bolt wont lock with reloaded lake city brass (FIX)!!!

[@cheekymonkey444]

No mention of checking the length of the brass. Everytime you resize, it stretches the brass. Trim it to specs. Check overall cartridge length also.

[@OldManMontgomery]

Thank was my thought as well, Cheeky. Nor did he mention the possibility of a bulge in the neck following seating and crimping.

[@jerrywells8072]

Most die & press manufacturers say to screw die in until it touches shell holder when in ram, PLUS a 1/4 turn - & with most QUALITY PRESSES & DIES if you go over 1/2 a turn your going to start crushing the shoulder & dippling the case neck. I suggest you guys having these problems, buy better PRESSES & dies. I've been reloading for over 37 years and have NEVER run into this problem, if you continue to push your case shoulder back like that your going to loose accuracy & case life, may even leed to case blowout.

[@SA-lr1sf]

You have just helped thousands of people. This is probably a common problem for many to include me. You are going to hear from many viewers to do this and to that and to use these tool. Your solution is the simplest and the best because we (the reloaders) all have a press and a die. I had this problem with my 98 mauser and new 8mm PPU brass.

[@marcyeatts833]

Always use head space gauge when "Reloading" Quality Control

[@MrBoo1963]

In my Gage the casing drops in and out. I have found that the chambers are very tight and unforgiving

[@VitoBb1978]

I agree with Michael Lemley just get a Wilson Headspace Gauge, if your resized brass won't fit into the gauge, just adjust your resizing die down, unti it fits into the gauge, then it wil into the chamber of the rifle, and the bolt will close. Also the gauge will tell you if a piece of brass needs to trimmed.

[@thomasdaum1927]

Had this issue with commercial brass non military in a Savage 243 ( short chamber ) . After doing this ( cam over ) adjustment cartridges chambered normally . This rifle shoots 1/2 in groups , not bad for an under $300 rifle !……. BTW I have 3 Savage Axess rifles and they all shoot 1/2 in groups with handloads !

[@randyhymas9013]

I was having this issue on some of my reloads, and I didn't want to take the ammo apart to resize the brass, so I searched for a different solution. I discovered that Redding makes what is called a "Body Die". This die resizes the brass without affecting the neck. So basically you can resize the brass while leaving the cartridge fully assembled. Thank you Redding!!

[@garyfurman]

Spoken clearly and thoroughly. Problem solved. Well done sir.

[@cornydad]

I use a case comparator gauge to know my headspace in my bolt rifle. I measure a once fired case from my rifle and measure from the base of the case to the shoulder using the case comparator. That way I know the headspace of my specific rifle. I then resize the shoulder back .002. I get good feeling that way.

[@justanobserver7153]

A dillon headspace gauge is worth its weight in gold.

[@Me2Lancer]

It helps following standard procedures, doesn't it.

[@Aereaux]

This has nothing to do with Lake City brass. This is any brass that has not been sized to fit in your rifle. Bolt or semi-auto. Common sense reloading. I keep a samples of brass that fits and always check my resizing die before I start. Also use the Wilson comparator.

[@nazaretnalbandian3619]

You don't have to small base size it. As long as you size it in regular full length sizing die with the expander in place it works. The necks are too thick on military cases and that's why it doesn't chamber. When you size it in FL sizing die you will see that the body is untouched but the neck is sized. After that make sure to check the case lengh and trim to specs. Also be careful to charge it for correct powder weight. Military brass has less case capacity.

[@amym828]

"The necks are too thick on military cases and that's why it doesn't chamber. " Sorry, but this is utterly false. The necks may be thicker on NATO brass, but if they were too think to be chambered, then guns would be blowing up left and right because there would be no place for the necks to be able to expand to let the bullet go. Too many people are successfully using NATO brass in turn-bolt action rifles for this to be the cause.

[@derralmalone6584]

Always full size your brass back to sammi specs and you will not have that problem.

[@kdean8129]

I start with new brass devoted to a specific gun only. Over 30 yrs I have only FL sized when new. Everything is neck sized only for that gun and never a case head separation or a problem closing a bolt. Until the shortage I have not bought once fired but now I do and prep those according to my benchrest standards. They all chamber and shoot very tight groups.

[@tripplebeards5588]

3/4’s of a turn will buckle my cases. I recommend a 1/2 turn.

[@markandrew4741]

Check the overall length when you're reciting the brass make sure you're pushing the shoulder back far enough to save you a lot of time when you're reciting the brass check each piece in the gun all Chambers are different

[@johngalt6929]

Ultimately, if the fired military brass is that bloated and stretched out, I personally would just stick to using commercial catridge cases and save myself a lot of hassle.

[@johnnash5118]

John Galt Who is John Galt?😄

[@sahmadi1000]

The Die makers should love you because of so many people who say the new dies are bad.

[@anamerican481]

What about chucking up the shell holder in a lathe and turning off about.030 thousands of the top ? Just a thought 🤔🇺🇸

[@bonoandlavin]

May be it depends on the brand too? My Lee 308 full sizing die says 1/3 to 1/4 turn. Case gauge is a good tool but I found the Hornady Lock-N-Load gauge helps even more since it tells you exactly what your current readings are not just a go or nogo status. You can use it to measure other factory or reloaded ammo to compare or use it to test just how much it bumps back with that 1/4 turn or 1/2 turn.

[@aaawman2280]

Seven years later and can say amen, top brass from academy is lake city most of the time, says its sized but if it is it is not sized correctly, would suggest annealing every piece and sizing it to be about .004 or .005 in below your known chamber for your rifle before use. Loaded some up and went to shot, most wouldn't chamber and the few that did flattened the primers like pancakes, would not stick it in a fire arms with out going thru it ever agian.

[@mustangfan3295]

I had this problem with a Tikka T3 Lite in .308. Cam over the press did the trick.

[@CircleBrewery]

😊had trouble with federal brass only a few out of about 80 cases … had to bump that shoulder back about .002 and it chambered fine …

[@timothym2241]

Once the shell holder touches the die, that is the most you can resize your brass. I believe that by setting cam over, you simply increased the press leverage, and made sure that the die and shell holder actually contact when you are resizing that brass.

[@Benroe-yz1nz]

I have to anneal it to get the shoulder bump to stay. It springs back and chambers tight if I don't anneal before sizing. Total pain in the butt for what is supposed to be usable brass out of the bag

[@Roadtrip53]

Once fired mil brass is often fired in military machine guns that have loose chambers. The brass expands greatly. You'll notice that when re-sizing that they are VERY difficult to resize and will often re-expand once out of the press. Try and insert a re-sized empty mil brass case in your rifle and you might find it stuck trying to eject the case. 7.62 mil brass, IMO, is very difficult to reload satisfactorily, and will often cause malfunctions, especially in a semi-automatic .308 . . . stuck cases, FTE, ripping rims off, etc.

[@funnyfarm62]

Military brass is hard has lots of spring to it. Must be anealed before resizing so it will stay, otherwise it just springs back to long on head spacing... I aneal military brass twice during my process of it, or I get mouth cracks, sometimes a month later cracks show up, very upsetting...

[@barrygrant2907]

Your case still isn't properly head spaced.

[@hokehinson5987]

Was hoping this would work for the same issue we're experiencing with ruger american hunter .308. Using Lee FL die. readjusted die as instructed in video. Case will not go into battery. Case is trimmed as per arbor guide length from Lee. Used an empty Case as per video. Have about 800 rds of reloaded prefired Case ammo. So far having shot about about 200 rds estimating1/3 will not chamber...any suggestions

[@rickescover1862]

the brass has spring back after resizing. in order to control spring back anneal the brass before sizing problem solved.

