My Cousin is trying to reload for the 25wssm. He has new RCBS dies and after resizing cannot close the bolt even on brass with no seated bullet. Has them trimmed to length but can't find a spec sheet with dimensions of the case to check with a Micrometer. I had no ansewer for him but to call RCBS. Anyone with an idea??
Mike B.

Does he have the dies screwed down all the way?

Like kdub said are the dies screwed all the way down where they touch the shell holder, then 1/4 turn more.

Mike,

Sorry, I haven't reloaded for the 25 WSSM, but check out the reloading section at the WSSM Zone http://wssmzone.com/forum/ . You'll find a lot of good info there.

Is he using a neck sizing die or a full length resizer?

If the latter.....are the dies screwed all the way down.....sounds like a consensus to me.

Is this virgin brass or brass that has already been fired in his gun? If fire-formed in his gun, do they chamber before the sizing process?

I havn't loaded that round either. Only other thing I can think of is the shellholder. Does he have the correct one? I don't know if another size would fit and yet not allow full lengh sizing?

Cheezywan

I havn't loaded that round either. Only other thing I can think of is the shellholder. Does he have the correct one? I don't know if another size would fit and yet not allow full lengh sizing?

Cheezywan
In
Ansewer to all of the above, they are once fired brass from the same gun, he is full length sizing with the die turned all the way down plus a quarter turn and the shellholder is the matching # on the RCBS die box.
Thanks Mike B.

OK, make sure he is using a case sizing lubricant on the INSIDE of the case necks.
Often, if you full length size cases and have inadequate lubricant inside the case neck, the expander ball will pull the neck and shoulder of the case forward a bit when the case is drawn back out of the die.
And then the cases won't chamber, or chamber hard.

Then again, it COULD be a resizing die that left the factory improperly reamed. If the problem persists, give a call to the manufacturer and explain the setup and the problem. Chances are, if they can't help resolve the problem, they'll ask to send it back for a replacement item.

BTW, be sure to check the chamber for cleanliness and nothing obstructing the chambering of the cartridge case.

Also be sure to check the shoulder to case body junction. Sometimes what happens in these cases with fairly steep shoulder angles and straight bodies is that when a bullet is seated and the seating die is adjusted down too far it causes the shoulder to collapse a tad, just enough to prevent the case from chambering the last couple of thousandths and the bolt from closing. This is very hard to see with the eye, and smoking the case or using sight black can help.

The shoulder can also be pushed back from the size die, the expanding ball, or the seating die if something isn't right about them.

Try sizing a fired case without using the expander button and with the die backed out a couple of turns, then turn it in a quarter turn at a time resizing and trying it. If the bolt closes at any point along the way before you get to bottom, that was the problem. If it closes at the bottom, then the die is okay, but it stops working when the expander ball is reinstalled, then check that the ball is the correct caliber, and that the case mouths have been chamfered. Nothing says that the factory gave him a .25 caliber expander, or one that was round.

Usually though, most of the collapsed shoulder problems are caused by bullet seating and excessive crimping or crimping where there is no crimping canelure.

The other problem can be a tight chamber caused by a worn reamer which will require a small base size die, Browning Semi-autos had this problem several years ago as they held their chambers to minimum specifications. If this is the problem your friend will need a custom small base die. Factory ammo will fire okay, but reloading dies don't size down small enough to allow the case to rechamber. The other alternative is to have the chamber recut, or cleaned up, but that may require setting the barrel back one thread.

I've had almost the same thing happen with several calibers. I found that unscrewing the die and starting over again, but after giving the additional 1/4 turn, go ahead and run the case into the die and then tighten the nut. It has worked for me.
It was driving me nuts trying to figure out what was causing the problem. How I figured it out was by using another press I had. This one sized the case just fine. So I reinstalled the dies on my original press, and it also started sizing just fine. So I decided to run a case into the die before tightening the nut.
Now this maybe a no no, but I cant see any problem as of yet with this proceedure.
Good luck.

Mike ,

I reloaded for that caliber for quite awhile, and had the same problem with the RCBS dies...
Forget if I had to either back the die out alittle, or screw it down just a little bit more than recommended... but whichever it was worked, and I locked the dies set screw after that, and never had the same problem again.
The same thing also happened with a 7x57 RCBS die too.
I've been using Lee dies lately, and have NEVER had any type of problem with them since switching, nor with any of my Redding dies either.

Good Luck and Merry CHRISTmas!!
johnny

Thanks Guys! I emailed my cousin several of your replies and I'll let you know if something works. Merry Christmas!
Mike B.