Reloading Issue

[ODDJOB UNO]

p.s. even spraying wd-40 into a chamber and then swabbing it out or thinking you have swabbed it out is enough to allow it to migrate to primer and kill it.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

I don't think it is this.. . But still worth a try. Maybe your cases are not being resized enough and they are not seating the last 100 microns into the cylinder. And when the hammer strikes it, it moves it forward slightly nstead of it being a full blown whack on the primer. Try using the micrometer to compair your case sizes (and bullet length) against a factory load. Also a good scrub of the inside of the cylinder occasionally doesn't do any harm.

Almost guaranteed this is what is going on. Carbide dies, such as those now commonly used to resize straight wall pistol and revolver cases, do not resize the cases all the way down to the rim. Take a look at your resized cases, and notice they are not burnished all the way to the rim, and there is a slight step in the case wall that can be felt (and seen) just above the rim. This will keep the resized cases from seating all the way to the rim when chambered in the revolver. The first whack from the firing pin finishes seating it, but rarely lights it off.

This all goes back to those carbide sizing dies. When you set up the die in the press, you typically run the ram all the way up (with the shell holder on it) and screw the die down until it touches the shell holder, then back it off one turn. This is done so as to avoid breaking the carbide sizing ring in the bottom of the die. Unfortunately, it means the die cannot size the case all the way down to the rim.

Most pistols and revolvers have loose enough chambers to where this does not matter. I've seen several Rugers, however, that are tight enough to cause problems with this. About the only cure is to have the chambers opened up on the offending firearm. Any gunsmith can do this in less time than it's taking me to type this.

On a couple of tight single action Rugers I own, I use the screwdriver blade on my Swiss Army knife to lever them in the rest of the way. I stick it between the hinge on the loading gate and the rim and pry forward. You can't do that on a double action, so you will probably have to get the chambers opened up a bit.

[Jeff Higgins]

One other thought I forgot to mention - if you are over doing the crimp, the case can buldge slightly blow the crimp. This can also keep them from fully seating in the chamber.