Encore won't close on cartridge

[Lou270]

All,

Just got back from the range to try out a couple of Encore barrels I got for Christmas.  One is the .22-250 heavy varmit barrel and the other is the 24" .405 Win barrel.  The .22-250 barrel worked without a hitch and shows promise of being a real shooter.  Much to my dismay, the .405 barrel would not close all the way on the Hornady ammo.  Has anybody had a similar problem? Tried to call T.C., but it seems they are closed, so thought I would check here.  The action does close enough that it requires pulling the release to open it, but I can visibly see a gap at the top where it's not seating properly.  It should be noted that it closes w/out issues when no ammo is loaded.

Thanks for any input.

-Lou

[jimann]

I had a problem close to that... My problem was an older barrel in a "newer frame" It would lock but had that little gap you mentioned and would not fire. Put that barrel on an older frame and all was well. Maybe that is what you have going on too.
Good luck
jim

[Redhawk1]

I had a problem close to that... My problem was an older barrel in a "newer frame" It would lock but had that little gap you mentioned and would not fire. Put that barrel on an older frame and all was well. Maybe that is what you have going on too.
Good luck
jim

Was your's an Encore or Contender. I know Contenders have that problem??

[Lou270]

It's an Encore.  The .22-250 barrel worked w/out a hitch.

-Lou

[Redhawk1]

It's an Encore.  The .22-250 barrel worked w/out a hitch.

-Lou

Lou270, my question was for jimann. I think he got the Encore and Contender confused with the new barrel and old frame and vice versa.

[buckenbass]

Have you tried taking the barrel off and sliding a round in to see if it will set flush..

[Lou270]

I took the hinge pin out and it did look like it closed that way.

-Lou

[Lou270]

Buckenbass,

I did try putting a round in with the barrel off and it was not quite flush.  Maybe a few thousadths out, but very close to flush.  I thought that might be the problem, but am not sure if it's a hornady brass thing or an Encore thing.  Also, I tried closing it with the hinge pin out and it did seem to lock properly (not sure if that means anything).

Regards,

Lou

[Redhawk1]

Sounds like the the chamber is either short or the brass is to long. Do you have any 405 rounds other than hornady to try?  I would check that out.

[Lone Star]

First find out where the interference is.  Smoke a cartridge with a candle - case and bullet - then chamber it and try to close tha action.  Carefully withdraw the cartridge and note where the soot has been rubbed off to bright metal.  This is where the problem lies, and will help you to explain things to T/C when you get ahold of them after the holidays.  
[Note that if the rim cutout is too shallow, smoking the case will not identify it.  Insert a case backwards into the chamber and see if any of the rim extends above the breech end of the barrel.  If it does, you've found your problem.]

[Lou270]

All,

Thanks for the help.  I got in touch with a factory smith today and he said the chamber may not be cut deeply enough or there is something wrong with extractor.  I am to send it back for repairs/inspection.  Hopefully, I will get the barrel back soon as I am anxious to give this thumper a try.

Regards,

Lou

[jimann]

Redhawk1
You are exactly correct!!! I saw his Encore problem and thought of my Contender problem....
jim

[rpseven]

Redhawk is probably correct. Sounds like an over all length problem. Have you tried other bullets out of the same box? Take it to a gunsmith and have the chamber measured. And have them check the over all length of the bullets.