I bought a new Savage model 14 in .300WSM the other day. I loaded five shells at the low end of the recommended loads.

I shot three shells through the gun and all stuck in the chamber. I had to hit the bolt to release the shells. I did not see any signs of too much pressure, the primer was not flat.

I did resize the shells and it must have expanded a good bit because it was harder to resize than most of my other size shells.

What do you think the problem is?

Do you think it would help to just resize the necks after shooting them through the gun once?

Buck,

Ahhh, this sounds very farmiliar! My brother purchased a Savage (synth stock stainless) in 7mmWSM and was having the same problem with reloads, not so much with factory cartriges, but was still having the issue with factory ammo. He had it sent away to a GS who polished the chamber...problem solved! He also heard from a local gun shop owner, who is very compitent, that said he has heard of similar complaints from a few others with Savages in WSM, the chambers aren't quite reamed 100% and a bit of a polish usually fixed 'em.

Hope this is what your problem is, an easy fix, albeit my brother had to wait 5 months for the smith to get to his rifle due to a back log.

On Varmint Al's website he has instructions for polishing your chamber. It seems like a simple process.

http://www.varmintal.com/arelo.htm#Polish_Chamber

I agree it sounds like a rough chamber.

But since you also have noticed extra effort is required to resize the brass, you may also have a headspace issue.

Thanks for the replys.

Buck,

Reduce your load and see if they still stick.

Hey Buck3, Most all of the "new" rifles I purchase get a thorough cleaning prior to my ever shooting them. Even though they are Proofed at the Manufacturing Plant, there is often some kind of dried Residue within the Chamber stuck to the walls.

If it was me, I'd try a brush larger than the outside of the Case, a piece of cleaning Rod stuck into a low speed drill and some good Bore Cleaner and of course dry it with Patches. If that does not fix it, put a Cotton Patch around the same Brush, slather some JB Compound, Flitz, Semi-Chrome, or any brand of Whitening toothpaste on the Patch and give it another round of low speed turning.

If cleaning it real good does not fix it, I'd contact Mr. Joe DeGrande(Customer Service/Quality) at Savage (413) 568-7001 Ext 4139 and tell him about the problem. He is one of the nicest guys I've ever spoken with in YANKEE Land.

Best of luck to you.

Had the same problem with mine, polishing the chamber took care of the problem. Its not that hard to do, just take your time and happy shooting.

Again, thanks for the comments.

I did some polishing in the chamber with some Scotch Brite pads. The chamber looks slick from what is could see, but I still have the problem. It didn’t seem to help, so I have decided to send it back and let the factory fix it.

Buck3,