The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Reloading Neck Sized Brass has Stiff Bolt LiftGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| Neck Sized Brass has Stiff Bolt Lift | Login/Join |
| one of us |
I worked up several loads in my CZ 550 FS with New Norma brass. I neck sized, trimmed and loaded my best loads. I went back to the range only to find that every one of these loads had stiff bolt lift. They chambered very easily but were stiff after firing. I then loaded some rounds that were all the way down to "Start". Same stiff bolt lift. Next step was to Full Length size same brass and start over. Yup you guessed it, no stiff bolt lift with the same loads. What could be the cause of this? Maybe a chamber that is a bit out of round? Thanks | ||
|
one of us |
Normally when the chamber is out of round you will have trouble when you try and chamber the neck sized case unless it happens to line up perfectly. Is the shoulder of the chamber or bolt face a little rough and a tight fired case drags as you lift the bolt? As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
|
| One of Us |
so ur saying you only neck sized the brand new brass? there's your answer. it needed to be Full length sized before it's fired. all new brass should be FL sized, then neck sized after it's been fired. sounds like that's ur problem. Gun control is hitting your target. | |||
|
| one of us |
I'm sorry, I didn't make myself clear. The brass was new and Full Length sized. After working up loads I then only neck sized the brass. So, the brass was FL sized, fired, then neck sized. Sorry I left that out. | |||
|
| One of Us |
in that case, i'm not sure whats up.... Gun control is hitting your target. | |||
|
One of Us |
For some reason, the shoulders of your cases are moving forward. This usually only happens after multiple firings of neck sized cases. How many usually depends upon how hot the load is. It sounds to me like the brass is too soft. Is it lengthening with each firing? (Measure after sizing, either FL or neck). If this is the problem, a few firing/FL sizing cycles should work harden the brass enough to function normally, assuming it's not a bad alloy that they're made from. To confirm it, does the same thing happen with a different brand of brass? If the problem disappears, then you have a bad batch of brass. If it persists with different brass, then the problem is in the chamber. Then, I would first suspect excessive headspace from an overly long chamber. It could also be poor finishing of the neck and shoulder area of the chamber, in which case some careful polishing might help. A chamber cast with cerosafe might tell you what's up with it. ..And why the sea is boiling hot And whether pigs have wings. -Lewis Carroll | |||
|
One of Us |
Hey steve How are you neck sizing? Are you using a Lee Collet, a Redding Bushing, a neck sizing die with an expander, or a FL die set back to just size the neck? ____________________________________ There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice. - Mark Twain | Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. ___________________________________ | |||
|
| one of us |
Lee Collet | |||
|
| one of us |
I do have some Lapua Brass also, I will give that a try and see if it helps. Thanks | |||
|
| one of us |
Could be you are just loading too hot for the rifle. Back down a little and try the same setup to see if the problem goes away. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I have a friend go through the same problem with his .416 Rigby. The bolt lift was very hard after firing, so he backed way down with his load and still had hard bolt lift. Just like you guys said above, he changed brass and it still occured, come to find out, something moved inside the gun and created way to much sear engagement. After readjusting the trigger, it was fine. Just a thought, you might check if nothing else works. | |||
|
| one of us |
I did that. For example, my initial load work up started at 43 and ended at 46gr of R-22 with 140 Partitions. No problem at 46gr. After neck sizing and loading 46gr of R-22 the bolt was stiff. I then loaded up some 140 Partitions into the neck sized cases at 41gr, stiff bolt. I full length sized this Norma brass started low and went all the way to 47gr of R-22 with no problems. | |||
|
| one of us |
I would think that if it had something to do with the sizing die, it would be hard to chamber as well . . . not just stiff bolt lift. We Band of 45-70er's | |||
|
| One of Us |
I have one Lee Collet that creates a crush fit and I can't find the difference with a caliper https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tp.../568101304#568101304 This was a crush fit during the sizing process though not a stiff bolt lift after firing. ____________________________________ There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice. - Mark Twain | Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. ___________________________________ | |||
|
| one of us |
Hey Steve, You mentioned using the Lee Collet Die to do the Neck Sizing. What kind of Die did you use to do the Full Length Resizing? | |||
|
| one of us |
Hey Steve, You mentioned using the Lee Collet Die to do the Neck Sizing. What kind of Die did you use to do the Full Length Resizing?[/QUOTE] Just a regular RCBS FL Die. The FL die was adjusted to PFL size and give me just a slight bit of crush fit. These PFL sized loads chambered well, extracted well and shot shot so well it was scary. Maybe I should just stick with the PFL sizing and forget about the neck sizing on this one? | |||
|
| One of Us |
What difference does it make what kind of die he's using???? If the finished rounds chamber readidly, then the problem cannot be with the dies. Not to jack this thread but what is the logic of F/L sizing new brass before fire forming it? Seems like a waste of time to me. Assuming the brass will fit in the chamber which I've never had any new brass that wouldn't. | |||
|
| one of us |
Hey Steve, I must have somehow missed that part. And it is good to hear you have a totally excellent, "regular RCBS FL Die" that allows the rifle to shoot well. With that established, I'll back out and let the other guys that have experience with the Lee Collet Dies dive back in. I know Woods thinks highly of them, but of course he also thinks highly of those Stoney Point "Thingys" too.  | |||
|
| one of us |
I had the same problem with the Lee Collet neck sizer, and figured it was easier to lube cases and move back to FL-sizing than to try to figure it out. I did and it was. FWIW, I can't figure out what prevents neck-sized cases from growing in length over multiple firings. If they grow, then you'll get hard bolt lift. That's my major problem with them - "hard bolt lift" is another way of saying "headspace problem" as the lugs and lug recesses grind against one another. Jaywalker | |||
|
One of Us |
You cannot neck size brass for every caliber. From what I have read and seen, small calibers seem to do better with the neck sizing. Larger calibers and the WSM's have very hard time with a neck sizer. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Steve, that's weird. Obviously the rifle doesn't like the neck sizing, but as to why, I have no idea. If it were a rough chamber or neck, you would have the same problem no matter how you sized you cases. It can't be the brass because it happens with other kinds. You might have a slight headspace issue, but neck sizing should eliminate that issue, not accentuate it. I can almost understand where people who believe in witchcraft are coming from, as this is one of those situations that seem to defy logic. So, when in Rome... accept that the rifle has an attitude and FL size for it. ..And why the sea is boiling hot And whether pigs have wings. -Lewis Carroll | |||
|
| one of us |
Versifier: I wonder if you'd explain the mechanism by which neck-sizing eliminates headspace issues? I'm not saying you're wrong - I just don't understand. Neck-sizing doesn't affect the shoulder, as I understand it, and the head-to-shoulder measurement determines headspace. Jaywalker | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Reloading Neck Sized Brass has Stiff Bolt Lift
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia