Sticky bolt sometimes.

[Tim Singleton]

Small base die
https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0004410631/22-250-remington-small-base-sizer-die

 

[John Russell]

I drop it in close the bolt and shoot maybe 5-10 second. maybe this brass is toast it does have about 6 or 7 loads on it.

I have gotten ~ 45 reloads on 22-250 Winchester brass, and they were still good when I got rid of them (I wanted pretty new Lapua cases).

 

[Tim Singleton]

I am not a fan of Lee dies, so switching is a good idea.

Get Redding or Forster.

Also... if you trim to 1.902, and they stretch to 1.906, then you are "bumping" too much. You do NOT need to bump shoulders unless the cases are getting tight to chamber (the bolt handle is hard to close). For a sporting field rifle, you should feel a slight resistance when you close the bolt handle.

Bumping is not something that automatically needs to be done.

You should try for setting the sizing die for the LEAST amount of sizing that is possible, consistent with a functioning rifle.

4 thou stretch on firing will lead to head separations in short order.

This is a great observation the brass moving this much from sizing will cause case head separation. The die you have doesn't sound like it matches your chamber very well at all.

 

[Mtstalker]

45 reloads holy crap. yes some stretched .004 but others did not stretch at all. maybe they didnt get trimmed as much. how good is hornady brass? this is my first time using them i normally use winchester or remington. i will get a new die ordered and see it that helps i want to get this figured out before the dogtowns wake up.

 

[John Russell]

How good is hornady brass?

↓↓↓↓↓ It is 3rd rate.

Winchester is very good... or treat yourself well... get Lapua, and go first cabin.

 

[Mtstalker]

Lol ok ill try to find winchester. its been very hard to find any winchester rifle brass.

 

[Mtstalker]

Thanks for the help. this is the first time ive ever has a sticky bolt at random.

 

[John Russell]

Lol ok ill try to find Winchester. Its been very hard to find any Winchester rifle brass.

Brunoshooters has Lapua in stock. It is worth it.

http://www.brunoshooters.com/category/brass_lapua.html

 

[Tim Singleton]

Brunoshooters has Lapua in stock. It is worth it.

http://www.brunoshooters.com/category/brass_lapua.html

I know it's expensive. But it really is that much better a product

 

[Mtstalker]

So should i be bumping the shoulder or no?

 

[Toby Bradshaw]

... but it sticks just at the top of the bolt lift ...

Tim is right. Read/watch this and I think you'll understand the problem:

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com...-die-fit-diagnosing-stiff-bolt-lift-problems/

 

[Tim Singleton]

Tim is right. Read/watch this and I think you'll understand the problem:

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com...-die-fit-diagnosing-stiff-bolt-lift-problems/

I'm bookmarking that. I couldn't find it earlier. Great info

 

[Toby Bradshaw]

I guess I should follow up by saying that, once you understand the problem, the only good solution is a FL die that matches your chamber. This is easy to achieve with PPC, BR, Dasher, and 6.5L cases by sending some fired/tight brass to the Harrells and having them send you the correct FL die. If you're stuck with factory dies it's a total crapshoot and you may never find a die that works. This is one of the main reasons why my new coyote calling rifle will be a 22BR instead of a .22-250.

Perhaps John Whidden or Jim Carstensen would make a custom FL die of the correct dimensions, but it's an expensive solution that will only work for that particular chamber.

Otherwise, you'll have to use a separate base-sizing die as others have suggested (assuming that the shoulder dimensions of your current die are acceptable).

 

[Mtstalker]

Awesome video completely undertand now.

 

[John Russell]

So should i be bumping the shoulder or no?

Not yet... shoot your new brass (or what you have) and let it settle down. Neck size until the bolt gets harder to close than you are comfortable with. If you do need to bump, sneak up on it one thou at a step until you feel a slight bit of resistance in closing the bolt.

 

[timeout]

Its hornady brass and lee dies. i measured half a dozen times at the scribed mark i made. i dont know why it would be bigger. unfortunately i dont have a 0-1" micrometer with me to get a real precise reading. the 3 i sized 2 were the same ans that one was .001 bigger.

Lots of good info for you but, if you are going to be serious about reloading and load testing, you really need to get a quality 1-2" micrometer that will read to 4 decimal places. Once you have it practice using it in order to obtain repeatable results. Hint, Christmas is coming soon!

 

[Mtstalker]

Yeah i use the starret brand at work for bearings. maybe i can convince the wife lol

 

[SheepDog]

If it fits the chamber going in, and doesn't cause sticky extraction then it should go back in without any sizing. It came out of the chamber and it should fit the chamber. After full or partial sizing it should fit loosely in the chamber. Brass expands with the pressure and is constrained by the chamber at firing pressure. Once the pressure drops the brass springs back .001 to .003 inches. The more brass is worked the springier it gets but it also becomes brittle. As long as the chamber pressures don't expand the chamber more than the brass can recover then everything is fine. If the pressure is high enough to expand the chamber more than the brass can recover from then the load is producing too much pressure for your rifle.
NOTE: The only way a cartridge can expand enough to cause sticky bolt lift is if the chamber itself has expanded more than the brass can recover from. If your load is intermittently causing sticking bolt issues then your load is too hot - it is only effecting the softest brass. Soft brass doesn't have the ability to spring back as much as hard brass. Hard brass will crack if it is expanded beyond its elastic limits but soft brass will expand to the larger size and not return to the smaller size. The pressure your load is producing is too high for your rifle and the conditions you are experiencing.

If you successfully resize your over expanded brass It will split sooner or later from over working it. You may experience loose primer pockets before it splits. Loose primer pockets are another sign of high pressures. You should never experience heavy bolt lift or loose primers if your load is under the maximum pressure for your gun and your conditions. Since I have been neck sizing using a neck sizing die (I leave enough neck unsized to center the case in the chamber) I have never experienced a single case failure and I have never had to "bump" the shoulder back in any of my bolt or single shot rifles and pistols. I have been loading this way for over 30 years. It took me ten years to develop this method and I no longer have body splits or neck splits. I have cases that have been loaded more than 25 times and they are in good condition. The primer pockets are tight and they still shoot with hunting accuracy (less than MOA).

 

[Mtstalker]

I had to go to town today so i picked up a new set of dies to try. The load might be a bit hot it is max in the book but im not getting any pressure signs, the picture i loaded earlier is the load im using. I know it shoots just as good with half a grain less. The ammo was warm as well, the primers are still very tight going in on the brass and no split necks so far. I measured the inside of my lee die and it was roughly .470" and the Rcbs i picked up measures roughly .458" ill give it a whirl. could the reloader 15 powder getting hot cause pressure spikes? once i get it sized ill neck size. how many reloads do you get before having to fl size on average?

 

[SheepDog]

Once I started my partial neck sizing I have never had to full length size any of my cases. I do use the full length die for once fired brass from other guns but once the cases are used in my gun it has never needed anything more than neck sizing.