I recently began reloading two of my magnum calibers, .300WSM and 7mm Rem Mag. I am using factory brass which is usually loaded pretty moderately. I am using Lee Pacesetter dies for my 7mm and Lee limited production dies for my .300WSM. Both calibers have been fired from Savage Rifles.

Does anyone know why some rounds will not chamber or are hard to chamber, even after I have followed directions to a T and have prepared the cases properly?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

First things first...

You are full-length resizing the cases...right?

Do the resized cases fit in the chamber BEFORE you seat the bullet?

Yes, I am full-length resizing. This ammo is used for hunting and the 7mm rem mag is used in two rifles (Savage 110 and Thompson Center Encore). All of the ammo reloaded will chamber in the Encore for some reason.

The newly resized cases do NOT fit in the chamber even after being trimmed.

Screw out the sizing die...

You are probably pushing the shoulder back and causing a ridge at the body/shoulder junction.

Have you mic'ed the cases? That would tell you which dimension(s) are causing problems.

If the brass is once fired in the rifle you are loading for you shouldn't have to full length resize. Bumping the shoulder will work the brass less and probably give better accuracy.

Take the case and color it completely with a black marker. Take it and firmly try to chamber it, but do not force it...you just want to rub it against whatever is jamming it enough to remove the marker.

Take it out and tell us where the black is rubbed off...its a big clue to where the problem lies.

What make of die? I had to send one back to the maker twice to get it to touch the shoulder at all.

Jaywalker

I had similar problems when I started loading for my 300 WSM. These cases are more sensitive to crimping than are normal 30/06 or 270 cases, etc. The sharp angle at the shoulder is apt to splay if the crimp is set too tight. I begin by preparing one case, then placing it up in the bullet seating/crimp die (without bullet)and feel for the mouth of the case to contact for the crimp. I run the bullet seat plunger most of the way out and concentrate on the crimp. I am looking for the slightest contact and a loose crimp, this is something you have to feel in the press operating rod. You need not crimp too hard. Next, I take another prepared case (without primer) and repeat the process, only using a bullet this time. After the process, I check to make sure that the bullet is snug. Finally, I start adjusting the bullet seat depth to the desired length and seat the bullet to it's desired depth. After all this is done, I test chamber the round. Try this and see if it helps. Once you get that crimp right, all the rest of your loads should go smoothly.

The dies are made by Lee. 7mm is a pacesetter set with crimping die. The 300wsm is the Lee limited production set without a crimping die. Unfortunately, Lee has not produced a set of necking dies; they only make full length dies for the 300WSM.

I chose Lee because that is a brand that seemed to be reliable and priced right for a beginning reloader. I have not purchased a set of Mic's yet. I am just getting into the challenging sport of reloading. From the literature and information from a seasoned reloader, they said that if you are using rounds for hunting you should full length size. For what reason, I have yet to find out.

I'll try the marker trick to see where the rubbing is.

I have also contacted Lee Precision. They have said that they have troubles with the 300WSM but not the 7mm. They want me to send them the dies and empties from factory loads.

If you're going to be reloading for two differenct rifles, hence chambers, you should segregate the brass and use it for dedicated rifles. The contender frames do flex somewhat upon firing, and brass fired in their chambers hence has a tendancy to grow. When bottlenecked rounds grow, the shoulder can't always be pushed back enough to fit another chamber. Also, on a belted mag round the very bottom of the case above the belt is not sized, and if fired in a larger dia chamber, it won't fit a smaller chamber even after sizing.

I've used many lee dies and never had a problem with them, though every co can put out a bum die now and again.

I had the same problem once with my Browning A-Bolt in Rem 7-Mag. My problem was I loaded the bullets to the listed MOCL (max overall cartridge length) and the bullets were hitting the lands of the rifling, resulting in the reloads not chambering in my Browning. They worked just fine in my friends 7-mag. Long story short, it seems that my Browing A-Bolt has a relative short throat. I used the black marker trick and set back the bullets accordingly, and now is all well. As it turns out, that gun is my favorite hunting rifle.

Woody

steves advice is a quick check for a common problem. Check the body diameter a little before the body/shoulder junction and then slide the calipers to the junction,..if that dia grows, you have "bulged" the shoulder and need to back the die out a bit. (BTDT).

Another thing that can bite you; If the inside neck
sizer lacks lube it can drag the shoulder forward
abit. Hard to notice, easy to fix.
Good luck1

[QUOTE] Also, on a belted mag round the very bottom of the case above the belt is not sized, and if fired in a larger dia chamber, it won't fit a smaller chamber even after sizing.[QUOTE] More then likely the problem.

MT,

My $0.02 worth....

I use and enjoy Lee Prescision Products and many of them are IMHO the some of the most innovative and best on the market, including some of their Dies.

I always replace Lee's Die Lock Ring with a replacement that firmly attaches to the Die with a set screww. The reason I do this is to ensure I don't move the Die setting from one use to another. This can occur when you are using a Lee die and their rubber "O" ring. What I'm getting at here is that you may not be setting the Die consitantly from one use to the next.

I agree with ricci above:

1. You are as most novices tend to do; either pushing the shoulder of the cartridge back when resizing creating a ridge at the shoulder/bidy junction, or
2. Buckling the neck with the crimper on the Seating Die.

Lee gave you a good option, send them some samples and let them offer some suggestions.

Have fun with your new hobby, hope things work out better next time. Either way, relaoding isn't Rocket Science, so don't give up - it's a lot of fun and affords you the opportunity to shoot more in the two catridges you've selected.

quote:

Also, on a belted mag round the very bottom of the case above the belt is not sized, and if fired in a larger dia chamber, it won't fit a smaller chamber even after sizing.

Paul is right, I just loaded about 100+ rounds for a Model 70 of my friends and My Redding dies would not size a few of the cases down enough above the belt for them to chamber. They were once fired factory brass from a different rifle and despite being in great shape and still alot of life left in them, My Redding Die jsut would take em' down enough above the Belt. Luckily, I chambered every case in his rifle to make sure they functioned before I just loaded them and gave them to him.

This shouldn't be a problem in New Brass or brass that was fired in that particular rifle.

Good Luck

Reloader

Short Mags aren't belted.

quote:

Short Mags aren't belted.

Don't Believe anyone said they were.

Here's what he originally asked:

quote:

I recently began reloading two of my magnum calibers, .300WSM and 7mm Rem Mag. I am using factory brass which is usually loaded pretty moderately. I am using Lee Pacesetter dies for my 7mm and Lee limited production dies for my .300WSM. Both calibers have been fired from Savage Rifles.

Does anyone know why some rounds will not chamber or are hard to chamber, even after I have followed directions to a T and have prepared the cases properly?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

The 7RM is indeed belted......

Reloader

What I am going to do now is completely separate the rounds from each rifle and even start off with new empties and test to see if the Encore is the culprit for allowing expanded cases. I am also going to start watching if I get enough lube inside the neck. I also contacted a family member and he has a set of collet dies I can have so that I am full length sizing these expensive cases.