[@rjb325]

I had that same problem with my winchester .308. And a guy I know said to just throughly clean the gun... And absolutely no problem loading any load. Just got it out of the case to load it, and I had to jam it back out with a rob. Went through changing out rounds and it got no better. Went ahead and cleaned the rifle and had no issue cycling rounds.

[@salinsoulok3338]

Did it have issues running factory ammo?

[@rjb325]

@@salinsoulok3338 that’s all I ran through it

[@oldgoat1890]

I agree with John Galt. Seems like everybody that commented knows what is going on. Just buy new brass. Military brass has always been a problem when re-loading for sporting rifles. The chamber specs are not even the same. Anybody that tells you different is just plain wrong. The headspace dimensions are not even called off the same points. Nothing wrong with what you are doing if you know what you are doing, but is it worth the time, extra dies, and wear on the press? *A fired and tumbled case will jam. Drop a bullet into the case mouth. That is why you resize.* This also brings up the problem of case wall thickness around the bullet. Military brass is generally much thicker. This can result in a condition referred to as "Choking the bullet" and can result in much higher chamber pressures. A lot of guys years ago used to turn the necks on military brass they reloaded. Just buy commercial brass.

[@jimmyglenn7827]

You can also use a body die to set the shoulder back.. way easier than over camming on your press. Never ever used a small base die in 60 years of reloading. Not really needed. Rimmed magnum cases are a whole other deal❤

[@MatthewSmith-eg2dl]

What if its on Factory loads new box of fed,rem & Winchester

[@juliusignatius7829]

Excellent idea, It worked for me. THANK YOU

[@frankbarbagallo9399]

I found the extractor was the problem. Took 10thousands off the outer edge of it and presto! Works great!

[@davidhayes7596]

So you pushed the shoulder back to fit the chamber of your rifle. So the next time the brass will be fire formed to the chamber. That seems simple enough. Trim to length and fire away. Good video. Thank you!

[@Espi68One]

Will this work on a Lee Single Stage or Lee Pro 1000? Not sure if you can "cam over" on those presses. Have this issue with 5.56/.223 shells, when using hand loads in HOWA .223 Bolt.

[@zayacarpenter]

What if the bolt can’t open, with a live round?

[@easttexan2933]

is this a chamber head space issue?

[@markandrew4741]

You check the first bullet your resizing can you put it in the chamber a few times and then you keep Camden Dover bit by bit until it fits Daniel acted Ian place if you do it the way you're saying your head space is going to be off and that's dangerous

[@markkelley3533]

What's Daniel acted Ian place

[@davidreynolds4715]

You now haven't a clue how far you pushed the shoulder back! If the shoulder is pushed back too far, you may have created a dangerous round to fire. Your solution is based on faulty assumptions which is typically dangerous!!

[@MyREDTAIL]

Right But what do you do on those LC Cases that are already Loaded, Do you just pull all of the Bullets out of them, Run the cases back through the re adjusted, Resizing Die, Then using the same Powder that you took out of the pulled Bullets & reload them back up again.? This should fix the ones that are already reloaded, Lot of work,? But seems like the only fix for them etc. PS You did not give a solution for the already rounds loaded from LC Cases etc.If you have an easier, or better fix,? Please post it also, Thanks for sharing your Video etc.

[@Mrhirtzel]

Money!!!! 100% the issue with my brass. Thanks.

[@REDNECKROOTS]

Bumping the shoulder bak is common practice

[@blrenx]

That rifle bolt he is demonstrating is too loose. The problem here is the firing pin spring is too light. When you are pushing the bolt into battery you are also cocking the firing pin , that takes some force. That's why you should always use your palm to charge your bolt.. IMO

[@biziswhatitis]

What if this happens with factory ammo? bought a box of expensive hunting ammo and only 8 out of 20 would allow me to close the bolt.

[@Francois_Dupont]

clean your gun very well. buy yourself a copper brush for your chamber and scrub!

