I have some twice-fired cases I'm preparing to load. I always check the empty cases in my rifle before sizing. These have all been neck-sized only and trimmed. I'm chambering these cases and when I pull them out of the rifle, there is a small dent in the shoulder. The cases are a little harder to chamber than a factory round, but not much. Chambering a factory round does not show the dent. Am I correct in thinking I need to bump the shoulder back a little? The dent is always in the same place. Is there a bit of debris or an imperfection in my chamber?

Edit: I just tried another factory round and some full-length resized cases and the dent appears on those as well.

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Originally posted by nateh:
I have some twice-fired cases I'm preparing to load. I always check the empty cases in my rifle before sizing. These have all been neck-sized only and trimmed. I'm chambering these cases and when I pull them out of the rifle, there is a small dent in the shoulder. The cases are a little harder to chamber than a factory round, but not much. Chambering a factory round does not show the dent. Am I correct in thinking I need to bump the shoulder back a little? The dent is always in the same place. Is there a bit of debris or an imperfection in my chamber?

Is this dent a circular dent around the shoulder or is it a single point dent? If it is circular it may be because you are neck sizing. Full length sizing may be needed. Also ... You could be pulling the shoulder forward with the expander ball if you don't use enough lube on it. I generally prefer to set a full length die to size the case to give a light drag to .001 to .002 clearance. That way no matter what gun the brass is fired in or if it is once fired from some other source it always chambers.

The dent is a single-point dent. I just tried a couple of full-length resized cases and another factory cartridge and the dent is there as well so my statement above needs editing. I ran another cleaning cloth through to see if there is some debris. Same thing, dents are still there.

Without seeing the dents or their size, it sounds like something is stuck to your chamber and a light wipe is insufficent to remove it.

Probably doesn't have anything to do with the reloading process. Don't know why I think that.

Maybe a good look in the chamber will be revealing.
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could it be that without a bullet in the case, the neck is rising higher than normal and contacting the rear end of the chamber. if you insert a bullet into the case and try to install the cartridge, does the dent still appear?

Try a chamber brush or a brush slightly larger then the bore and see if you can knock whatever is in there free. It sounds like a piece of grit or old powder granual is stuck to the chambers shoulder. If it was due to resizeing the factory brass wouldn`t show it. It has to be chamber related.

You gents hit it. I think it was a small bit of debris. I was able to first move it, then get rid of it after being a bit more aggressive on the cleaning. I don't know what it was.

Thanks all.

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I don't know what it was.

Me either.
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