I have a .270weatherby which shoot very accurate!. Starting to reload the spend cases, I realized that the bullet fitted tightly in the neck without having necksized the neck!. Is that good or bad pressurewise and such?. The barrel is a Lilja, and the rifle is a pre-64 win.

It's good for the fit to be snug, but bad if it fits so snugly that it cannot release the bullet easily and consistently. What you describe is typical for benchrest chambers, but requires careful monitoring. For a sporting chamber I would prefer about 0.002" clearance at the neck on a loaded round.

Something to look for is the factory crimp on the case. Even though the case is fired there is always a little bit of the crimp that remains, it takes a couple of firings to straighten out the case. This will give the impression that the rifle has a tight neck. Trimming away the crimped area should allow you to slip a bullet into the fired case. This is assuming the chamber is SAAMI spec. I hope I didn't confuse you.
bigbull

Thanks alot for your answers!.

I have so far only shot factory loads in the rifle, which feeds flawslessly. The primer doesn`t look too flat as normally signed by overpressure. I don`t think I will fulllength size the brass, just necksize only, AND carefully work up some loads.

I have a Ruger M77 in 7mm Remington Magnum that also has a tight neck. Factory and handloaded brass is tight. I get exceptional accuracy, despite what I have heard others say about Ruger rifles, and don't see signs of over pressure.......cases last for 7-8 reloads.
I know folks usually keep records of the number of rounds fired through their rifles, but I didn't with this one.

A conservative estimate would be about 2000 rounds in the past twenty years, and it still shoots good.

Jim

Measure the necks of your fired, unsized cases with a micrometer. Figure about .001-.0015" springback, on the fired neck dimension. That will give you a good idea of the chamber neck diameter. Compared to equivalent measurement of loaded (factory) rounds, this will give you a base line for your case to chamber neck clearance.

Popenmann mentioned the number of .002" above. That is about minimal clearance in a semi-tight neck, and as small as clearance should be before you should consider neck turning. Factory chambers (which the one in question is not) will have a good deal more clearance than that. If you have clearance as low as .002", be darn careful if you ever decide to switch brass. It could be you run into brass quite a big thicker than the (Norma/Weatherby?) factory stuff you have been shooting thus far...

- mike

If not able to do it yourself, have someone make a cerrosafe chamber cast of your chamber for you. It is the only way to get a true reading on the neck size of it.

Is it true that cerrosafe keeps contracting?? If yes, make sure the neck diameter dimension is measured JUST after the cast is removed from the chamber.
- mike

quote:

Originally posted by popenmann:
It's good for the fit to be snug, but bad if it fits so snugly that it cannot release the bullet easily and consistently. What you describe is typical for benchrest chambers, but requires careful monitoring. For a sporting chamber I would prefer about 0.002" clearance at the neck on a loaded round.

This is absolutely correct! With cartridges that generate as much pressure as the Weatherbys, you want the bullet to drop freely through the case neck into the case of fired, unresized cases.

quote:

Originally posted by jens poulsen:
I have a .270weatherby which shoot very accurate!. Starting to reload the spend cases, I realized that the bullet fitted tightly in the neck without having necksized the neck!. Is that good or bad pressurewise and such?. ...

Hey Jens, Just to make sure someone did not sell you the "wrong diameter bullets", I'd recommend you measure a few of the ones that won't go into a spent case.

You may have been sold some 0.284" diameter(7mm) bullets instead of the 0.277" bullets you need.

Also agree that you do not want to force them in a spent case that has not been through the Resizing operation because the Pressure has the potential to explode the rifle "if" the bullet gets wedged into the Case as it is chambered.

Best of luck to you.

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:
[", You may have been sold some 0.284" diameter(7mm) bullets instead of the 0.277" bullets you need.

Best of luck to you.

I have found .284's mixed in with some .277 bullets a few years ago, and got the exact syptoms you are discribing.

I'd also recommend a making a Cerrosafe casting of the chamber. Benchrest rifles often have cases that fit like this, but not factory rifles. Have your case necks thickened to the point it is causing this? That's quite possible. Check it out. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal