Cases sticking in chamber ...?

[dwm]

Annealled a bunch of 7mm SAUM cases last week. Fired them yesterday with a modest load of 58 grains (2800 fs) and 59 grains (2900 fps) H4831SC using a 162 grain SST.

The bolt lifted just fine, but the cases stuck in the chamber and I had to pull hard on the bolt to get them out. They shot just fine, pretty good Es and Sd also.

There were no pressure signs on the case head or primers.

Could the cases sticking in the chamber be caused from the annealling?

Doug

 

[jb1000br]

i doubt it--unless there is a rough spot in the chamber and the brass fit it better due to being softer--i have never had problems with anneales brass though. How far down the case did it turn color??

Is the brass too long for the chamber?

interesting problem--i can only guess rough chamber and soft brass.

JB

 

[dwm]

Color change went .25 to .3 past the shoulder.

Held them in the flame 3 or 4 seconds.

Doug

 

[Mark_in_utah]

Is your chamber clean? I had a similar problem once on a different gun.

Mark in Utah

 

[dwm]

I run the chamber mop up there each time I shoot/clean the rifle, ie. each time to the range.

Doug

 

[Brent]

Sounds like the cases have expanded at the base too far and are too tight, if bolt lift resistance is ok except for the last camming action on the stroke, this is the case. If not, sounds like a rough chamber. Annealing should make no difference at all, how long the cases been used and how much pressure they've seen may. If headspace was too tight, and possibly excessive CHE (case head expansion) on top of that, bolt lift resistance would be excessive all the way upon lifting it.

 

[Brent]

I just remembered a problem I had with my 300 Ultra upon closing the bolt. The headspace was set at .002", cases had only been fired two or three times but the cases where obviously tight when I tried to get the bolt closed on most of them. After much investigation, smoking the bolt face completely, several times, I found the case heads were hitting the off side of the bolt snout (rubbing the inside edge real hard) on the edge of the ring real bad. This was before the extractor ever tried to snap over the case head too. I new it was going to need a Sako extractor to fix it, because I was going to have to releive the inside edge with a stone on the dremmel to let the case move over and center up in the chamber as the bolt moved forward. A very little amount removed cured the problem and I've only had one case stick in the chamber at the range that failed to extract, as there just wasn't enough meat on the opposite side to back the extractor sufficiently with the hot load. A Sako extractor is a "must get" on it now or it simply can't be counted on. The counterbore obviously was not centered with the chamber, because the bolt face was perfectly concentric in every way. Smoking it up good is the only way I could figure this one out, and it took nearly all **** night to find it too. Another reason I think factory barrels really bite!