Gents,

I have a bit of a problem with my .348 with cases sticking. Seems that after a number of firings the shells have begun to stick in the chamber after firing, but the problem has been progressive, with no such symptoms for the first 2-3 firings. The cases now have 5-6 firings and are sticking when I rack the lever.

At first I thought I was getting pressure signs, but the loads (various) are the same, the problem is new.

So I got to thinking... I'm using an RCBS shell holder, but the die is a Redding. Are they compatible? If not, will a Redding shell holder fit my RCBS press?

I also noticed that the bullet seating stem is screwed in way past where it should be as well to get propper seating depth. Should have tipped me off right from the start that something was wrong...

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

May want to get a small base die set in 348 win more than likely will have to be a special order from RCBS maybe Redding.

I do know that there is a spec for shell holder thickness of 0.25" that all manufacturers follow to make them interchangeable. Redding should fit RCBS.

Something does not sound right about you having to screw the seating die stem in so far. By this I mean the problem is more than shellholder tolerance.

There is also the possibility that the brass just isn't going back to it's proper dimensions. If you are allowing the shell holder to contact the bottom of the full length die, and the fired cases don't chamber easily, you could also try to use the Redding shell holder set which has varing degrees of push for the die. Sorry, said/explained that poorly: The shell holders vary in dimension allowing differing degrees of sizing. Good luck.

Remington, are you using a fl die or a neck sizer when you are sizing the cases

Thanks for the quick replies guys. I have the full length die set to contact the shell holder, and the shell holder does contact the die when sizing the cases.

I have compaired resized cases, and they are about .001" larger in diameter than virgin brass (for the entire length of the case), so it seems that the cases are not being sized back enough. I can't tell if the shoulder is being touched by the die or not at this point. Suggestions?

Still wondering about possible differences between shellholders. Not sure I understand 308Saco's comment about Redding shellholders allowing different degrees of sizing, but if the Redding die will work in my RCBS press that may be the first place to start. I certainly don't want to can the brass as it's hit or miss getting it, as well as being a little pricey. I'm hoping to solve the problem without buying new dies if possible.

Thanks for the help, keep the suggestions coming, I'm 'listening'...

Sounds like the cases aren't being sized enough, and at end of the life for the cases after 5-6 reloadings (work hardened).

If the die/shellholder combo works for the first few reloadings and nothing has changed, the brass is your variable.

A case headspace gauge (Forester) will tell you if the cases are being sized down back to proper headspace/dimensions and case length. If not (and again, if everything worked OK for the first few reloadings) the cases are overworked and should be discarded.

Redding makes a set of competition shellholders, diff thicknesses to control headspace but your standard one should work here OK. I don't think this is problem here.

hth

How many rounds have been fired through your 348, and how old is the firearm? That is an "old" cartridge. Is it possible that you have a chamber with an area that has been compressed from extensive firings, and now you have a "ring" in the chamber? I would expect that point to be just forward of the case web where the highest pressure is, and that the cases are sticking because the brass has work hardened due to repeated firings/sizings. The firing "impact extrudes" the case into the "ring" and the hardened brass is tough enough to keep them from easy extraction. Lever guns do not have the strong camming action that bolt guns do, for easier loading and/or extraction.

What do the fired cases mike just forward of the web? Do they look obviously larger? If so, the fix is a small base sizing die, specifically for lever guns and semi-autos. They size all the way dow to the web, where conventional dies do not...

The first step is to scrub the chamber clean, then get a head space gauge.
Next, readjust your sizing die to not only contact the shell holder, but to force the press to "cam over" when the ram is in its highest position. This will take all slack out of the press linkage and afford maximum sizing action by the die. To do this one must screw the die down when the ram is in the up position, lower the ram somewhat, then screw the die down an additional 1/8 to 1/4 turn and set the locking ring. If this does not produce the desired results, you need to look at the shell holder as others have suggested, or another set of dies with matching shell holder.
Readjust your seating die too. Set it so as to have about a .01" gap between the bottom of the die and the shell holder. A nickel, or dime a works great for this. Then, and only then readjust the seater stem to gain your COL. It's a pain to seat/crimp in one operation, that's why I crimp separately.
I had a similar problem with my 348, but it was traced to verdigris that the cartridges picked up from a leather case holder. Not only did that green gunk up the chamber, it got into the dies before I caught it.

Doubles, The rifle was unfired as of last year--it's a Browning reproduction model 71. Could be the cases are old and work hardened, but would that prevent resizing? I've been mopping the chamber, but I'll use a solvent next time. I have been using Wipe-Out to clean the bore, so mabe that is leaving residue in the chamber.

I'm going to load up a fresh batch of virgin brass to try out next session, that should eliminate several of the possible problems.

By the way, since my last post I smoked some fired cases and ran them through the die and it looked like the shoulder was getting bumped by the die--meaning the shell holder is ok?

"Could be the cases are old and work hardened, but would that prevent resizing?"
No, it won't. The presses nowadays are engineered to give significant mechanical advantage... The cases are being re-sized just fine...

"I've been mopping the chamber, but I'll use a solvent next time. I have been using Wipe-Out to clean the bore, so mabe that is leaving residue in the chamber."
Not likely... I think it is something else.

"By the way, since my last post I smoked some fired cases and ran them through the die and it looked like the shoulder was getting bumped by the die--meaning the shell holder is ok?"

Yes. It is really unusual to have a shell holder be the problem.

One other thing comes to mind... Have you trimmed the brass? If you aren't trimming, and are screwing the sizing die down all the way, you are pushing the shoulder back ~.006" every time you full length size the brass. That brass that is being pushed forward to take up the slop between brass and chamber (which the dies are engineered to make sure exists so the round will chamber) is being extruded out into the neck each time you size... The end result is that the longer than normal LOADED brass is being forced into the leade where the bullet is held "hard", and is "impact welded" with the shot. The case is hard to extract due to the increased pressure caused by holding the bullet hard against the leade. The exrra pressure kind of welds the brass to the chamber.
That would also explain why you are having to seat the bullets deeper: the extra brass protruding into the chamber is trying to stop the shell from being loaded....

Does all this (or any of it, for that matter...)
make sense?

Doubless, thanks for the reply. I do trim the brass to get the proper crimp on the cannelure of the bullets at a given COAL. The length of the brass has been consistent from the first loads. If the problem persists with new brass, then something else is going on, either the chamber is damaged (scratched) or some other mechanical problem has developed. hoping its the brass/dies. Much easier to fix...

This may be a redundant question, but are you trimming your cases regularly? I've found in lever guns with significantly tapered cartridges that case length grows faster than with other cases. Trim back to minimum length and see if the problem continues. If you have been trimming...well I'll just shut my mouth.