.223 reloads jamming

[DukkButt]

Thanks again for all the help and comments, even the ones poking a little fun at me. Those are good for a laugh and to remind me not to take myself too seriously.

An unexpected benefit of this was to get me to correctly define what the actual problem was, i.e., rounds not chambering or being hard to eject, as opposed to cases sticking in the chamber. Hard to figure out a solution when you haven't even correctly defined the problem.

Appreciate the comment on not shaving the shell holder down. Wouldn't have thought of that. Also appreciate the encouragement from you successful reloaders.

There is more than just saving money involved here, although that was the primary motivation. I wanted to develop a skill set that would make an interesting hobby as well as having a practical application. Then there is always the "prepper" concept that considers that there may be a time when ammo is hard to get. That gets into a whole other set of considerations that would take their own thread, but it does require this skill set before you can even get to the other considerations.

Had some other issues that kept me from working on this problem the last few days, but I will get back to you all when I get more results.

 

[Kevatc]

I must be one lucky son-of-a-gun. I've been reloading 5.56 since 1995. I've used mixed brass, mixed headstamps, mixed bullets, mixed primers, different powders (never mixed ), reloaded thousands of rounds (even some on Friday the 13th), and never used a case gauge to date. I only thoroughly clean my AR after about every-other-trip and never had even a hint of a problem.

I resize on a little Lee press attached to a saw horse. I use Hornady dies in a Hornady LnL AP.

I'm just happy I haven't had to go through all the stuff that some here have to try and figure out the problem.

 

[DukkButt]

I think I finally figured it out. At some point in my reloading I broke the decapping pin on my full length resizer. After that, I used a separate decapper and resizer. The problem is that I took the decapping rod out of the die. Without the center piece that goes into the neck, the neck isn't properly resized, ending up about .01" longer headspace than it is supposed to. I couldn't measure this until I got a case length gauge, and that is enough longer to cause the tight fit.

Trying to resize the brass with a different die didn't help because the brass I was trying to fix already had primers in it, so when I used a different die, I again took the decapping pin out - causing the same error.

And, that is why the problem didn't show up when I was first reloading, before I broke the decapping pin. Just didn't connect the two events.

Really simple, dumb mistake. Hopefully, someone else will be saved from this same problem by knowing what I did wrong.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions and help. I might not have ever figured it out without your input.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Did not read the whole thread but a case gauge and full length sizer dies should fix you up

 

[Spitpatch]

Credit to you firstly for utilizing an analysis of backtracking to determine the old "Sesame Street" lesson of "One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other". Secondly, accolades for allowing the rest of us to benefit from your determination. I'm not sure how the inside sizer button (thing that finally renders the inside measurement of the neck proper) had any thing to do with overall case length, but you found this to be the source, and that is what is important. Case length is so extremely important (and very often overlooked, especially with high-production reloading operations). Certainly more important than my contention of identical cases, of identical firings. (But identical cases of identical firings are most often consistently of the same length.) I DO understand that the current frequent approach to reloading is exactly that: "Reloading". My absolutes that pertain to "Handloading" which demand all things and all procedures to be identical for best results very often conflict with what other persons' goals are: produce the largest amount of ammunition at the least expense in the least amount of time and effort. Neither approach is "better" than the other: as long as the goal is reached.

I find that with all mechanical devices, sudden and dramatic malfunctions are almost exclusively the result of something "simple and stupid". Keeping two classic automobiles (and previously owned ones) running to peak performance teach me this over and over again, and the same with more numerous firearms of various vintages, and the handloading involved. If it fails suddenly, the problem is very most often something "stupid" I have done, or something very simple in the mechanism itself. Repeated attempts to apply complicated solutions to such problems most often lead me back to what is obvious (and overlooked).