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Offline Spanky

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What am I doing wrong??
« on: October 19, 2007, 11:51:00 AM »
I am trying to get started reloading for my 30-30 Handi. I have the Lee Hand Loader to start out with. I am using my own once fired brass. Speer 150 gr..308 soft point bullets and IMR 4895 powder. I am loading according to the directions with the loader and am having trouble chambering the rounds. The loaded rounds are exactly the same length as my factory 150 gr. Remington ammo. When I chamber a round, it will slide in to the ejector and then gets stuck when I close the gun. As I said, the rounds slides in freely up to the ejector, after that point it sticks. I do not understand what is happening as I am loading exactly according to instructions. I am brand new to reloading so any help would be great.

Spanky
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Offline tomzuki

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #1 on: October 19, 2007, 11:55:35 AM »
Have you looked at the instructions for crimping??
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Offline stimpylu32

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2007, 12:08:02 PM »
Sparky

I'm only guessing here as i have never used a Lee Loader , but you may need to seat the bullet just a .001 or .002 deeper as the ogive of the Speer 150s may be diffrent compaired to the 150 Remingtons . your loaded round OL may be the same but the shape of the bullet may be diffrent .

Also as tomzuki said you may need to put a little crimp on the bullet too .

stimpy
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Offline John Traveler

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2007, 12:22:27 PM »
Sparky,

The Lee Loader requires that you use brass that was fired in the gun you are reloading for, or new brass.  If the cases were previously fired in another gun, they may not fit the chamber of the gun you are using.

Another likely cause of difficult chambering is if the crimp is too firmly applied, it will make the case mouth bulge out and and prevent full chambering and or closing of the action.

HTH
John
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John Traveler

Offline Lone Star

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2007, 12:57:57 PM »
Quote
...I have the Lee Hand Loader to start out with. I am using my own once fired brass.

Quote
The Lee Loader requires that you use brass that was fired in the gun you are reloading for....

I think he has that one covered.  ;)   I would suggest not even crimping the cartridge - it is not needed with your Handi.   Too, do the resized but unloaded cases fit in the chamber okay?  If so, then it is either the bullet seated too long, or too much crimp.

.
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Offline Spanky

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2007, 01:19:29 PM »
I just tried a resized, unloaded case and it stuck in the chamber when I closed the gun on it.

Spanky
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Offline Alkamodaddy

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2007, 02:00:39 PM »
I am no expert, but I am having trouble with jamming with reloads in a BAR.  A gentleman answered my post and said that you need to use "small base dies" in auto's, levers and pumps.  Otherwise the casing is not sized far enough down and will stick.
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Offline JustaShooter

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2007, 02:47:50 PM »
Spanky,

I'm also not familiar with the Lee Hand Loader you are using, but it sounds like you need to bump the shoulder back a couple of thousandths. Unlike with bolt action rifles, with Handi Rifles and other break action single shot rifles the case tends to grow a bit in length between shoulder and base and often needs to be shortened.  Try setting your sizing die 1/4 turn deeper.

Hope this helps!

- Just a Shooter
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Offline quickdtoo

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2007, 02:51:28 PM »
The Lee Loader doesn't work like standard dies. ;)

Tim

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/51
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Offline Spanky

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #9 on: October 20, 2007, 01:55:11 AM »
Thanks for the article Quick.

Spanky
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Offline bulzaye

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2007, 02:49:29 PM »
probably covered in the article, but the handloader works as a neck sizer only. In a handi you will have problems with not full length sizing due to the extraction set up on the handi as it is not as strong as it could be. I tried neck sizing for my 25-06 ultra I used to have and ran into the same problems you describe.  I went back to full length sizing and the problems went away.
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Offline tn_junk

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2007, 01:59:34 AM »
I used a Lee Hand Loader to load 1000's of .30-30 rounds. They would only fit in the gun that I fired them in, due to the neck sizing. I have a friend who loaded and he would full length size all of the oncefired brass I bought before my first reload. After that, there would be no problem.
I actually miss my Lee hand loader since I upgraded to a "real" set-up. It was almost a zen experience loading with it. May pick up another just for the heck of it.

aaln
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Offline GREYGHOSTt

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #12 on: December 16, 2007, 08:00:51 PM »
Not bad mouthing any thing here.
try turning your case 1/4 turn until it don't stick
your chamber night not be round
i have the same type problem with a tcr 83 in a 223 >:(
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Offline beemanbeme

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #13 on: December 17, 2007, 05:04:47 AM »
Is what you're using a Lee Loader? Where you drive the fired case into a form with a plastic mallet? Or is what you have like a pair of pliars that uses a regular die?  Does a fired but unsized case drop back into the chamber without a problem? 
If your tool is using a regular die, then what you need to do, as posted, is turn your die in another 1/4 turn or so and lock it back down.  Be sure and cycle you tool all the way thru.
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Offline Dillohide

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #14 on: December 20, 2007, 05:57:16 AM »
I use a lee loader quite a bit for my Handi 30-30 and do not have the chamber sticking problem. If this is a new Handi you may need to polish the chamber. Check out the FAQ in the NEF center fire forum. If you just chamber a loaded bullet then extract it without firing sometimes the neck sized rounds will stick but they probably won't after firing. That sometimes happens with my 30-06 neck sized brass and the new extractor, however they always extract after being fired. Polish the chamber then try it.
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Offline Ranger J

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #15 on: December 20, 2007, 07:27:42 AM »
I am assuming that this once fired brass was fired the first time in your handy, right?  I once had trouble with a .44 mag Lee loader as I was shooting a .44 Handi and also a Ruger Deerfield.  As someone already noted the Lee loader does not resize the entire case but only the neck area.  You also might try trimming the brass with one of the Lee brass trimmers.  These cost very little and do a good job.  If the brass has only been fired in the Handi you should have brass that is perfectly sized for your gun so that should not be a problem.  My guess would be that the bullet you are using perhaps sticks out too far, even though it appears the same size as the factory load or the brass has stretched.  On the outside you may have a defective loader.

RJ
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Offline Dillohide

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Re: What am I doing wrong??
« Reply #16 on: December 20, 2007, 07:49:05 AM »
Quote
Speer 150 gr..308 soft point bullets and IMR 4895 powder.

When you say Speer 150 gr..308 soft point bullets do you mean the spire points or the round nose bullets? If these are the spire points they will definitely stick in the Handi lands if you seat the bullet to the crimp ring ... been there/done that. You must seat the bullet past the crimp ring until it does not stick.
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