Got a new barrel on my 223, and the chamber is much more snug than the factory barrel it replaced. I have a couple hundred loaded rounds that won't chamber (not even close). Got out the reloading stuff and ran a loaded round through the Redding Body Die. That worked for the 260, but not for the 223. The die won't shrink the case enough. Dang. Gonna have to pull down all those loads.

I'm open for suggestions that'll make my chore easier. I've got the Kinetic hammer thing and I have an RCBS collet type puller that I've never needed to use. Guess I'll go get started.

Collet is yhe way to go.

Did you mark the cases to see where the resistance is?

Only have one .223? Got to be a way this can justify another rifle purchase... This is very logical reason to buy another "paddle". After all, you did ask for an easier way.

Have you chambered any factory rounds? Just to make certain the chamber was cut correctly?

Did you only neck size this brass from your old barrel?

I'd be talking to the guy who chambered the barrel. Have him give you a speck and then talk to Redding, Forester, Lee, etc (personally, I'd call John Whidden at Whidden Gunworks and have him make you a die to the reamer spec or send him 3 fired cases).

Good luck...when you don't know what factory reamer dimensions are sometimes this stuff happens. Worse case you will need new brass and new sizing die.

I've been at it for a while now, pulling bullets. The collet puller works real well, and is quite fast (relatively speaking). It does leave a small ring on the bullet, but it isn't a major deformation.

It was that Redding Body Die that wouldn't shrink the cases enough. That was a surprise. I pulled out my old RCBS standard FL sizing die and the resized cases fit just fine. I backed the die out enough that I'm just bumping the shoulder, so all is good - except for all the grunt work pulling bullets. Got about 150 to go. And this is the first time in all the years of reloading that I've had to punch out live primers. I'm going reeaallly slow and easy with that.

Just a note of minor interest, but still interesting...is that two of the loaded rounds of the 40 or so that I disassembled were really tough to pull. I wonder what was different about those two? Nothing comes to mind. They were all loaded exactly the same way, with a touch of lube in the case neck.

Just for info, the loaded ammo was pretty much all done with the Lee Collet Die, so yes, it was just neck sized. Once I start reloading the rounds that I'll be loading today and tomorrow and shooting later, I'll go back to the Lee Collet Die.

To blackcoal....ya know...I really did, for a short while, consider buying another rifle to shoot up the loaded ammo. But then common sense came back to me. I don't need two 223's.

To dee...no I didn't work too hard to see where the chambering resistance was on the loaded rounds. I have to think that it was the case head diameter. The Body Die would have pushed the shoulder back, but I don't think it sized the lower part of the case at the base enough. That's just a guess, but I think that's it. The loads I've shot are near max powder with H335. That's what the old barrel liked, so that's what I fed it. Maybe this new barrel will be happy with a lighter load.

I'd save the loaded ammo, and start fresh with new loads. Too much work for pulling that many bullets.

Why are you having to take out primers?

The two cases where bullet extraction required more effort may have been because the metal in the neck may need to be turned.

Bet he didn't remember to remove the decapping stem...

I can't see any reason to take them out just to press them back.

I punched out the live primers on purpose, but that's only on the first 40 or so. On the remaining 150 I'd leave the primer in if I could resize the case & neck and leave the primer alone. The case has to be resized. Just won't chamber otherwise. Hmmm, can I pull the depriming pin from the RCBS FL die and resize the case and neck and not punch out the primer. I can see that I can do it with the whole decapping stem out, but then I won't have the expander ball coming back out to set the neck size.

I have to run to the high school for tennis practice with the kids. There's no rush on the cases, so 'splain' to me how I can size case and neck and leave the primer alone. I can see that I could've used the Redding Type S Bushing Die without the decapping pin, but that won't size the case enough. And I think I can remove the actual depriming pin from the RCBS FL Die and leave the expander ball in place. I think...So while I'm gone, ya'll smarten me up and I'll do the cases in the morning.

The cases done today were all new Lapua cases. The next 50 will be not-so-new Nosler. And I think the remaining 100 are Lapua, maybe once fired or so.

Take the whole stem out, the tiny decapping pin is held in like a collet for when they get broken. Just loosen the expander ball, remove the little pin, retighten the expander ball and reinstall the entire stem. Viola, completely resized the brass yet left the primer in.

By golly, I guess that'll work. But...got a non hunting problem. As I was leaving for tennis, the Mighty Mule gate opener threw up and died. Off to Tractor Supply in the morning. The cases will have to wait, but at least I fell better about how it's going to go with the cases.

Dang gate opener has been acting weird. I've been expecting the worst...and here it is.

Thanks for the help with the case issue.

This is a little more drastic than custom handloading, but they make a chamber reamer (the .223 is common) that slips in from the back & you can hand turn it from the muzzle. It stops when you have a SAAMI spec chamber. I'm sure you could rent one somewhere.

FWIW