[@ralphturvin8085]

I basically had to do the same thing with when I converted my 556 to 300 Blackout

[@alpalmieri8644]

Thanks man i get it now,i see what I've been reading about.

[@Lucysdad66]

I have had the same problem my fix is even easier I sent the dies back to the factory and got a set that works right the first time I also have another set that isn't quite right after sizing the cases they still won't go through a go gage no matter how I adjust the die but the cases still chamber so I don't worry to much I will be replacing them tho.

[@mikehopkins1776]

Mine does this with factory ammo . One box 10 was good and 10 wasn’t . Another box 5 was bad and rest was good

[@MatthewSmith-eg2dl]

What if it is doing it on new Factory brass.

[@rickescover1862]

your gun needs a good cleaning in the chamber area

[@quiet-wolf]

Send some lube down the barrel and let ot sit overnight

[@msantifort]

I have had this issue but in a different way. My brass would go smoothly into the rifle but after I fired it I had to bump the rifle on the ground while pulling the bolt back to get the brass out. Have you had this problem as I have described it? I fully resize my 308 brass and cut to length with the press 1/8 turn after the press touches my die. This did not happen with one rifle but 3 of my long range rifles. It is driving me crazy. I am using once shot L.C. brass but after 30yrs of reloading I have never run into this problem until lately. It's like the base expands but after I resize it it fits smoothly into battery. Help! I also tried small base dies but the same outcome.

[@luvtahandload7948]

Bubba 10 Your powder charge is too high. I don't care if the book says it's okay. It's too high for your bullet, your COAL, your gun.

[@Adventcha]

When using military brass you need to drop a couple of grains or there about’s to account for less room for the powder , there are a heap of vids around for more explanation on the topic mate.

[@Doggoda]

Only time I've notice this even if the overall length is right is the different ogive of the bullet even in the same weight gr. I 've loaded brass from machine guns which people say it swells out the brass , never had a problem in 42 years and I've never used a small base die! I did 3000 rounds of once fired 5.56 Lc brass never need it a small base die for a 300 blackout. But whatever works for you. Have fun!!

[@1rukie]

Back the seating die out 1/2 to 3/4 turn

[@PhilinWaterloo]

You nailed it dude!

[@santanateco]

I have the same problem with my model 700

[@ms004650]

This will always be an issue with older types of reloading dies. It's taken me about 25 years to realize how to reload ammo that will fit properly in every rifle i own. When you want to completely rid yourself of these issues, sell off this stuff, and go to "s" type bushing dies. When you buy a bag or box of new brass, it is dimensioned to a "one size fits all" size. You will not have the most accurate ammo until it is "fire formed" in your rifle chamber. The problem with reloading is when you first start out, is not having someone who really understands what needs to happen to a once fired case. You need to find the exact dimensions of your brass from once fired cases for every rifle. From that you can calculate closely how much resizing and "bump" to the bottle neck area is necessary to properly fit the chamber. You then need to keep accurate records. you need several dial calipers, bullet and brass comparators. These bushing dies run about $150 for a FL resizing and seater die. You Tube Channel "Panhandle Precision" is a good place to start learning modern accurate reloading practice.

[@cokefloat1]

Thank you so much , exactly my problem .

[@Johnyrocket70]

military brass is 7.62 thicker than .308

[@markandrew4741]

You have the cam deliver over I'm sure everyone knows how to do this

[@morganlove4379]

Get a Wilson gauge

[@richheipp1420]

Why not just use a case gauge instead of loading live rou ds in your home

[@Deathrider188]

My bolt on my 300 win mag when pulling bolt back it comes all way out

[@thebosscatman7]

your bolt stop or spring is broke should be a easy fix

[@thesaint1517]

You solved my problem. Thank you!

[@71rcode72]

Thank you this worked for me on the same press. Appreciate it!

