Problems loding for 300 WSM, maybe bad RCBS dies?

[mam4061]

I have been reloading for 20 years, dozen or so calibers, with almost every brand of dies made so I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable on the subject.  I just got a new A-bolt in 300 WSM, bought some once fired Winchester brass off E-Bay and some RCBS dies from Cabelas.  After full length sizing the brass and trimming the brass, the bolt on the gun won't close .  I tried some brass from factory ammo that I had shot through my gun and the bolt would close on the unsized and sized brass from th efactory ammo shot through my gun.  It was a little bit sticky clsoing the bolt, but not too bad.  Could my RCBS FL sizer die be bad, does anyone have any ideas?  Thanks for the help.

[Gary45]

mam,sounds like you either have a neck sizer or the f/l sizer is dimensionally incorrect.
Good luck
Gary

[Chuck White]

mam4061;
My friend had the same problem with his 243 WSSM!
I suggested that he contact RCBS and order a tapered expander ball!  RCBS sent him the tapered expander ball free of charge!  When he put it in his sizer die and resized his brass, it ended his problem!

The same thing will probably correct your problem to!

Good luck!

[DIVR6347]

i did the exact same thing as you did and had the same problem
i bought some 300wsm brass off ebay once fired  ordered my dies from cabelas and loaded up 40 rds  took to range  and how about that
the bolt on my tikka t3 wouldnt close  
  came home and reinstaled my sizer die to the correct position and it seemed to work fine the second time around
but we will see
divr6347

[Dusty Miller]

By all means contact RCBS, they are great to do business with.  They'll send you free parts or give you sound advice that'll get you on the road to happy shooting!

[leverfan]

I have a set of RCBS dies in 260 Remington that would size brass enough to fit in my Encore barrel, but not enough to fit in a tight chambered Remington 700.  RCBS has a FAQ page that said to set the press to "cam over."  Raise the ram and screw in the resizing die until they make solid contact.  Then, lower the ram and screw the die down another quarter turn.  When you resize the brass now, you'll feel the press make contact between the die and shell holder, then cam over for full contact, taking all the slack out of the system.  This sets the shoulder back just far enough to chamber.  

Factory new brass is well under SAAMI maximum, which is why it fits in tight chambers.  Good luck.

[beemanbeme]

I agree with leverfan on the die set up.  I can't quite understand how the sizer ball would affect the outer diminsions of the case (other than the neck itself) unless it is pulling the shoulders forward on the down stroke.  If so, you need to de-grung and lube the inside of the necks before resizing and set your die up like Leverfan outlines.
Did the Ebay brass fit your rifle's chamber before you resized?

[PA-Joe]

This is a common problem with the WSMs. You may have to sand a 0.001 from the shell holder. The shoulders have to be set back or they will not chamber. Some people can adjust the cam on the press so that it really cams down while resizing. I found it easier to just sand off the 0.001.

[DIVR6347]

hey
i spoke with rcbs today about the 300 wsm sizing problem since i was having the same problem   i explained what was happening and that my bolt would not close after sizing my brass and she asked how far i turned my seater die in after bumping the shellholder  i said 1/8-1/4 of a turn
like it says in the instructions  
 
 she told me that i needed to turn the seater die in some more to set the shoulder back farther she said the 300 wsm is finiky sometimes and requires that you turn the seater in more  
she recommended 1/2 turn in after bumping the shellholder so i tried it
and  wow how about that  all my brass feeds like factory ammo!!

it may or may not work but its worth a try and i had acctually thrown all my brass away and was ready to start over so out to the round file i went to dig it out and resurect it  
try turning the seater die in 1/2 turn from the shellholder and see if it works
it did for me   and also  rcbs was fantastic with customer service and they told me we will do whatever we need to do to get you going even if we have to replace the dies no problem
they definatly have my vote as a great company
good luck hope it works
divr6347    

[j two dogs]

Had the exact same problem with my ruger m77 mk2 in .300wsm. I was
using shell holder for .300 win mag I believe it was a #5 in turns out I had
to have one specific for .300 wsm, I don't have it in my hands right now but I believe it was a #43 or forty somethin', once I got the right shell holder and cranked my resizing die a half turn past touching everything was fine!

[Steve P]

Welcome to the short mag club.  I have 243 wssm and RCBS dies.  I have some pretty hard camming action on my dillon to size properly.  I may have a buddy take a few thousandths off the bottom of my die.  Have had to do it before with other dies.

Glad to solved the problem.

Steve  

[Harold50]

Having a similar problem with my 25 WSSM - mine resize correctly in length for a tight fit, perfectly OK for the range or chuck hunting but feed too firmly for a quick follow-up shot during deer season.

My dies are Lee Precision - will try first lowering the sizing die and then sanding the shell holder.

Best wishes,
Harold

[CEJ1895]

I just had the same problem with my 30-06 RCBS die set. It turns out that the lock ring on the seating die had come loose and was pushing the neck down just a little too far. I replaced the locking hex nut on the ring and reset the die and its back to normal. I never had this problem with any of my Redding dies. CEJ...