Shoulder bump

[Boondoggle]

Recently had some FTF issues that I've run down to seating primers to deep with a combination of too much pocket reaming and seating a couple of .308 primers too shallow (read as I wasn't going to make that same mistake again so I squeezed the bejeezus out of the priming tool).

But I want to double check that it couldn't be related to a resizing/shoulder bump issue. Using Hornady full length die with a Hornady shell holder. You can see the shoulder difference looking at them side by side and it's more obvious when I put them in the Sheridan guage. They chamber fine but are a little sticky to eject so I wondering if I need to bump the shoulder back to SAAMI spec? I set up the resizing die as per the instructions.


This was the 3rd reloading for the brass and I had one FTF on the second batch and six today. Looking at the primers they are pretty deep and there's no strike mark from the firing pin. Didn't think you could ream the pockets too deep with a fixed reamer but apparently I did.

[dega37]

Would you describe the FTF a bit more? Was the BCG not going all the way forward, and the lug not locking? Or was is something else? What chamber variant is your barrel stamped with and who is the manufacturer?

[VASCAR2]

What brass are you using, I have to readjust my Hornady sizing dies if I'm sizing Lapua brass compared to Hornady brass. If I didn't raise my sizing die a little for Lapua I was getting a crease in the web area of the Lapua brass.

I have a Sheridan gauge and I'd be surprised if this is a primer depth issue. I bet your bolt was just barely out of battery thus causing no firing pin strike. Was the failure to fire round difficult to extract? If it was difficult to extract I'd bet the bolt wasn't completely in battery.

Do your reloaded rounds drop easily out of the barrel with no BCG in the barrel. If you need a cleaning rod to push the rounds out of the barrel you have a sizing issue or the bullets are seated to long.

What bullets and what cartridge overall length were you using?

[Boondoggle]

Would you describe the FTF a bit more? Was the BCG not going all the way forward, and the lug not locking? Or was is something else? What chamber variant is your barrel stamped with and who is the manufacturer?

Round would chamber and then just click. Barrel is one of the Faxon 16" group buy barrels.

[Boondoggle]

What brass are you using, I have to readjust my Hornady sizing dies if I'm sizing Lapua brass compared to Hornady brass. If I didn't raise my sizing die a little for Lapua I was getting a crease in the web area of the Lapua brass.

I have a Sheridan gauge and I'd be surprised if this is a primer depth issue. I bet your bolt was just barely out of battery thus causing no firing pin strike. Was the failure to fire round difficult to extract? If it was difficult to extract I'd bet the bolt wasn't completely in battery.

Do your reloaded rounds drop easily out of the barrel with no BCG in the barrel. If you need a cleaning rod to push the rounds out of the barrel you have a sizing issue or the bullets are seated to long.

What bullets and what cartridge overall length were you using?

Using Lapua brass and yes the round was pretty hard to eject. Had two use two hands with the stock against my shoulder. It looked at quick glance that it was in battery but I could be wrong. Using 123 SSTs and 129 ABLRs. Was doing a couple of OCW tests. Haven't tried the barrel drop test but the first loading had zero issues the second only one round out of 40. This is the third loading and the brass is noticeably tighter in the Sheridan.

[dega37]

Would you measure a few points around the case Web? Do you have shoulder comparator that you measure?

[LR1955]

Using Lapua brass and yes the round was pretty hard to eject. Had two use two hands with the stock against my shoulder. It looked at quick glance that it was in battery but I could be wrong. Using 123 SSTs and 129 ABLRs. Was doing a couple of OCW tests. Haven't tried the barrel drop test but the first loading had zero issues the second only one round out of 40. This is the third loading and the brass is noticeably tighter in the Sheridan.

BD:

You are reaming the primer pockets in Lapua Brass? Although that isn't what is causing the loaded cartridge to stick, it will do more harm than good. Reaming primer pockets on Lapua brass and neck turning Lapua brass will do one thing for you. It will increase the potential that you will have problems with function and probably precision. You said that you saw no intentation of the primer? Although I doubt it was totally due to reaming the primer pockets, I am pretty sure reaming had something to do with the problem.

