A friendly reminder about what NOT to do when loading for a new rifle

02 March 2006, 07:33

OK folks, here's what NOT to do when loading barrel break in rounds for a brand new rifle.

1. Don't neck size brass that has been fireformed to another(I.E fatter. Thanks Murphy.) chamber, and expect it to fit.

2. Don't try to close the bolt on a livey when testing function with said livey and it sticks in mid bolt throw. The problem is NOT a bullet seated too shallow(Thanks again, Murphy)

For your reading amusement, refer to link annotated below:

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9411043/m/904101734

02 March 2006, 08:19

Fish30114

gixxer, always good to share hard learned/earned information. I always size my brass and trim to reloading manual (sammi) max case length, and then load to mid range charge capacity as a starting max, and work up from there. I figure a seating depth for that rifle specifically, and that is my starting round, fireforming load. I always chamber some brass and the first few built rounds at the shop to make sure they will work in the magazine and chamber of that particular rig.

Has worked so far--thanks for your candor and the 'heads up'.

Regards--Don

02 March 2006, 17:20

Hot Core

quote:
Originally posted by gixxer:
..The problem is NOT a bullet seated too shallow...

Hey gixxer, Is there a particular reason you did not "Fire" the cartridge? Surely you didn't have a MAX Load in it to start with.

The resulting Expansion and Contraction of the Case should have been enough to avoid using the old "Sledge on the Bolt Handle" method. Glad to hear you didn't knock the Bolt handle off.

02 March 2006, 20:26

gixxer

quote:
Originally posted by Hot Core:
quote:
Originally posted by gixxer:
..The problem is NOT a bullet seated too shallow...
Hey gixxer, Is there a particular reason you did not "Fire" the cartridge? Surely you didn't have a MAX Load in it to start with.

The resulting Expansion and Contraction of the Case should have been enough to avoid using the old "Sledge on the Bolt Handle" method. Glad to hear you didn't knock the Bolt handle off.

I do not have enough experience with reloading and shooting to shoot a rifle with the bullet "on the lands". The load was a starting load verbatim in the reload book, but I was afraid. Not to mention the round sitting in the chamber till the next day, and transporting the thing to the range too. Imagine explaining that to the state trooper that would happen to pull me over that day too. I have already ordered a new Williams extractor, polished and blued. I wanted to get it nitre blued, but that can wait now.

02 March 2006, 21:19

Allan DeGroot

I have more than a sneaking suspicion this is how 9-of-10
remington bolt handles get broken off.

AllanD

03 March 2006, 01:50

Hot Core

quote:
Originally posted by gixxer:
...I do not have enough experience with reloading and shooting to shoot a rifle with the bullet "on the lands". The load was a starting load verbatim in the reload book, but I was afraid.

Hey Gixxer, I understand.

quote:
Not to mention the round sitting in the chamber till the next day, and transporting the thing to the range too. Imagine explaining that to the state trooper that would happen to pull me over that day too...

And I also understand your concern there also. Seems like when I get started on a BAD Day, everything goes haywire too.
---

By the way, Allan mentioned Bolt Handles getting broken off. It used to be that couldn't happen with M70s. But I understand from Bill Leeper that Winchester changed the design and has seen that happen on a couple of "new" M70s that came into his Shop.

Sounds like yours is attached right well though.

Best of luck to you.

03 March 2006, 01:57

lawndart

Gixxer,

BTDT. Great story. I appreciate you sharing. Yeah, your father in law is a puss.

Allan,

I'm sure that is how many of them get broken off. The rest are busted off by sniper/tactical shooters. I was trained to show the bolt no mercy when cycling in a new round after firing the last one.

LD

03 March 2006, 06:36

gixxer

quote:
Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
I have more than a sneaking suspicion this is how 9-of-10
remington bolt handles get broken off.

AllanD

Allan, that is so damn funny, but so true. Some folks will lie their asses off when asked about how they whacked the bolt handle off of hteir weapon. I am not afraid to admit that I made a mistake(most of the time).

03 March 2006, 06:40

gixxer

quote:
Originally posted by lawndart:
Gixxer,

BTDT. Great story. I appreciate you sharing. Yeah, your father in law is a puss.

Allan,

I'm sure that is how many of them get broken off. The rest are busted off by sniper/tactical shooters. I was trained to show the bolt no mercy when cycling in a new round after firing the last one.

LD

Yea, especially with that bolt knob the size of a golf ball on it! you can get so much leverage with that fat ass bolt knob, most folks dont realize. But you are right, the last thing you want to do is hump 20 miles, sneak up on yer mark, and jack up your follow up cause you cycled the bolt like a wuss. Wait, why would a good shooter NEED a follow up?!

03 March 2006, 15:52

Hot Core

quote:
Originally posted by gixxer:
...Wait, why would a good shooter NEED a follow up?!

Two(or more) things needed killing.

03 March 2006, 21:10

grizz007

gixxer, gotta admit I just broke my claw extractor last week pretty much doing the same thing. I just received my barreled action from PacNor and got busy making the rest of plans in the makeup of this rifle. Anyways I had already been tumbling .30-06 brass and got to thinking about sizing to the lands. Grabbed a .06 brass and sized the neck for the .338-06 and split the mouth a tad for ease of seating and chambered -could not close! What the heck! I just realized that when I deprimed the .06 brass I used the Universal decapper-##$% it! About the first time I have used that new tool. Well I broke the extractor attempting to get the dummy round out of the chamber. Had to drive the round out, which thankfully was not a loaded round. I did notice the claw looked like it was pot metal of sorts. Understand later it was a manufacturer piece called MIM. I too ordered from Williams a new extractor. HUMBLE PIE - will never forget that. All my brass is and have been used just for a specific chamber and I spaced this requirement for the .338-06. I could not pass this up saying this too you. I for one know how important it is to pay strict attention to detail-at all times.
regards

05 March 2006, 03:40

gixxer

quote:
Originally posted by grizz007:
gixxer, gotta admit I just broke my claw extractor last week pretty much doing the same thing. I just received my barreled action from PacNor and got busy making the rest of plans in the makeup of this rifle. Anyways I had already been tumbling .30-06 brass and got to thinking about sizing to the lands. Grabbed a .06 brass and sized the neck for the .338-06 and split the mouth a tad for ease of seating and chambered -could not close! What the heck! I just realized that when I deprimed the .06 brass I used the Universal decapper-##$% it! About the first time I have used that new tool. Well I broke the extractor attempting to get the dummy round out of the chamber. Had to drive the round out, which thankfully was not a loaded round. I did notice the claw looked like it was pot metal of sorts. Understand later it was a manufacturer piece called MIM. I too ordered from Williams a new extractor. HUMBLE PIE - will never forget that. All my brass is and have been used just for a specific chamber and I spaced this requirement for the .338-06. I could not pass this up saying this too you. I for one know how important it is to pay strict attention to detail-at all times.
regards

You know, thats what I was thinking too the part about the DTL. I had just got done measuring the bullet on the lands length, and just started cranking away after I got the seating depth right.

05 March 2006, 10:31

Mark

One trick you guys should know when trying to extract a round that has already been fired and it stuck, is to use a cleaning rod and tap the brass back, then lift the bolt handle a little more, then tap some more, lift the handle etc...

That way the bolt does not have to cam the stuck brass out of the chamber. Just don't try to do it all in one shot, and as Gixxer wisely noted you probably shouldn't do it with live rounds either.