what might cause....

[Blammer]

every fired case to stick in the chamber and not be ejected.

I have a win 243 NEF. New. I completely F/L resized each case and the loaded ammo slips in and out of the chamber nicely.

After being fired they stick in the chamber and I need a ramrod to push them out. Just a tap and out they fly.

I cleaned the chamber several times during the string, thinking the chamber was dirty. Even on a clean chamber they won't pop out.

I have 50 rounds of brass that do this.

there were 10 different load combos with 3 different powders and different bullet types.

so pressures ranged from low to medium to the high end. No matter what powder charge and or bullet the cases stuck!

In the middle of the string, some factory Winchester ammo was tested and all of it ejected perfectly.

I am stumped, suggestions needed!

for now I will try some different brass and see what happens.

[quickdtoo]

Have you read any of the FAQ and Help sticky as recommended to everyone? The link on chamber polishing is broken now due to the recent software change, and the search is disabled for now, but you need to polish the chamber, it's SOP for new handis with ejectors, the newer extractor barrels don't have the problem, if yours is an extractor, you have problems bigger than the chamber being rough!

There are a couple different methods to polish the chamber, I use a chamber size bore mop on the tip section of a 3-piece rod chucked in a drill, use any fine metal polish like flitz, maas, semichrome or JB bore compound on the mop and polish the chamber for a couple minutes.

You can also use an empty fired case with a screw stud in the flash hole chucked in a drill to do the polishing.

Tim

EDIT: After reading your previous posts and you're not reporting anything about FTEs, there may be another issue such as the ejector hanging up or your cases are too long which I suspect is the culprit, are you trimming your brass to spec?

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/smf/index.php/topic,90071.msg547954.html#msg547954

[Blammer]

I trimmed the cases all to the same min trim length.

I'll double check...

what really puzzles me is the factory ammo ejects fine...

I'll check the ejector haning up too.

thanks, still stumped though....

[Mac11700]

so pressures ranged from low to medium to the high end. No matter what powder charge and or bullet the cases stuck!

In the middle of the string, some factory Winchester ammo was tested and all of it ejected perfectly.

what really puzzles me is the factory ammo ejects fine...

This sounds to me that your oversizing the cases too much,creatiung headspace because your setting the shoulder back too much with how you have your dies set up to F/L size.......Try necksizing your next batch of reloads and see if this helps,especially since factory loads don't stick in the chamber.......

[Blammer]

thanks for the suggestion of necksizing only.

Unfortunately I cannot neck size only for this rifle. If I do anything less than Full Length resize, I cannot get the loaded round into the chamber and close the breach.

[aulrich]

When you are resizing make sure you are bottoming out I had a 243 ultra for a while that was prone to sticking. I identified it to old brass and not fully sizing the brass, I guess my 20 year old lee challenger was packing it in and it took two hits of the die to get it completly sized. One other thing to figure out what brass I should cull I ended up chambering all of my sized (but not loaded brass) some times it was obvious because the brass did not fit all of the way in. but mostly I figured it out with the sound it made when I closed the gun. on good brass there was a nice clean snap, if the brass was too big it would sound dull, and in alot of instances the case would even stick then.

Eventually I did get it working good, just in time to sell it and use the money to buy a 204 that had an extractor .

[Mac11700]

thanks for the suggestion of necksizing only.

Unfortunately I cannot neck size only for this rifle. If I do anything less than Full Length resize, I cannot get the loaded round into the chamber and close the breach.

Mike your cases and post what the measurements are of a freshly fired factory load case ...

What brand of loading dies are you using ?

If factory ammo will chamber and fire fine(without flattend primers or excessive case stretch)..then the problem has to be in you dies or set up...I've had FL sizing dies cause this before...and there should be no reason your unable to neck size with them...

Your miking a factory ammo case after firing will give you a good indication of you chamber dimension...

[Ranger J]

Make sure both the chamber and the shell are free of oil or case lube.  If I get lazy and not wipe them a lot of my 223s will stick just like yours.  Again there is no trouble with factory ammo.
RJ

[Blammer]

old brass? hmm that may be it!


Here are some specs...

all brass was trimmed to 2.042 prior to loading a shooting
afterwards here are some measurements

2.050    7 cases
2.049    7 cases
2.048    1 case
2.047    3 cases
2.046    2 cases
2.045    1 case

did not mic all the 50 just a sample

here are the specs for new factory ammo after firing

2.050   1 case
2.047   3 cases
2.045   1 case
2.042   1 case
2.040   2 cases

I am using RCBS dies dated 1991. With a single stage RCBS press

am caming over to get F/L resized.

all brass was oil free and even after "cleaning" the chamber cases still stuck...

