether the body of the case is being resized enough, especially near the base (the felt pen may help identify this) - if the die is touching the shell holder, so you can't adjust it down any further, you may need to get a different die, grind some off the shell holder or even go to a "small-base" die.

 

[Webster]

So I bought a Rem 700 220 swift 2nd hand from a gunshow a couple months ago that has an aftermarket barrel on it. I don't know anything about it other than that, no markings on the barrel except the caliber. I've full length sized brass and trimmed it to length, but I'm still getting stuck cases and hard to chamber rounds. Shooting 34.5gr of IMR4064 under a 52gr bullet so I'm under max loads, and no signs of pressure. I've broken the extractor and the lip on the bolt that holds it in trying to remove a stuck fired case. I should have the bolt back within a few days with a new Sako style extractor in it.

Not all rounds are hard to chamber and/or extract. I've played with seating depth and I know I'm well away from the lands. The cases that are harder to chamber seem to be the ones that are getting stuck. My next step I think is to color a case with a sharpie and see where it looks like it's rubbing.

Am I on the right track with the sharpie idea, or should I be trying/looking for something else?

I have a REM 700 ADL 22-250 varmint wt barrel for sale. Never used. I bought the rifle to get the action to put on a 6BR barrel.

 

[WVRJ]

One thing you might check is to see how a resized but not loaded case chambers.If it chambers easily,you might check your seating die to make sure the die isn't too low and trying to crimp.This can put a tiny bulge in the case that will cause hard chambering in some cases,but not others.

 

[K22]

Red Flag - after market barrel - no markings.

First thing I'd do is have a competent gun smith check the head space of the rifle. Also have him check the chamber for tool marks and roughness. Sometime polishing the chamber is all that is needed. Also have him check for a short chamber. Sinclair makes a cheap tool to do this but he should be able to check this easily.

To properly full size cases you need a caliper and a bump gauge. These are not terribly expensive tools and every reloader should have them. I like the Whidden caliber specific bump gauge. I think they are under $20 but others work just as well.

If possible, it best to start with new cases that will be dedicated to this rifle. If this is not possible then some trial and error sizing will be necessary to obtain the proper shoulder set back. Ideally you want about .001" to .002" set back from a fired case in that rifle. Make sure you remove the spent primer of the fired case before measuring the fired case.

Check the cartridge over all length and make sure that you're below max. for your chamber.

I agree with other poster that said you should solve the case chambering and extraction problem before proceeding with loaded rounds.

 

[milboltnut]

I had cases load pretty easy, and extract hard... Partial FL, which most of us do, once experienced, can be a touchy thing.

 

[LHSmith]

I had cases load pretty easy, and extract hard... Partial FL, which most of us do, once experienced, can be a touchy thing.

In my experience partial full length sizing is an exercise in futility -as is neck sizing only. I want my bolt to close with little resistance and open freely without resorting to a death grip over the scope tube with my thumb. I full length size every time- when the brass starts giving problems it gets scrapped. I prefer not to abuse my lugs and cocking cams just to get an extra cycle or two out of brass .