Out of the box Tikka will not chamber rounds

[bradworley]

Trying to figure out if this is a gun issue, or a me issue.
Bolt will not close on a lot of rounds and is really hard to close on the others. So far, none of the rounds I've loaded will chamber easily.
Everything is within SAAMI spec.
Tikka t3x varmint 6.5CM
120gr BTHP
OAL 2.68
Headspace 1.915
I even tried loading an empty case that measures 1.915
It will chamber, but the bolt is very hard to close
At this point, I'm almost ready to take it to a gunsmith as I've heard it sucks to deal with Beretta.

 

[Kadams1563]

If your rifle will not load a single factory round you should have an email into the manufacture already.

There is no reason to keep trying

 

[bradworley]

If your rifle will not load a single factory round you should have an email into the manufacture already.

There is no reason to keep trying

These are all hand loads. On my way to the store now to pick up some factory ammo. If those won't load... Well, yeah I'll have to contact Beretta

 

[Mike Casselton]

Are these factory loads or reloaded ammunition?

If they are factory, you could have a problem. It could also be an issue with the factory ammunition.

If they are reloaded, then they just don't fit your particular chamber.

You mentioned headspace being 1.915.
It's not. That would be your case length.
Headspace is measured from the base of the cartridge to the datum line, which is normally the middle of the shoulder.


To help troubleshoot your issue, we need more and better information.

The empty brass you tried in your chamber:
Is it new or fired in another rifle?
What is the neck diameter of a loaded round?
Are your primers seated properly?

Many more questions need to be asked and answered before we can help you.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Just saw your post about factory ammo.
That would be my next step also

 

[37L1]

Some fired 6.5 CM in one rifle will not fit in another 6.5 CM rifle after re-sizing. Had that happen before and to others as well. It seemed to come down to slightly different chambers with the problem being in the area around the case web. I manged to get mine to eventually work by switching to a different die.

 

[bradworley]

Are these factory loads or reloaded ammunition?

If they are factory, you could have a problem. It could also be an issue with the factory ammunition.

If they are reloaded, then they just don't fit your particular chamber.

You mentioned headspace being 1.915.
It's not. That would be your case length.
Headspace is measured from the base of the cartridge to the datum line, which is normally the middle of the shoulder.


To help troubleshoot your issue, we need more and better information.

The empty brass you tried in your chamber:
Is it new or fired in another rifle?
What is the neck diameter of a loaded round?
Are your primers seated properly?

Many more questions need to be asked and answered before we can help you.

Sorry, headspace is 1.56
Diameter is.29
Brass is fired from another rifle
And primers are seated properly.

 

[Mike Casselton]

One of the things that will help you in the future is to make sure you are measuring to the .001.

An example would be referring to neck diameter.
For two of my 6-BRs, they use neck turned brass. The chamber has a neck diameter of .262.

If I load ammunition to .261 or smaller, it fits.
If it's .262, it won't.

If I was having a problem clambering a round and I told someone the neck diameter was .26, it wouldn't help either of us because that would mean it could be anywhere between .260 and .269.

.269 would be .008 too large and never have a chance to enter the neck.

Make sure when you are passing on information, that you include all of the numbers past the decimal point.


I see you're from Florida.
If you are anywhere near the Tampa area, I can assist you if you'd like.


Hopefully, the factory ammo fits and all you'll need is to pull the reloads down and resize the brass to fit your chamber.

 

[Hecouldgoalltheway]

Well, I hope the factory ammo fits because if it doesn't, you're about to learn a lesson about the worst customer service in the industry. They have my tikka T1x since January 2020 and refuse to even speak to me. They just kept my rifle and won't even discuss it. I've called them a thousand times, emailed every decision maker in the company with an email address, and they have never called me back or responded to an email. Check out the Better business bureau website (Beretta USA). They have the worst rating a company can have with the better business bureau. If you go read the stories there, you'll find a couple dozen people that they did the same thing to.

