A friend has shot some loads in his .243 not exceeding published max loads by Nosler's manual.The group shot great,but the were very hard to raise the bolt on.It was like they were to hot and created excess pressure,but the primers were nowhere near flattened ad there were no shiny marks on the case head that would leave me to believe that this load was to hot.It was the only load tested that done this so I can only assume that it reached to high of pressure.Anyone had this happen or have any comments?

sll, how did the rifle feed in and out on a non fired case using the same load?

Check his chamber for rust first, then mic a case and see if the chamber is cut out of round. Is this a new or used gun? Try a min load and see if it still does it.

The rounds chambered fine,rust is not a problem as this gun has been fired 20 times a week for the last 5 weeks and cleaned thoroughly after each session.It did not have any problems with lesser loaded rounds,as this leads me to believe that this certain load was too hot.But the cases showed no signs of excessive pressure.This gun has never had any problems with any other published max load data using any other bullet and powder combinations.

one oher thing to check then, is case length. trim a couple to the min. and see.

Trim length is not an issue as all 40 cases have been sized,trimmed to minimum length,chamfered,and flashholes de-burred in a uniform matter.Powder was also weighed on electronic scales and calibrated before start.

I have a 308 that I experienced the exact same problem. I finally found out it was the full length die------for some reason it goofed the cases up---------did it with Win. Fed. & Rem. cases------I sent the die back----they sent me a replacement-------in the meantime I bought a neck die----problem solved---------chambers great-----bolt opens easy--------I still don't have any idea what that full length die did to the cases-----
Good luck

Have you lubed the bolt lugs? It don't take much, but if the lugs get dry this will add to effort needed to open the bolt. They could also gall if left dry...a small amount on the cocking cam is good too..

Readjust your die to "bump" the shoulder just a tad and go back to work.

As I understand it, the rounds in question chambered fine before firing. Other loads (presumably loaded in the same way but with a different powder charge or bullet) or bullet did not exhibit sticky bolt lift.

If this is true, then despite the absence of other "signs", this particular load is running excessive pressures as evidenced by the number one pressure sign -- sticky bolt lift.

The topic is named "thigt chamber" but you don't mention anyting further about the thigtness of the chamber.
This remembers me of a friend who had its Sako 243 rebarreled a couple of years ago. When he got his rifle back from the gunsmith, all his reloads that worked fine in the original barrel, showed excessive pressure in the new barrel. He suspected that there was something wrong with the chamber dimensions and sent the rifle back to the gunsmith for checking up. The gunsmith then tested the rifle with RWS factory ammo and the barrel blew up with the second or third round he fired, destroying most of the rest of the rifle. Luckily the gunsmith was not injured severely and my friend was offered a new rifle for about 20% of the normal price.
I don't know for sure if it a tight chamber was the caused of it, but since then I learned that even when shooting factory ammo in a supposed good quality rifle you better be aware of pressure signs.

Sorry,I really did not mean "tight chamber",I meant sticky bolt lift on one certain load.This load was Nosler's listed max load for 55 gr. Ballistic Tips using 53 gr. of H380.This did not happen with the lesser loads.But,this is the first time that I have tried H380 in this gun and I have read that ball powders are real temperature sensative.These loads sat in a truck in 90 degree heat for 8 hours until we got off work to drive to the range and shoot afterwards.Do you think that this could have caused the high pressure in this load?The problem load shot the best group that this rifle has shot yet,but I do not like the sticky bolt lift.

I'm not to thrilled with the idea that the loaded shells sat in a truck all day - Temp inside was more like a 130 degrees. I live in Alabama and I store my reloads in the house during summer - garage sits at 90 all day and night long. Hodgdon takes great pride in that their granular powder is far less temperature sensitive than Alliant RL series of powders - which in comparison are much more sensitive - how this applies to H380 I don't know but you can go to the hodgdon.com site and ask their technical services people. It is a max load and a sticky bolt says too hot - hot weather or not - back of 2 grains or so - unless hodgdon says temp could be a significant factor. I have a 270 which I load with a max charge of 60 gr SC4831 and 130 gr bullet - this load has been a nationally recognized standard for years in a 270. But in mine the primers fall out after two reloads - so I've backed off to 58 gr. God I wish I had a chronograph -Oh Santa!

yes..sitting in the truck the temp. was problely over 120 F. This would tend to raise pressure. This is some thing to watch for when shootinf alot, like shooting praire dogs, many shots,barrel gets hot, chamber a round, let it set, see one more dog, shoot....high pressure..don't ask how I know.
What kind of brass were you using? Soft brass tends to drag more.
P.S. Lube them lugs.

Your friends rifle is trying to tell him something:THAT LOAD IS TOO HOT.For whatever reason,that load in that rifle,is too hot.A sticky bolt is a clear sign of excessive pressure.Much more reliable than any other indicator.

Bravo five one