The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Hi folks, I have two of these neat old-timers and both of them have trouble chambering reloads. Factory is fine but the reloads (XTPs and round nose pulled from surplus) get stuck on the way in about half to 2/3 of the time. Sometimes a gentle push on the slide finishes it up but they behave like they want a "small base" sizer. Does one exist? Or should I get the chambers honed a bit? Other ideas? FYI the load with H110 I got from a book gives a good 12" muzzle flash, sweet!

Also, unrelated: Sarco had a nice shipment of ex-police mags for these that are very well made.

Thanks,
Aaron

Don't mess with the chamber. Contact your die manufacturer and ask them about sizing options.

Thanks, I just did. Will post the results for benefit of the readers. Aaron

If it is the reloads giving you problems that should give you the answer.

Longcolt44 wrote:If it is the reloads giving you problems that should give you the answer.

My thoughts exactly.

Sounds like you need push the neck back a little farther. You can pull the barrel out and have it with you when you are resizing. Adjust the sizing die until the cases drop in the chamber.

Thanks all. The shell plate makes contact with the die now, so I suppose I could try a slight flat grinding of the shell plate top so the shoulder gets moved back just a bit. Worth a try, and if it fails a shell holder is cheap to replace. I can also try the same equipment on another press maker to see if that makes a difference. Great suggestion on having a barrel handy as an ammo checker!

Aaron

millman wrote:Don't mess with the chamber. Contact your die manufacturer and ask them about sizing options.

I'm going to repost the above quote. I'd really rather not see another kaboom because someone wants to trim a little here and shave a little there instead making sure their brass is sized properly...

When something works properly with factory ammo but not with reloaded ammo all I can say is here's your sign Cletus...

UPDATE: I reloaded more brass using all Lee die and shell holder parts. The rounds chamber perfectly. Last time I used Lee dies and RCBS shell holder, which is slightly different dimensionally. After years' worth of reloads I learned this lesson for the first time, finally. Thanks all,

Aaron

Does your lee die set include a factory crimp die? I ask without going to the website to see if they offer it in this caliber. It is a fine product and problem solver when it is available

At least the factory crimp die is available separately. I have seen several bull headed people that were too stubborn to admit that it is a awesome product. Something about if you do everything right you shouldn't need an additional step in the reloading process. Mmm hmmm