Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Question on Case Length

Question for the reloading gurus.

In reloading various combos of powder/bullets for a couple of .308s, certain cartridges chamber easily, but a bit of force is required in lowering the bolt handle. Do i need to worry about the cartridge being too long, and perhaps raising pressure excessively? Each loaded round is below the maximum COAL in the manuals.

Full length sized and bumping shoulders back?

Mark bullet, neck and shoulder with a sharpie to see where contact may be happening.

Be gentle and insert cartridge best you can into chamber, ease bolt forward then lower bolt. Withdraw from chamber smooth as well. Check to see where marks are to see where something may be hitting.

On the harder to chamber rounds has that brass been fired in a different chamber or been fired more times than the rounds that chamber easily?

Are you trimming the cases to suggested trim length? The title of your thread is in regards to "case length". That is different than cartridge OAL.

It could be one of many things:

1. The shoulders are not pushed back far enough.
2. The case was not sized enough toward the .200" line where the sizing die ends.
3. The neck is too thick for the chamber, but that is not super common with factory rounds.
4. The case needs trimmed.
5. The bullet is contacting the rifling, but not common with factory rifles with SAAMI-length ammo.
6. There is a carbon-ring formed in the chamber that is interacting with the bullet.

#1, 4, or 6 would be where my money is.

The brass has been full-length resized.

I'm not sure about whether the brass has previously been chambered in another rifle. That is quite possible. Would that make a difference if the brass has beern full-legnth resized?

You mentioned that you are reloading for "a couple of different 308's". Did you resize for each gun specifically? Each gun should be resized specifically for that gun. Headspace can be different enough in each gun and won't allow chambering in the next gun.

Could be if #2 on the above post isn't obtained.

Forgot about trim length too.

Yep, but #2 isnt too far fetched either.

It may have been full-length resized, but that doesn't mean the shoulder was pushed back far enough to work in the rifle with the stiff bolt close. Did you measure a case fired out of said rifle vs measurement on the cartridge you're trying to chamber in it?

I've used a 40 S&W "gauge" for years.

I've got a set of purpose-built gauges, but I did use pistol brass years ago when I first started out. It definitely works.

I also have proper tools, but most of the time I reach for the 40.

This may well be the right answer. I went to the range today with a different .308, and every load chambered with no stiff bolt close. It appears the chamber of my CZ may be a bit tighter. Measuring a case fired out of that rifle will probably be informative. I'll likely need to push back the shoulder a bit for that one.

Thanks to all for the insight.

Lesson to be had here.

If you're going to reload, know EXACTLY where your brass came from. If the answer is truly "I dunno", then know EXACTLY how to measure the unknown brass and make it fit YOUR chamber.

One other scenario here could be, since you're not sure what the brass has been fired in, it could very well be in need of a trip through a small base die. Being 308 it might could have been fired in a sloppy semi-auto chamber. But again, knowing where and how to measure would answer that question.

IF you are FL sizing, it should fit in everything. That’s what the FL sizing die was designed to do. Op says he was, and still hasn’t answered my question about OAL of the brass.

Buy yourself an RCBS Precision Mic & measure headspace on brass fired in each gun, then FL size for each gun accordingly.

Or size to the the dimension need for the gun with the smallest chamber. Not ideal, but then the brass will chamber in both guns.

Be sure to trim length as needed as more body sizing will tend to make brass longer on overall length.

With multiple rifles, & no way to measure HS, you must keep the brass separate from each gun & size according to what each gun needs.........or as I said above, size to the smallest chamber.

MM

At one time, I was loading for 6 different 30-06's that I had. I sized to the smallest chamber and the ammo worked in every rifle. Luckily without overworking the brass too much. I never picked up and used range brass for those rifles though. I do, however, use range pickup in my AR's, without issue. Generally from what I've seen with ammo not fitting or chambering in a rifle that the brass came out of is brass that is not trimmed. The OP has not answered my question on whether or not he trims his brass to the specified trim length. Some newbies, along with seasoned handloaders seem to skip this step, until it ends up biting them in the azz. If you do everything right, it's going to be 100% reliable, and also should not need to be checked for function, as I know some of you guys do. I know when I size my ammo, and keep the bullet off the lands, and keep my brass properly trimmed and prepped, it's going to work 100% of the time. No guessing about it.

Lee case trimmer is what I use

I did trim the brass to the specified length with a Lee case trimmer, so the starting point should be good in that respect.