If your chamber needs work, I'd go to a gunsmith, if you send it to Beretta, you may never see your rifle again.

 

[bradworley]

Some fired 6.5 CM in one rifle will not fit in another 6.5 CM rifle after re-sizing. Had that happen before and to others as well. It seemed to come down to slightly different chambers with the problem being in the area around the case web. I manged to get mine to eventually work by switching to a diffe

One of the things that will help you in the future is to make sure you are measuring to the .001.

An example would be referring to neck diameter.
For two of my 6-BRs, they use neck turned brass. The chamber has a neck diameter of .262.

If I load ammunition to .261 or smaller, it fits.
If it's .262, it won't.

If I was having a problem clambering a round and I told someone the neck diameter was .26, it wouldn't help either of us because that would mean it could be anywhere between .260 and .269.

.269 would be .008 too large and never have a chance to enter the neck.

Make sure when you are passing on information, that you include all of the numbers past the decimal point.


I see you're from Florida.
If you are anywhere near the Tampa area, I can assist you if you'd like.


Hopefully, the factory ammo fits and all you'll need is to pull the reloads down and resize the brass to fit your chamb

Im in Pasco Co
The factory ammo loads, but is still a bit tight.
The only difference I see between my hand loads is the case length.
Factory is 1.906 and mine is 1.915

 

[Mike Casselton]

Make sure your locking lugs are lubed.
Chambering tight ammo can gall your lugs and that will cause hard chambering and other issues all on its own.

 

[Mike Casselton]

The difference in the hand loads vs factory is more than just the case length.
The web area .200 from the base, the body to shoulder diameter, the base to datum, total case length and whatnot all come into play with regards to case fitment.

 

[Jmccracken1214]

I’m sensing you need to definitely learn more about reloading before continuing to do so.

 

[ma smith]

The only difference I see between my hand loads is the case length.
Factory is 1.906 and mine is 1.915

For a test, you can tear down 3x of the handloads and run them through a shoulder bump (9 thou) and a small base die, and see if that fixes the issue.

ETA: Someone can correct me if im wrong, but AFAIK, a 'comparator' is not accurately a measurement device in relation to saami spec. its only useful for a/b testing. So it will give you reasonable estimates of variance between two cases, but won't accurately tell you where those cases fit within spec of the chamber, etc.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Sacrifice a case.
Take a case and trim the case length at the neck. Check fit.
Probably not the issue.
Bump just a little more.
Headspace could be tight.
Next, sand down the body diameter near the base to see if fit improves.
Probably IS the issue.
Sand down the shoulder/ body junction in case the shoulder has swelled.
Usually only an issue when seating a bullet, not with a sized empty case.
Normal sizing dies will take care of most everything else.
I did this one just as an example.
I used a drill and a fine file to remove brass in indicated areas. 2 minute job.
Note that case will now be trash.

If you find where the case doesn't fit then seat a bullet and try again.

 

[Kwe1982]

Had a friends RPR not chamber factory ammo, chamber wasn’t cut properly, not sure how it went thru quality control.

He sent it back and they put in a new barrel on it.

 

[redx]

Take it down to Rick at GCP Rifle Co

 

[bradworley]

Sacrifice a case.
Take a case and trim the case length at the neck. Check fit.
Probably not the issue.
Bump just a little more.
Headspace could be tight.
Next, sand down the body diameter near the base to see if fit improves.
Probably IS the issue.
Sand down the shoulder/ body junction in case the shoulder has swelled.
Usually only an issue when seating a bullet, not with a sized empty case.
Normal sizing dies will take care of most everything else.
I did this one just as an example.
I used a drill and a fine file to remove brass in indicated areas. 2 minute job.
Note that case will now be trash.
View attachment 7973638
If you find where the case doesn't fit then seat a bullet and try again.

