I have been experimenting with my 500 Jeffery. Out of 20 rounds I had three with a pretty sticky bolt! The others were just fine. The rounds with a sticky bolt had moderate to heavy extractor marks. I measured all 20 cases and they are all within .0002" of each other. In fact the case that stuck the worse is the smallest in diameter! The rifle's chamber measures 0.6194" the cases measured 0.6206" - 0.6208". All the cases have a some black sooty residue on the necks. The primers are not flattened nor cratered. Also the primer pockets are still very tight!

I cannot figure this out at all. I mean I have a sticky bolt, but nothing else seems to suggest excessive pressure. Please help!

Kent

This sounds like your using some real slow powder. The soot is caused by cases not expanding to seal the chamber. If this is the case, a tighter neck, or crimp, could be a answer.

Question, Did you clean the chamber at any time... Is your chamber pollished.

This is just a guess, cause you have not supplied much info...
Late...

[This message has been edited by scout (edited 05-20-2002).]

Kent,

Is the bolt easy to lift but then won't come fall open.

If that is the case then it is a primary extraction problem. That is, the extraction cam simply does not pull the case back far enough.

If it was not a 500 Jeffrey one would immediately suspect either a Rem 700 Or Wby Mark V or some other 3 lug type action.

Mike

Good point Mike, I asumed it was a Mauser> Forgot about the rest....

Late...

scout,

The 500 Jeffrey would increase the problem with the very parallel case and also the brass is probably not real springy if it something like Bertrams.

Mike

What was your reload;seems you are near the maximum load;ejector mark with a good make chamber,it is not unusual ,but hot loads is something different...

This phenomenon is not unusual in ammunition used to dispatch domestic livestock or knock over offal-filled containers.

The load is 118 grains of IMR4350. The chamber is smooth. The bolt handle is hard to lift the case slides right out. I fired another 10 rounds today none of them stuck. This time the load was 118 grains of Rel 15! I had loaded these up before so I figured I would fire them off.

Kent

Kent it sounds to me like you have some soft brass! If I am correct you have shot some Rel 15 rounds now with no issues. Are all the cases of the same manufacturer and lot?
Have you sorted them by weight?
Is the rim dimensionally correct on the one which have stuck?

Just curious, how much IMR 4350 can you fit into that 500 Jeffery case?

Nik