[@JohnDoe-jn4ex]

Yup

[@markandrew4741]

That's not the answer on your Justin to die down you get attached and then you do a quarter-turn which pushes the shoulder back this isn't rocket science

[@groverhammonds219]

Even Remington and federal match grade ammunition factory loaded seem tight in my 308 compass the bolt closes but I think it is to tight I resized the ones I shot in a hornady custom grade fl die they will camber and bolt closes but fell tight just like the new factory ammo the cases go into the gauge no problem with no bullet or casing in the camber the bolt works ok I’m ready to call Thompson center

[@luvtahandload7948]

Grover Hammonds Your chamber is towards the minimum side of SAAMI specs. Or perhaps a smidgen smaller. Be happy. It gives good accuracy with most all factory loads, I bet, because they fit nice and snug.

[@DLN-ix6vf]

people just measure the brass and that will tell what's wrong.

[@davidoakley3256]

I'll start by saying I really love Lee dies, and I like Lee presses. But, their shellholders are shit. They are sloppy, and oversized. But they are free with the dies, so everyone uses them. Even Lee knows this, thats why they make special shellholders for their hand priming tool. Because if you use Lee standard shellholders in a RCBS hand priming tool they are often so sloppy that cannot even fully seat a primer. However with a quality shellholder, RCBS, Redding, Lyman, Hornady, you will never have this problem. Now, when resizing brass fired in a larger chamber than your rifle, if the shellholder has to much play on the rim, (up & down) you will not be able to push the brass far enough into the die to "fully" resize the case. If you use that same die in a single stage press with a "well made" shellholder you won't have this sizing problem, and you will not need the SB die for a bolt action.

[@larryvice5835]

You need 308 small base dies!!!

[@tangotwo4743]

Odd way of reloading

[@donaldsharpless1746]

This is a normal problem with all brass of all calibers sometimes. You just have to adjust the die to bump the shoulders back .002 -.003 after the brass has been fire formed in your gun. Some prefer .001 of bump. I prefer .002 - .003 for hunting rifles for clean operation. The casings now fit your specific gun. The casings now do not match SAAMI specs for that caliber. This isn't just something that happens with Lake City Brass. All factory ammo, no matter of manufacturer, is made to SAAMI specs to fit any gun of that caliber. Once you fire a round in your gun and resize it, you are making that case custom fit your gun. 9 times out of 10 it won't fit another gun of the same caliber. Reloaders have had to do this for years. You didn't find a cure for cancer. You would normally see this alot of times with any brass you use. Just don't want you to think or anybody else to think it's just because it's a Lake City Brass problem. I don't use nor have I ever heard of Lake City Brass. Just trying to be informative.

[@robertbrandywine]

That's not his problem though. By turning the die down even 1/4 of a turn past the point where it contacts the shellholder, he is already bumping the shoulders back more than .003". Based on my experience, he's probably backing the shoulder .016". BTW, it's "case", not "casing".

[@alpalmieri8644]

Great video man.

[@markandrew4741]

Nobody goes one complete turn that's way too much and you're talking like everyone that's spelled they're reloading has this problem they don't

[@armedfarm3429]

This was a problem caused by you. You don't know how to size & measure sized brass cases. Set the dies up like there are intended & you won't have this problem. Don't be making U -tube how too videos until you have things figured out.

[@jonleone777]

Your overcamming tnat press to much.

[@jimmyglenn7827]

You can also use a body die to set the shoulder back.. way easier than over camming on your press. Never ever used a small base die in 60 years of reloading. Not really needed. Rimmed magnum cases are a whole other deal❤

[@kdean8129]

Totally agreed with your technique. I can do it all with a FL die set. I don't find a difference in RCBS Hornady or Lee. I do wanna switch to Lee collet dies. As you say 338 win Mag is a whole other game . That one is my hunter and it's usually 3 shots on targets and 1 for meat.

[@Aereaux]

This has nothing to do with Lake City brass. This is any brass that has not been sized to fit in your rifle. Bolt or semi-auto. Common sense reloading. I keep a samples of brass that fits and always check my resizing die before I start. Also use the Wilson comparator.