I had the same problem with a bolt action Match Rifle many years ago. I thought I would be slick and turn Lake City brass into something of value. I neck turned inside and outside, primer pocket reamed, trimmed, sized and then checked to see if it would chamber and extract with ease. The brass had a hard time chambering. Messed around with it for a couple of hours by bumping, not bumping, etc and finally got something that would fire. Shot the brass (it didn't shoot any better than if I hadn't ruined it by making it perfect) and had the same problems with chambering again. Got some to actually chamber and some of those would not fire at all. Light primer strikes.

Threw the brass away and sized down some LC brass that I had only trimmed to length with neck deburring. Chambered and fired perfectly. Sized down and fired perfectly again.

I never figured out what happened or why so will be interested to see what other guys say.

I do know that of all the brass out there, the one that you do not need to do anything to out of the box is Lapua. Size it and shoot it. After ten firings from your Grendel blaster, check to see if it is within specs for length. Polish it if you want trim if needed, and shoot it for another ten firings then check again.

LR55

[JASmith]

Using Lapua brass and yes the round was pretty hard to eject. Had two use two hands with the stock against my shoulder. It looked at quick glance that it was in battery but I could be wrong. Using 123 SSTs and 129 ABLRs...

Check your bullets for engraving by the lands. Those marks will be very close to the case neck -- within about 1/2 caliber.

If the marks are present, seat the bullets deeper.

If that is not the issue, use the "cheap alternate" to machinist's blue and coat your cartridge using a permanent marking pen. Then chamber, try to bring the bolt into battery, then eject.

You might get some land marks this time, but you are really looking for signs of contact on the shoulder. I did not know what to look for when I did it, but soon realized the shiny mark around the body-shoulder junction was where my case was making early contact and trying to wedge into the chamber.

Going to a full-length size instead of partial "neck only" fixed the problem.

[Sticks]

Your FTFire - I'd take a long hard look at your firing pin for length, and obstruction in the bolt. I can't imagine primers getting seated so deep that the pin does not touch it.

Second concern is that your rifle is allowing the hammer to drop out of battery - not even hitting the firing pin.

I had the same issue with my Mk12. I had a run of LC home cooking that the neck was not trimmed enough and the brass was getting jammed in the throat causing FTFire (no hammer fall either). Had to happen during Day 1 of a 2 day training course. Suffice to say I got real good at clearing.

I went through the remaining 700 rounds that night from that lot and culled 50 more that failed the case gauge check. Shoulder and COAL was right on, but the neck was out about .020 (IIRC). Disassemble and recycle.

[Boondoggle]

Well Horde thank you as usual for all the help. So I just resized the fired brass from yesterday. Dropped it in the Sheridan and it's clearly long. Tried to trim it in my WFT and a case that should trim isn't close to the cutter so the shoulder's not right either. Figured I setup the sizing die again and sure enough it wasn't right. Some how it must have spun in the locking ring and I didn't notice it. Reset it reran the brass a low and behold drops right in the Sheridan like a new case.

After measuring the FTFs from yesterday it was a combination of shoulder and not resizing the full length of the case. I suppose I'll start dropping each case in the Sheridan after I size it now just to be sure.

Thanks again Horde!

[Sticks]

Glad you got it figured out.

[VASCAR2]

Glad you got it sorted out, can be aggravating but these kinds of things have happened to a lot of us. I hope you enjoy your new Faxon as much as I have mine.

[Boondoggle]

Glad you got it sorted out, can be aggravating but these kinds of things have happened to a lot of us. I hope you enjoy your new Faxon as much as I have mine.

Thanks and the barrel looks like a really good shooter. I've been chasing some velocity with different powders and wanted to try the 129gr AB LR. That's what was frustrating about yesterday since I couldn't get a good read on velocities especially since I'm trying CFE 223 and it was only about 45 degrees.

Hope to get a final load worked up by the end of the year.

[dega37]

I would keep a record of you length from datum with some calipers and a comparator, that way you can always double check.

[sneaky one]

I trimmed all my Lapua brass to 1.515 when new-- none of them have lengthened past 1.521 - some after 15 reloads.

All the small details are what makes loading fun.