DPMS LR 308

[M ammo]

Reload troubles. Neck trimmer recommendation.

I have a DPMS LR 308

It runs Factory 308 just fine,

I have had trouble getting my hand loads to run in the gun.

All the loads fit in a chamber gauge,

I’m not new at this, and the fact that my loads, would not feed,,, was #@#$%^ me off.

After much,, testing,, and measuring …I have found that it is the neck size, of the brass,

So I’m in the market to buy a outside neck brass tuning rig.

What trimmer should I buy???????/

Jim M ammo

[Tom Freeman]

K&M or Sinclair.

[M ammo]

I got the Trimmer,,, it worked very easy..

I just tested 10 rounds. Before I could only run, one or two,,, JAMB!!! not happy,,, a very bad,,, pry the round out type of jamb,, one time a broke the charging handle trying to get the round out,,, ouch,,,,

This time,,, They all shot with no problem!!!!

I can not tell any of you,,, how much,, this loading problem has bothered me....

Now that the gun runs,,,,, off to the world of finding the most accurate load,,

Now I'm a Happy DPMS LR 308 owner.

Jim M ammo

[smokshwn]

Jim,

Was your neck size out of SAAMI spec? if so maybe DPMS would fix the chamber for you. I know the neck turning solves the problem, but it could potentially bite you should you want to shoot some factory ammo as well.

[Rufftytuffty]

Are you reloading 7.62 for a 308 chamber?

On the bottom of the muzzle what caliber does it say?

~Mike

[M ammo]

Are you reloading 7.62 for a 308 chamber?

On the bottom of the muzzle what caliber does it say?

~Mike

I think it is a match chamber.

I make sure that the sizing die touches the shell holder, when setting up the press.

I have gone one more step,,, that has cleared up the problem,

after all of the trimming sizing, and loading the rounds.

I go back to the sizing die, pull the pin, re-spray lube the cases and resize the loaded round.

I have tested it with neck trimmed cases and regular sized cases,

the re-sizing of the loaded round. gets the rounds in to tolerance, and they run in the gun.

I hope I can say that the DPMS 308LR (Bolt-action) Problem is solved.

Jim M ammo

[barney88pdc]

What kind of resizing die are you using?

[M ammo]

What kind of resizing die are you using?

LEE... I also have a Dillon set,, I'm haveing better results with the LEE.

Jim M ammo

[RH45]

It sounds like your case gauge must be pretty loose too if they pass, and won't chamber.

[M ammo]

It sounds like your case gauge must be pretty loose too if they pass, and won't chamber.

That is true. The neck trimming has halped,, but it is still not 100%. I have ordered a Small Base sizing die.

I'm told that will fix the rest of my problem.

Jim M ammo

[Tom S.]

It's possible your brass is out of spec and a bit thick in the neck area. FWIW, DPMS says their warranty is void if you use reloads.

[M ammo]

It's possible your brass is out of spec and a bit thick in the neck area. FWIW, DPMS says their warranty is void if you use reloads.

I'm not worried about the, warranty,,,, if I can't get it to run,,, well enough to shoot 3 Gun,, I'll re-barrel it.

Jim M ammo

[RH45]

Are you loading military/imported brass? I've found that a lot of it doesn't seem to want to resize decent.

Try a hundred Winchester, or Remington brass, and see if that works better.

[M ammo]

The FiX!!!!!!!!

After posting the problem on the Benchrest forum,, They told me about Small base dies!!! All reamers,,, and all dies are NOT the same,,,

\

I got the Small base die yesterday, I used the die trimmed the brass, nothing special,, no neck trimming,, hand fed the cases in and out of the rifle chamber, then loaded them,, again hand fed them in and out,,

I just an hour ago,, shot them,, they worked perfectly!

the small base die ( Redding ) did the trick,

Now to work up a goos 175 SMK load using Varget ... I want to get 2600 FPS in an 18 inch barrel? if I can,,

Jim M ammo

[jmorris]

I acquired this forester trimmer/turner for almost nothing in a bulk buy. It did the job but it was a lot easier with a power window motor hooked to it. Crude, even by my standards but it does work without having to crank and cost less than $20.

[Eric Scher]

Ahhh....

Finally, a use for that can opener motor I have been saving.

[djeffers]

I had to have the chamber reamed on my 16" LR 308 barrel (new) because it wasn't head spaced properly. The first few rounds I put through the barrel after the reaming all worked.

I used Hornady dies, new Winchester brass, Sierra Matchking #2190 150 Gr., CCI primers, and don't really remember the powder off hand, but you get the idea. Shot through 50 rounds with one double feed.

[aztecdriver]

Dang, I just ran into this. I havn't actually SHOT a reload in this gun - you think DPMS will address it or am i going to have to find someone to do it.

