cartage problem

[KPH]

A few years ago I bought a new Ruger rifle in a 338 Fed cal. I also bought a box of Federal 338 Fed. I zeroed the gun in back then with 4 cartidges put the gun up and didn't shoot it again till this year decided to hunt with it, took it out a few months ago and checked the zero with 3 cartidges . Took it out hunting other day and stared to load it and it would not chamber the first one I put in it. Tried some more and most would not chamber but got 4 to chamber went ahead and hunted. Came home got my load books out and checked the caridges found the shoulder was not sat back far enough. I had brought a die set long ago so I got it out removed the capping pin and resized the cartidges. Now if I had know nothing about reloading I would have probably blamed it on the gun.

 

[fairchaser]

You were essentially neck sizing with a full length sizer. For a hunting round where the most important thing is chambering the round, I would bump the shoulder at least 5 thousands. For a precision load, I bump back 2 thousands. Check the shoulder with a comparator. Hornady makes an inexpensive set. Check your rounds before hunting to make sure they will chamber easily.

 

[MUP]

You resized the ammo that was still loaded?

 

[DaveB]

Same question as MUP.

I would not personally resize while loaded even though setting the shoulder back should not create any dangerous condition. I would be inclined to break out my Forster bullet puller collets and start from scratch.


Aren't the factory rounds crimped?

 

[infoman jr.]

Please stop before you hurt yourself. Thoroughly clean your chamber and locking lugs.

cartridge

 

[KPH]

You resized the ammo that was still loaded?

Nothing to it like I said remove the de capping pin and do it, there is no danger.

 

[KPH]

Please stop before you hurt yourself. Thoroughly clean your chamber and locking lugs.

cartridge

How are you going to hurt yourself? The chamber barrel and lugs where clean.

 

[MUP]

You resized the ammo that was still loaded?

Nothing to it like I said remove the de capping pin and do it, there is no danger.

And the neck sizer. Seems it would be extremely tight for the neck channel to go over the neck with the bullet in it, as it is likely swelled out a .001" or so more than when it's just the empty brass neck. I've never done it, so just a guess on my part. Was it pretty hard to cam over?

 

[kamml]

I have always heard that neck sizing is what you do for once fired rounds from the same chamber. I use the Lee collet dies and have had very good luck with them and made some great very accurate ammo.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I'm surprised you were able to run a loaded round through a sizer die too. When I was just starting metallic cartridge loading back in college for some reason, which is long forgotten now, I tried sizing a loaded 22-250 round. When I tried to pull it out of the full length sizing die it tore the rim of the cartridge completely off and the rest of the cartridge didn't budge from the die. There I was a college kid with zero money to pay a gunsmith and little experience to get it fixed myself. Essentially what you have at that point is a very short barrel fully loaded and ready to fire if you accidentally hit the primer while trying to get it out of the die.

I do remember a very big pipe wrench and tap and die set being part of my final solution and I didn't do any damage to the die either.