Hard bolt closing

[Snuby642]

First fired 308 CBC brass.
Did 50 neck sized and 50 bumped 0.002.
Made some non primed test cases for seating test.
All rounds 0.040 off the lands.
Loaded the bumped rounds
168 eld match.
40-44g of varget.
Ruger bolt spa gun.

Bumped rounds were fine.
Neck sized was a hard close and hard bolt lift.
Have not loaded them as I have never neck sized before.

Thought it prudent to ask advice.

 

[AIAW]

So you were doing 50 neck-sized-only and 50 FL sized-only? Another words, the ones you were neck-sizing didn't get FL/body die sized?

If they are neck-sized only then it should be pretty easy - they just simply need FL sized. It's either going to be a needed shoulder-bump or the web expansion causing the issue most likely.

 

[JMGlasgow]

Full length size your brass.

 

[Steel head]

Ummmm

Bump the shoulders,,,,, problem solved.

I’m lazy so I neck size often but I’m willing to deal with minor issues that neck sizing can bring as I made that choice.

 

[Supersubes]

Snuby, come on dude! There should be no mystery here.

 

[Snuby642]

It was my son that wanted to go down the neck size rabbit hole not me.
Maybe the hard bolt talked him out of it. Confirmed my hassle level.

Figure to run the neck sized through fl die and check trim length. .
Yes I was only doing 50 of each to adjust new die set.
The bumped brass is 0.002 back from the neck sized so I guss it is at a reasonable minumum now.

I am new to 308 loading and double checking everything.

Want to laugh at my expense here you go.

I was stressing over land measurements not coming out exactly not consistant.
Decided to average, it was then that I realized I was stressing over a fourth place dimension!
Screwed with the Hornady powder chunker trying to get rid of 0.1 gn overage 1/4 of a percent? WTF
Thats like 1 or 2 granules of Varget. Lol

Some days you get wrapped up . Lol

 

[Steel head]

Sometimes neck sizing works well.

I usually get 2-3 firings on neck sized brass before bolt gets tight.

I know of other people/friends who can’t neck size for a rifle as as cases get overly tight immediately.

Not sure why it works for some rifles and not others.

 

[Snuby642]

I am guessing a chamber on the tight side of things.
Best measurement got me right to a go gauge dimension and at max 0.0005 more.

Granted this is with common tools not the 400$ sets.

Can't wait to get his 308 on a set of bags without the 20-35 mph winds we been having.
Not good for load development.

 

[Snuby642]

Another thing I noticed was Hornady load book looked conservitive with the max 44g of varget over the 168 eld mt
Compared to other 168g loads?

 

[Supersubes]

Sometimes neck sizing works well.

I usually get 2-3 firings on neck sized brass before bolt gets tight.

I know of other people/friends who can’t neck size for a rifle as as cases get overly tight immediately.

Not sure why it works for some rifles and not others.

If your loads are at sane pressure levels, you’ll get some springback, and things will work for a while. Probably where you’re at. Problem is, some grow a little more than others and need body(or FL) sizing sooner. First it’s two or three, next go round its ten. As you said, you’re willing to put up with it, but it drives me insane.

Edit: When someone gives me an action to rebarrel, I can always tell the neck sizers from the FL sizers. The neck sizers have hammered bolt lugs.

 

[Supersubes]

Another thing I noticed was Hornady load book looked conservitive with the max 44g of varget over the 168 eld mt
Compared to other 168g loads?

Not something to concern yourself with. Their test gun, their instrumentation, their powder lot, their human calibrating the instruments and interpreting the data.

Just like sizing, let your gun tell you what it needs.

 

[Snuby642]

Neck sizing.
Maybe this is more brass dependant to do with hardness and spring back?

 

[Steel head]

Not something to concern yourself with. Their test gun, their instrumentation, their powder lot, their human calibrating the instruments and interpreting the data.

Just like sizing, let your gun tell you what it needs.

This

 

[GBMaryland]

Yeah, so I usually trim the cases after a fireing where I only neck size.

Also, keep in mind, as I don’t think anyone said this... you canonly use thise rounds in the same chamber (i.e. rifle).

I’ve only necked belted magnums... 375 H&H, 300WM, and so on... as they can suffer from serious metal migration with FL resizing. (The 375 especially...)

Otherwise, its FL, clean em, cut / deburr ‘em, neck size....