[David Sinko]

I believe that most of the problems here can be attributed to handloaded ammunition that is loaded into brass with thick necks. The small base sizing die will not cure this problem. To see if this is the problem that is afflicting your handloads, take a case that has been fired a few times, resize it in your nice, new small base sizing die and then drop it into the chamber. Fits perfectly, doesn't it? Now seat a bullet into that case and see if it chambers. It doesn't want to chamber or it's tight? Well, only one thing has changed. The neck has expanded slightly to accommodate the bullet. Right there is your problem. Does your rifle shoot factory ammo just fine? That's a clue. Does your rifle chamber your handloads using new, unfired brass? If so, that's another clue. If your brass has been fired even once out of an unknown chamber, there is a good chance that you will have problems with your handloads. I am a cheapskate and I never had any problems with range brass or brass that friends had given me until I bought and loaded for a semiauto .308, both the M1A and LR308. I owned the M1A and that rifle was hell on brass. It's just the nature of the beast. If I had known that before I bought it, I never would've bothered. If you must use once fired brass, I suggest something that has been fired out of a bolt action. LC is generally acknowledged to be the best, and if you can't or do not want to afford a constant supply of it, you're probably going to have lots of nightmares.

I have a lot of twice and thrice fired .308 brass that doesn't fit into any .308 chamber I care to try once a bullet has been seated in it. The good news is I can convert it to .300 Savage and then it works just fine in my Model 99 lever action. So... does anybody make a good semiauto .300 Savage that I can use for Multigun?

Dave Sinko

[kgunz11]

If it will chamber a factory loaded round, then you reload that piece of brass and it does not chamber, it is NOT neck thickness. The thickness of a fired round has not changed enough that anyone here could measure.

Potential problems could be caused by brass that has expanded in the body and is not sized down enough, but not in the neck. Buy a proper die if you are going to be loading for an AR-10 and don't want to have any issues. Dillon and Lee certainly are not up for the task. A small body die will allow either of those to work, but why add another step if you don't have to? Get a Redding Type S Full Length Bushing die. That will allow you to adjust neck tension buy using the appropriate bushing for your set up.

David, if your fired brass wont chamber, you are not sizing the body of the brass down enough. I'm assuming it fits in the magazine so I can rule out having a COAL that is too long.

I have 2 custom built 7WSM rifles built by 2 different smiths using different chamber reamers. The brass fired out of my American Precision Arms 7WSM will not chamber in my DTA because the chamber in the DTA is tighter. Not the neck, the chamber body. Both rifles have "no turn neck" chambers. The brass from my DTA goes easily in my APA, but not the reverse. FWIW, when resizing brass from my DTA, I don't have to use any lube as the body of the brass is not expanding, just the neck. Tight chambers make really accurate rifles, looser chambers make really reliable chambers. APA builds tactical rifles designed to feed flawlessly and their chamber has a little more room in it to accommodate that. Yet, I have never had a feeding issue with my DTA either.

I've loaded for many AR-10 rifles, if you have loading issues give me a call at the shop and I'll do my best to help you, but be prepared to buy a better tool for the reloading bench because that is often what it takes. Take comfort that I am not trying to sell you anything because I do not sell reloading dies at this time. I'm just an experienced precision reloader trying to help.

Bobby Keigans

Freedom Gunworks Inc.

229-330-4867

[twodownzero]

Most of the problems I observe with new rifle reloaders involve not pushing the shoulder back when sizing. You'd be shocked at how many people don't set up their sizing die correctly.

[RH45]

Most of the problems I observe with new rifle reloaders involve not pushing the shoulder back when sizing. You'd be shocked at how many people don't set up their sizing die correctly.

Yup!!

[fastshooter03]

Most of the problems I observe with new rifle reloaders involve not pushing the shoulder back when sizing. You'd be shocked at how many people don't set up their sizing die correctly.

What'd ya mean! You need to check that!

[David Sinko]

The brass isn't being resized down far enough? What am I supposed to do, grind away the bottom of the die to make it work properly? I have used two RCBS dies, one regular and one small base. At first the brass chambered fine after being sized by either and then eventually loaded rounds wouldn't chamber no matter which was used.

And why would empty resized brass chamber fine and then not chamber after a bullet has been seated?

I have been loading .223 and 7.62x39 and have brass that has been loaded many times for each of these cartridges. So why should the .308 be different?

Dave Sinko

[kgunz11]

The brass isn't being resized down far enough? What am I supposed to do, grind away the bottom of the die to make it work properly? Been there done that, didn't learn it on my own so I'm not the only one. I have used two RCBS dies, one regular and one small base. I'm assuming you have read the instructions and know how to set the dies properly. Are you using a progressive press or a single stage? At first the brass chambered fine after being sized by either and then eventually loaded rounds wouldn't chamber no matter which was used. Measure a loaded round at the neck and tell us what it is. One problem you could be having is not bumping the shoulder back enough. If your rifle will fire factory ammo, you should have no problems reloading for it IF you know the proper techniques for reloading and have decent tools to work with.

And why would empty resized brass chamber fine and then not chamber after a bullet has been seated?

I have been loading .223 and 7.62x39 and have brass that has been loaded many times for each of these cartridges. So why should the .308 be different?

Dave Sinko