Yup, trimmed it and that didn't work. Moving on through your list to see what the culprit is.
On a side note, I was able to get all my other brands of brass to chamber except Hornady. When I drop them in the case length and headspace gage, they are proud by 5000th of an inch

 

[FLIGHT762]

On my Tikka 270 Win., It took turning the sizing die in a bit more. Comparator measurements showed my Tikka has a tighter chamber than my other J.C. Higgins 270 Win. The Tikka brass needed to be shoulder bumped more, right near SAAMI minimum.

Once I set my die properly, no chambering issues.

You probably need to turn your F/L die in a little bit more.

Most of the time, these issues are user error. You need to keep testing to figure it out.

 

[Andrew863]

Yup, trimmed it and that didn't work. Moving on through your list to see what the culprit is.
On a side note, I was able to get all my other brands of brass to chamber except Hornady. When I drop them in the case length and headspace gage, they are proud by 5000th of an inch

That is .005

 

[ma smith]

Everything is within SAAMI spec.

On a side note... When I drop them in the case length and headspace gage, they are proud by 5 [/1]000th of an inch

These two statements aren't consistent...or maybe i'm missing something?

 

[Bacarrat]

It's most likely the difference in chambers. I tried to use 1x fired from old barrel and it wouldn't chamber but new brass would. When you resize you do not resize 100% of the case down the webbing. You are going to need something like a small base die to size it all the way down as well.

Amazon product ASIN B0063IE7L6
My friend had a similar thing happened when he bought a 6CM prefit and bought some once fired Peterson 6CM brass. It wouldn't fit in his chamber unless they slammed down on the bolt handle. Used the 6.5CM SB die and it sized the base down enough to where he can chamber the brass easily.

Redding make specific shell holders for this exact some issue too.

 

[Mike Casselton]

That is .005

I'm still working on my first cup of coffee and had to say that in my head and then look at my imaginary caliper.
Yep, came out with .050 just like you did.

 

[bradworley]

I'm about 99% certain it's the shoulder.
When I measure the Hornady compared to all the other brands the shoulder is 5,000 of an inch longer.
Only problem is, no matter how much I crank down my Forester die it will not bump the shoulder! I have a new set of dies and the Redding competition shell holders ordered and on the way. Hopefully this solves the issue?

 

[Mike Casselton]

Was your brass fired in an autoloader?

Factory brass is usually at least .003 under most chambers. I wouldn't be surprised if it was more.

 

[Bacarrat]

I'm sure it's the not the shoulder. The case dimension closer to the base of the case is not the same causing your issue to close the bolt. I had the same issue, lot's of people have this same issue. It's nothing new.

 

[bradworley]

Was your brass fired in an autoloader?

Factory brass is usually at least .003 under most chambers. I wouldn't be surprised if it was more.

Not sure about the fired brass, but ya, the factory stuff was all way under spec

 

[Mike Casselton]

It's probably not under spec, it's most likely right in spec. All ammunition manufactured has a +/- or minimum/maximum dimension allowed.

If it fits your chamber then it's nearly a 100% guarantee it's within dimensional tolerances.

 

[bradworley]

Lyman's 50th edition says case length should be 1.910 to 1.920
The factory I had measured 1.902
But as I'm learning, length is not always the issue

 

[Precision Underground]

Have you mopped the chamber good to make sure there’s nothing in there? It wouldn’t take much at all if there’s a chip or some crud at the shoulder of the chamber. If the case is not sticking at all it’s probably a headspace issue. If the web was too big it would almost certainly give resistance when you try to pull it out bc it would be wedged in there from trying to close the bolt.

 

[Precision Underground]

Lyman's 50th edition says case length should be 1.910 to 1.920
The factory I had measured 1.902
But as I'm learning, length is not always the issue

Unless you’re using higher end calipers the factory measurement you took could easily be that much off. Either way, less length shouldn’t keep the bolt from closing.

 

[FLIGHT762]

Only problem is, no matter how much I crank down my Forester die it will not bump the shoulder! I have a new set of dies and the Redding competition shell holders ordered and on the way. Hopefully this solves the issue?