I am starting to think OLD BRASS may be the culprit even though is has only been shot 2-3 times...it is more than 10 yrs old.

[Mac11700]

Here's an interesting article for you to read.http://yarchive.net/gun/ammo/precision_resizing.html....Even though it is about the 308..it holds true for most cartridges on this case..and this includes the 243...and the 7-08 for our Handi's...

I was asking for more than just your O.A.L. for your brass..Getting an accurate read of your chamber dimnensions from your brass.. short of doing a chamber cast ..should show what to set your dies to...and what will happen to your brass when F/L resizing....Handi's chambers vary a-lot from gun to gun..Some may be sloppy...others may be tight side...I have Handi's both ways..Using the genneral instructions that come with your dies may work fine for many set ups and several different rifles you may have..but..if your chamber is different..it may or maynot work the best for you...I have had my best luck on partial neck sizing for chambers that are on the loose side..and others where I partial F/L size where they are tight.I set my dies up to just bump the shoulder back after 5 firings..If you are only shooting this ammo in 1 rifle and your chamber is cut correctly..there really isn't a need to F/L resize it every time unless you just want to..

Also...as it has already been posted by Ranger..make sure your cases are free from any and all lube on them before firing.. this certainly will cause them to stick...I wipe all of my freshly loaded cartridges down with ashop  rag and a little de-nautured alchohol...just to make sure I have it all off...

[OR-E-Gun Bill]

I just finished reading some data on reloading 243 Win. and problems that occur when using certain size bullets and powders.
Just curious, what bullet wieghts and what powders were used in your reloading?

[Blammer]

rem corlokt 100 gr bullets, 95 gr Nosler, H335, IMR 4895 and IMR 4350

case measuerments more detailed

Factory                        stuck cases
OAL    2.050                      2.049
OD neck dia   .278                .277
Just below shoulder   .4560        .4565
mid body              .4635           .4640
above case head   .4705           .4705

[Mac11700]

 

So far so-good..now..measure your FL size case and compare it to the rest....Also could you check 1 more thing...FL size a case...and drop it into your chamber. Where does the case sit in reference to the breech face? You will have to look closely with the barrel against a lite source..If it is above the rim..measure the hieght with a feeler gauge set.If it is below..you will be able to feel this with your finger nail as you drag it across the top of it...If it is sitting at the same hieght you won't feel it snag at all...I assume the brass your using is from the first time factory load firing correct???

Thanks

[Blammer]

I am not using the same brass.

I am comparing a factory fired round to the other brass I am using.

when I FL a case and drop it into the chamber, it sits flush with the breech.

I'll get some specific dimensions on the FL case in a bit.

[Blammer]

FYI, I really appreciate all the help!

I am not trying to make this difficult! LOL! but sometimes it seems that way!

[Mac11700]

I am not using the same brass.

I am comparing a factory fired round to the other brass I am using.

when I FL a case and drop it into the chamber, it sits flush with the breech.

I'll get some specific dimensions on the FL case in a bit.

OK....this begs a question...I am not using the same brass......Why not ??  This brass was just fireformed for your chamber...This would be the most logical choice to try to duplicate the factory load your shooting to begin with...or use factory new brass (primed or un-primed)...If your brass isn't 1x fired by you..or if you don't know how many times or at what pressures ..I wouldn't attempt any load development with it anyway...New brass is one of the cheaper components to aquire...Brass can become difficult to work with with age and repeated firings..and can loose it's elasticity so it can't spring back...

Try your same die set up with some fresh 1x fireformed cases from your Handi...

[Blammer]

Ok, now I have unduly confused you.

lemme explain.

I have a box of 20 rnds of factory ammo. I have shot 6 out of. They ejected fine. These 6 are the ones I used for measurement comparison when noted in my earlier post labeled "factory".

I have 50 rounds of brass. All fired by me once already. This is the brass I used and am still using and got every round stuck in the chamber. This brass was labeled by me as STUCK CASES in an earlier post and a sample of these were used for the measurements.

These 50 rounds are the only brass I am using.

so when I said "I am not using the same brass" I meant I was not using the factory ammo brass I was using the 50 rounds that I am having the problems with.

I don't want to add another "component" into the problem (of brass sticking in chamber) until I determine I am out of options. THEN if nothing works, then I'll try anther set of brass. If I don't have the problem then it must have been the brass for whatever reason.

I hope this makes sense.

[Blammer]

Here are the specifics on a FL case.

OAL  2.035
OD neck   .274
Just below shoulder  .4535
Mid body     .4610
above web    .4685