not enough headspace?

[tarheel204]

Recently when i've had to buy factory 40 gr hornady ammo i've noticed that its rather hard to chamber the round. Im not forcing it by any means, but when i close the bolt there is definitely an overly snug fit. My once and twice fired brass that has been reloaded is not difficult to chamber however.

Also, i noticed that many of my cases have a raised ridge approximately .25" from the rim of the case. its a distinct line that can be felt in some of the worse examples. However in most instances, it can only be noticed when seeing the reflected light on the outside of the case. Instead of the normal smooth taper to the shoulder, the case makes a slight bulge out, making a V-shape and then tapers to the shoulder

Anyways, my concern is if I have my barrel head spaced too close for the safety of my brass. I haven't noticed primer flattening or any other signs of high pressure so im not sure whats going on...any thoughts?

[Rick in Oregon]

tarheel: You have what many would call a "snug factory chamber", probably cut with a re-sharpened reamer, hence the snug fit of factory ammunition.

I'd not mess with it, as you have an ideal situation, as your handloaded brass can be set up in the die to compensate for the tight chamber, and set proper headspace that way. Your brass will now last longer due to this condition.

The brass bulge you refer to is from a bit of excessive runout in the rear of the chamber, again from a less than ideal factory reamer (my guess). The brass has a bit of slop back at the rear of the chamber, so the brass expands to fill that space when fired. It only takes a tiny amount of slop to give this effect....even .001" will show on the brass. You may need to F/L resize your brass if you encounter difficulty chambering brass that has been only neck sized....check it out to see.

Moral: Don't fret, just shoot the rifle and resize your brass to fit that particular chamber.

[tarheel204]

thanks for the advice rick...i've just been neck sizing only as to not overwork my brass. so far this has worked out fine, so i'll continue to do that unless i see a need to F/L size it.