The Redding Competition Shell Holders WILL NOT help your issue. The Competition Shell Holders will make your shoulder bump LONGER in .002" increments from +.002" to + .010". A lot of reloaders don't understand this. They will not shorten your shoulder any more than a regular shell holder does.

The only way to add more shoulder bump is to either sand down a few thousandths off of a regular shell holder or skim .005"-
. 008" off of the bottom of the F/L die. No one makes shell holders that have a deck height shorter than the normal .125".

I do use the Competition Shell holders. They are very useful for their purpose.

A different brand of die might give you more shoulder bump.

Poor or improper case lube use can also cause sizing to come out inconsistent. What lube are you using?

 

[bradworley]

The Redding Competition Shell Holders WILL NOT help your issue. The Competition Shell Holders will make your shoulder bump LONGER in .002" increments from +.002" to + .010". A lot of reloaders don't understand this. They will not shorten your shoulder any more than a regular shell holder does.

Well that sucks!!! I was thinking that one of those shell holders had to be shorter.
I guess I could go grab a Hornady and rcbs holder and hope they're shorter than the Lee that I have?
Maybe I'll have to get the small base dies?
I use one shot lube

 

[Rocketvapor]

I think most shell holders use the 0.125" standard.

 

[Precision Underground]

Well that sucks!!! I was thinking that one of those shell holders had to be shorter.
I guess I could go grab a Hornady and rcbs holder and hope they're shorter than the Lee that I have?
Maybe I'll have to get the small base dies?
I use one shot lube

What press are you using?

 

[bradworley]

I think most shell holders use the 0.125" standard.

Yes, but from what I've heard it's not uncommon for some Shell Holders to be shorter than others. It doesn't take much of a manufacturing error to be off a few thousands of an inch.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Use the sacrificial case to simulate a small base die.

 

[Precision Underground]

Yes, but from what I've heard it's not uncommon for some Shell Holders to be shorter than others. It doesn't take much of a manufacturing error to be off a few thousands of an inch.

If new hornady ammo/brass is not fitting right there’s more going on than your die/shell holder. If it’s just a tight chamber that’s not terrible as long as you plan on reloading for it 100%.

Tell us again what fits, if it has hard bolt close, and what doesn’t fit-
New brass?
New ammo?
Fired brass that’s resized as far as the die can resize it?

What press are you using?

 

[bradworley]

Ok, looks like the problem has been solved by switching dies.
Used the RCBS tonight and was able to bump the shoulder back 8000 of an inch. This has the bolt closing with no problems

 

[bradworley]

If new hornady ammo/brass is not fitting right there’s more going on than your die/shell holder. If it’s just a tight chamber that’s not terrible as long as you plan on reloading for it 100%.

Tell us again what fits, if it has hard bolt close, and what doesn’t fit-
New brass?
New ammo?
Fired brass that’s resized as far as the die can resize it?

What press are you using?

The bolt was hard to close on factory ammo (Winchester) and would not close on most of my resized once fired brass. (From another rifle)
I was able to get most of my once fired brass to chamber except for the Hornady by cracking down the Forester die a. Problem was, I was only getting about 2000th of a shoulder bump.
That was enough for most, but the bolt was still pretty stiff and was not enough of a bump for the Hornady (for what ever reason???)
I'm using a Lee Challenger press.
The RCBS dies definitely do the trick. I've ran about 10 cases through and all of them are cycling smoothly with 8000th shoulder bump.

 

[Jmccracken1214]

Go fire a round before you end up sizing all your shit too much man….

Fire a round and check the headspace on the shoulder so you know how much to bump…..

Like I said earlier, Learn more about reloading before continuing the hobby.

