I am experiencing a hard closing bolt on a Rem 700 in 7mm Rem Magnum. This happens on some new rounds as well as on my reloads.

When I force the bolt closed I end up shaving a bit of brass from the rim of the case. This happens by the extractor.

I can almost eliminate the problem by setting the sizing die down further but it must be set down far enough that I put a small dent on the neck of the case. This dent is not from lube on the case and by setting the die up by about a 1/16 of a turn I can eliminate the dent but then I encounter the hard closing bolt and rim shaving as I described above.

Appreciate any suggestions, Mike

Seriously, the poster here "woods" can tell you how to EXACTLY! size your brass to be a perfect fit with the chamber. I believe that Man has it perfectly understood and can help you size it perfectly.

Now, for the dents, use imperial sizing wax, hornady sizing wax, or either the dillon spray lube, hornady 1 shot, or hornady 1 shot -no-haz-mat and you won't have lube/grease dents anymore

Thanks, kind words indeed jeffe

Mike, what kind of sizing die are you useing and exactly how are you setting the die in the press. For example are you raising the ram and threading the die in until it hits the ram and then stopping there? Do you back it up 1/4 turn or thread it in an additional 1/4 turn?

Can you take a picture of the dent in the neck and post it here? Is it close to the mouth, run longitudinally along the neck or just an indentation somewhere on the neck?

Do you have any kind of headspace gauge?

That'll get us started. I could be anything from inconsistant brass dimensions, to too much lube, to setting the die wrong.

If it's not a sizing issue then send it to jeffe, he can fix it if it's a gun issue.

I'd like to know how the extractor shaves brass from the rim because it is suppose to ride over the rim. Perhaps, since it does in on factory rounds, there is something wrong with your extractor...like it's not moving aside to ride over the rim.

Dents are really caused by trapped air which is enhanced with too much lube. ANY lube will cause dents. Some die manufacturers use to put bleed holes on the sizing dies, but many have quit now. One thing is to make sure no lube is on the neck or shoulder slant.

First determine if your extractor is the problem. It shouldn't do this on factory rounds.

Joe

CaptMike, lube dents in the neck of a cartridge do not add or detract from the performance of the cartridge. You can try to keep the lube to a minimum on the neck and shoulders and perhaps the dents won't happen, but the case needs to be sized so that it fits the chamber properly.

Guys, I am using a Redding set of dies. I mis-spoke a bit about the dents. They are in the shoulder, not the neck.

To set the die I screw it in until the bottom of the die meets the shell holder with ram fully up. I then lower the ram and screw the die down a bit less than a 1/4 turn more.

I thought I was being careful about not getting any lube on the shoulder or neck but when I took the die out and looked into it I could see a bit of lube in the shoulder area of the die.

After cleaning that out I have no more dents. I can put a resized case completely into the chamber without forcing it so it appears they are fitting the gun.

I think my issue is with the extractor. I still have the fine brass shaving that is being made when I try and lock the bolt handle down.

I cleaned all the small bits of brass from the bolt face and from the chamber and the shaving is very minimal but the problem is still there.

This shaving is occuring on the rim, by the extractor, and opposite the plunger that pushes on the side of the case head.

Thinking back, this problem has always been present, just not as noticeable. Thanks for the help, Mike.

quote:

Originally posted by CaptMike:
Guys, I am using a Redding set of dies. I mis-spoke a bit about the dents. They are in the shoulder, not the neck.

To set the die I screw it in until the bottom of the die meets the shell holder with ram fully up. I then lower the ram and screw the die down a bit less than a 1/4 turn more.

I thought I was being careful about not getting any lube on the shoulder or neck but when I took the die out and looked into it I could see a bit of lube in the shoulder area of the die.

After cleaning that out I have no more dents. I can put a resized case completely into the chamber without forcing it so it appears they are fitting the gun.

I think my issue is with the extractor. I still have the fine brass shaving that is being made when I try and lock the bolt handle down.

I cleaned all the small bits of brass from the bolt face and from the chamber and the shaving is very minimal but the problem is still there.

This shaving is occuring on the rim, by the extractor, and opposite the plunger that pushes on the side of the case head.

Thinking back, this problem has always been present, just not as noticeable. Thanks for the help, Mike.

From your original post I suspected the extractor. Take the bolt out of the rifle and see if you can work the rim of an empty case to slip past it. Push the ejector plunger down with the case and then lever the case against the extractor and try slip past it. It shouldn't be super hard. If it is or doesn't go then something is binding it.

Joe

you might wanna clean your die also they come from the factory with a thick oil on them and a piece of whatever could be caught in there.
i have also heard of a die set for the belted magnums that just sizes down the body to the belt so you don't have to resize the shoulder and can actually headspace from the shoulder as well as the belt for enhanced accuracy.

quote:

hornady 1 shot

In my opinion: pure crap. I sprayed and the cases stuck. I use Hornady Case Lube (it's pure beeswax-- a little goes a long way) on my 300WSM brass or cheap, Dollar Store cooking spray on my .223 plinkin' brass. I lay out the cases in the broiler tray from my oven, spray lightly, roll them around to coat evenly and resize 'em so fast they almost start smokin'...

If you have trouble closing the bolt, do not force it. You will gall the lugs and then you got nothing. Your shoulder is too close to the casemouth. It needs to be moved back by 1 or 2 thou. When my gunsmith built my rifle, he turned up a dummy chamber from a piece of barrel steel. The chamber in the dummy was cut with the reamer used to chamber the barrel. Result is I have an exact duplicate of my chamber, which allows me to measure headspace and set my dies accordingly. Proper setting is .0025 inches clearance between the die and the shellholder in my rifle. I can also use the dummy to set seating depth. I have run 7mmWSM cases through my 300WSM dies and most fit my rifle with just a red hair's worth of effort required to close the bolt with the firing pin and spring assembly removed. Those that don't almost "fall" into the chamber are run through the die again.