This post is 20 days old... I don't know if you solved your problem yet. But if you haven't ...Like you i have been reloading for many many years.. 40+ for me. Every gun has a different chamber dimmension. What works in one won't necessarily work in another. The factory ammo is sized to max dimension and should fit all guns.. But reloads are relying on the Die to make the dimmensions right. Sometims the dies aren't perfect or the gun chamber isn't/ I have resorted to measuring my chamber dimmensions.. ie Case length... I don't trim to the book spec because my chamber is longer. Head space i measure my specific gun headspace and use my bump gage to insure each casing/bullet is correct. I also measure the distance to the lands and use a bullet comparator to verify this dimmension for my finished round. I measure a fired case at the neck and size the neck only to about 3/1000 below the bullet size. Like you i have fired round after round and then suddenly had problems. Well when using max loads and having used the same case 5 to 6 times .... the case base starts to expand. I find i have extraction problems. The case body needs to be sized. Some dies are tighter at the base than others and some guns are also tighter or loose at this dimmension. You need to measure the fired case expanded to your chamber. Old brass shouldn't be used for max loads.. I have resorted to using a decapping die and only removing primers in one step. I use a neck die and only neck size when using non max loads. I also bump the shoulder using the neck sizing die. I use a body die and re size when the base starts to expand. I use only once or twice fired brass for max loads. Afterwards start expecting expansion and extraction symptoms. I chucked my FL sizing die and just use the body and neck die and depriming tool separately. Measure everything. and it all works. On the other end of the spectrum on the tough to extract cases check the primers to make sure they haven't backed out.This can cause a case to move forward and be hard to remove. Old cases can start to separate. You're shooting a savage .308 they have lots of free bore.. it takes a long bullet to reach the lands...Measure this dimmension. Measure the case wall and the bullet and know how tight your are seating the bullet. They shouldn't fall out unless you are seating them only finger tight like some long range competiton shooters. Also remember those max loads that have extraction problems...a max charge can be a little different for each round you load. The cases start to vary capacity wise and change the pressure.. Also temperature and variations in the powder affect the loads and a max load can become a hard to extract.. this can vary round per round.
.308 help needed
- Thread starter vahunter
- Start date
This post is 20 days old... I don't know if you solved your problem yet. But if you haven't ...Like you i have been reloading for many many years.. 40+ for me. Every gun has a different chamber dimmension. What works in one won't necessarily work in another. The factory ammo is sized to max dimension and should fit all guns.. But reloads are relying on the Die to make the dimmensions right. Sometims the dies aren't perfect or the gun chamber isn't/ I have resorted to measuring my chamber dimmensions.. ie Case length... I don't trim to the book spec because my chamber is longer. Head space i measure my specific gun headspace and use my bump gage to insure each casing/bullet is correct. I also measure the distance to the lands and use a bullet comparator to verify this dimmension for my finished round. I measure a fired case at the neck and size the neck only to about 3/1000 below the bullet size. Like you i have fired round after round and then suddenly had problems. Well when using max loads and having used the same case 5 to 6 times .... the case base starts to expand. I find i have extraction problems. The case body needs to be sized. Some dies are tighter at the base than others and some guns are also tighter or loose at this dimmension. You need to measure the fired case expanded to your chamber. Old brass shouldn't be used for max loads.. I have resorted to using a decapping die and only removing primers in one step. I use a neck die and only neck size when using non max loads. I also bump the shoulder using the neck sizing die. I use a body die and re size when the base starts to expand. I use only once or twice fired brass for max loads. Afterwards start expecting expansion and extraction symptoms. I chucked my FL sizing die and just use the body and neck die and depriming tool separately. Measure everything. and it all works. On the other end of the spectrum on the tough to extract cases check the primers to make sure they haven't backed out.This can cause a case to move forward and be hard to remove. Old cases can start to separate. You're shooting a savage .308 they have lots of free bore.. it takes a long bullet to reach the lands...Measure this dimmension. Measure the case wall and the bullet and know how tight your are seating the bullet. They shouldn't fall out unless you are seating them only finger tight like some long range competiton shooters. Also remember those max loads that have extraction problems...a max charge can be a little different for each round you load. The cases start to vary capacity wise and change the pressure.. Also temperature and variations in the powder affect the loads and a max load can become a hard to extract.. this can vary round per round.
I double posted by accident.. but i gave you something to read and consider... Now this is what i suspect is really happening.
Just from my expirence.. Take a case that is fired in your gun that is head spaced almost exactly to your gun. It should feed into and the bolt close easily. Next remove the primer and re insert the case and verify it still chambers easily. Now take the shell out of the gun and insert an old spent primer.. Only do not seat it completely. Leave the primer out enough so that the head space should interfere with re installing the case. Now you will insert the case into the gun and try to close the bolt. It should be very hard... Maybe you can't close the bolt. Reseat the primer and reinsert into the gun. It should close readily.. NOw what happens when a primer backs out of a primer pocket when you are using old brass an max loads. Maybe a primer backs out just enough to interfer with the head spacing.. Making the shell tight and hard to extract.
Forcing the bolt reseats the primer and you get the shell out..Next time this happens check the primer to see how flush it is or is it recessed in the case. in which case this is not the problem.. But what about case streach causing the same problem...It's a probable..
Just from my expirence.. Take a case that is fired in your gun that is head spaced almost exactly to your gun. It should feed into and the bolt close easily. Next remove the primer and re insert the case and verify it still chambers easily. Now take the shell out of the gun and insert an old spent primer.. Only do not seat it completely. Leave the primer out enough so that the head space should interfere with re installing the case. Now you will insert the case into the gun and try to close the bolt. It should be very hard... Maybe you can't close the bolt. Reseat the primer and reinsert into the gun. It should close readily.. NOw what happens when a primer backs out of a primer pocket when you are using old brass an max loads. Maybe a primer backs out just enough to interfer with the head spacing.. Making the shell tight and hard to extract.
Forcing the bolt reseats the primer and you get the shell out..Next time this happens check the primer to see how flush it is or is it recessed in the case. in which case this is not the problem.. But what about case streach causing the same problem...It's a probable..
I seated a 150 gr .308 GK to the lands in my savage rifle. I measured COAL of 2.864. From the tip of the bullet to the case head.
Hornady gage
I then measured the ogive length using my hornady calipers and an 8-30 bullet comparator (hornady gage).Zeroed the gage and it reads 1.06. I then measure the ogive and it reads 3.293(3.293-1.06= 2.33
Sinclair hex gage
I also have a hex bullet comparator (Sinclair) it zeros at .997 and the bullet seated to the lans measures 3.194,
3.194-.997=2.097
These readings depend on using my guage my equipment.They all vary so you can only make relative assements.. But if you have either you can "sort of" compare.
The sierra manual call out for a Max COAL of 2.800 for this bullet..That means that if i seated the bullit to max cartridge lenght it is about .064 thousands away from the lands for me.. Let me know what you find.
Hornady gage
I then measured the ogive length using my hornady calipers and an 8-30 bullet comparator (hornady gage).Zeroed the gage and it reads 1.06. I then measure the ogive and it reads 3.293(3.293-1.06= 2.33
Sinclair hex gage
I also have a hex bullet comparator (Sinclair) it zeros at .997 and the bullet seated to the lans measures 3.194,
3.194-.997=2.097
These readings depend on using my guage my equipment.They all vary so you can only make relative assements.. But if you have either you can "sort of" compare.
The sierra manual call out for a Max COAL of 2.800 for this bullet..That means that if i seated the bullit to max cartridge lenght it is about .064 thousands away from the lands for me.. Let me know what you find.