 

[Precision Underground]

The bolt was hard to close on factory ammo (Winchester) and would not close on most of my resized once fired brass. (From another rifle)
I was able to get most of my once fired brass to chamber except for the Hornady by cracking down the Forester die a. Problem was, I was only getting about 2000th of a shoulder bump.
That was enough for most, but the bolt was still pretty stiff and was not enough of a bump for the Hornady (for what ever reason???)
I'm using a Lee Challenger press.
The RCBS dies definitely do the trick. I've ran about 10 cases through and all of them are cycling smoothly with 8000th shoulder bump.

I wouldn’t call it solved but now you have more info. My guess is the headspace is tight. If you still have some brass that won’t fit drop one in the chamber with no bolt and give it a push and see if it sticks. That will give you more info.

Are you using a headspace comparator to get the shoulder numbers? If so, do as stated above and see how much the shoulder grows when you fire it. Measure before, measure after.

 

[bradworley]

Go fire a round before you end up sizing all your shit too much man….

Fire a round and check the headspace on the shoulder so you know how much to bump…..

Like I said earlier, Learn more about reloading before continuing the hobby.
View attachment 7974752

Isn't that what I'm doing?

 

[bradworley]

I wouldn’t call it solved but now you have more info. My guess is the headspace is tight. If you still have some brass that won’t fit drop one in the chamber with no bolt and give it a push and see if it sticks. That will give you more info.

Are you using a headspace comparator to get the shoulder numbers? If so, do as stated above and see how much the shoulder grows when you fire it. Measure before, measure after.

The Hornady comparator kit is what I'm using to measure shoulder bump.
I'll definitely back the die out before resizing the brass fired from my rifle and then only bump the shoulder as much as needed.

 

[Haney]

Go fire a round before you end up sizing all your shit too much man….

Fire a round and check the headspace on the shoulder so you know how much to bump…..

Like I said earlier, Learn more about reloading before continuing the hobby.
View attachment 7974752

He is learning , maybe take your own advice ? If you knew shit about the hobby you would know what you call "headspace" is actually the base to datum measurement . Rookie mistake, but that's OK .

 

[Haney]

I’m sensing you need to definitely learn more about reloading before continuing to do so.

 

[Jmccracken1214]

View attachment 7974793

Whatever man… I have enough sense to know if a rifle isn’t chambering a handload for another rifle, to throw a factory round in it, pull the trigger and measure.
Not go to the internet acting like my new rifle, that won’t chamber another rifles rounds is jacked up.
This thread has been way to complicated is all…. It’s a very simple solution.

Measure before you go sizing away at your brass

 

[Mike Casselton]

Ok, looks like the problem has been solved by switching dies.
Used the RCBS tonight and was able to bump the shoulder back 8000 of an inch. This has the bolt closing with no problems

8000 is written as .008

 

[bradworley]

Whatever man… I have enough sense to know if a rifle isn’t chambering a handload for another rifle, to throw a factory round in it, pull the trigger and measure.
Not go to the internet acting like my new rifle, that won’t chamber another rifles rounds is jacked up.

I started the thread by stating that I wasn't sure if it was me or the rifle.

 

[Bacarrat]

8000 is written as .008

Glad I'm not the only one that it was bothering. Never seen anyone write it like that lol.

But I will still put money on that it's the chambering difference between 2 rifles is because causing this issue. OP is going to need a small base die to fix this. I know it sucks having to buy the die for 1 use. But that is what fixed mine and did fix a friends issue as well. I have also tried to crank down on my regular die to get it to size and that didn't work either. My old barrel was a 6.5CM chambered by GAP. Shot that one out and had another barrel cut by GAP as well. Brass would be a no go, tried to crank down on the sizing die to get it to work, nope. It would only push it back to maybe .012 max before you can't cam over the press anymore. Bought the stupid SB die, size it to bump your normal .001-.002 and it chambers perfectly. My friend had the exact same thing happen. Bought once fired 6CM Peterson brass, for his brand now PVA 6CM prefit. Sesized it with your standard Redding Type S bushing die, giving it a .002 bump, would not chamber. Let him borrow my 6.5CM SB die and did the same bump and all his brass fits perfectly with no drama in closing the bolt.