The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

This could be down to number of firings for brass, as an example bowl fired may fit and 10X may have a shoulder dimension that just exceeds the upper limit of your chamber. I am confident the Lapua brass that has been a fired a few times in my AI will not chamber in your rifle and equally your brass would probably chamber with ease in my AI

phaedra1106 wrote:It chambered a Wolf factory round which is all I could get hold of.

All the .308 ammo I have is made using the same equipment, all cases are full length sized and trimmed to length using the same die and trimmer.

I don't understand why cases of different makes or the same make sized in the same die and trimmed on the same trimmer can then have a mix of work and not work. Surely the die sizes the cases to the same dimensions every time?.

So if my Steyr has a slightly long chamber the cases are fire-forming the shoulder too far forward and the die isn't pushing them far enough back when it re-sizes.

I can pick up another set of dies in the morning to try.

I have tried my Lapua brass which has been fired 4 times so far, same results. The RWS I got from John are once fired and the start of the shoulder is def. further back towards the base.

Quick update.

Took it to my RFD, tried re-sizing cases in his Redding and RCBS dies, very tight fit. He tried his headspace gauges and again a tight fit. He reckons the chambers just large enough to have passed proofing but is a very tight fit.

He reckons the simplest thing would be to skim .005" off my shell holder, then adjust the die down in stages to see if it gives enough "bumpage".

But you said it was chambering factory ammo fine?

In which case you are not resizing them back to spec.

Mike

I had a similar problem with PPU brass in 7mm-08. Like you, I was looking at the wrong end. Case head is where to look. Rim diameters and thickness and extractor claw groove measurements very inconsistant.

Solved it by binning the brass......

That said, their .223 brass has been outstanding!

Cases sized on his RCBS and Redding dies chamber but are slightly tight as is the headspace gauge which either means all 3 are wrong or it is in fact a tight chamber. The RWS cases I have from John (Bisley Shooting Services) chamber fine but I don't know what these were sized on. It chambered 1 piece of factory ammo which is all I could get to try.

It also chambered rounds I'd loaded in Federal cases, but, these have only been fired once so if the Steyr has a larger headspace would repeated firings be pushing the neck forwards each time, this won't cause a problem in the Steyr as it happily accepts cases f/l sized from the Lee die but the Howa is right on the minimum spec and doesn't accept them.

It's not only PPU brass, same thing with Lapua, Federal and Norma cases.

He's taken 20thou off the bottom of the die which will give me 1 full turn of adjustment, set the die and back off 1 turn then increase by 1/4 turns to the point the case chambers.

Forgot to add we also tried some of his Remington and Hornady cases sized on his dies and they wouldn't chamber either.

OK, set the die and increased until chamebering correctly, + 2/3 of a turn.

So, do I live with this or is it worth taking it back, I would assume they will stick a factory round in and if it chambers they will say it's fine.

Small update, got a new RCBS FL die set and sized a case, it's a tight fit when closing the bolt but it will close. Is it worth returning the action and asking them to have it looked at or do I just accept it's on the very limit of spec?.

phaedra1106 wrote:Small update, got a new RCBS FL die set and sized a case, it's a tight fit when closing the bolt but it will close. Is it worth returning the action and asking them to have it looked at or do I just accept it's on the very limit of spec?.

Beg, Borrow or steal a "small base" die first - see how that goes - willing to bet a pound it solves the problem

Mike

phaedra1106 wrote:Cases sized on his RCBS and Redding dies chamber but are slightly tight as is the headspace gauge which either means all 3 are wrong or it is in fact a tight chamber. The RWS cases I have from John (Bisley Shooting Services) chamber fine but I don't know what these were sized on. It chambered 1 piece of factory ammo which is all I could get to try.

It also chambered rounds I'd loaded in Federal cases, but, these have only been fired once so if the Steyr has a larger headspace would repeated firings be pushing the neck forwards each time, this won't cause a problem in the Steyr as it happily accepts cases f/l sized from the Lee die but the Howa is right on the minimum spec and doesn't accept them.

It's not only PPU brass, same thing with Lapua, Federal and Norma cases.

He's taken 20thou off the bottom of the die which will give me 1 full turn of adjustment, set the die and back off 1 turn then increase by 1/4 turns to the point the case chambers.

I use a Wamadet press and RCBS +004 shell holder to intentionally bump the shoulders back for consistent production.

Some of the brass I buy from the NRA (not their responsibility) is over size by a huge amount, some comes in with ridges both logitudinal and around the circumference. I reject about two per cent. There are some awfully large and ill cut chambers out there!

It sounds, and looks from the photo, that yours is tight on the limit which is good. The double line is disconcerting, have you had a bore scope in it?

If you know who chambered it you could have a word with him.

Some 'gunsmiths' use only a single reamer until it is completely worn out. A good one will use three, the last by hand.

The more worn the reamer, the smaller the chamber.

I can't cast nasturtiums but. :shifty:


Hope this helps