27 July 2004, 12:48
RiflemanZReloads difficult to chamber in bolt action
I own a ruger MkII M77 .270 cal bolt.My reloads are very difficult to chamber in this gun.Fac ammo loads fine.I really have to push on the bolt to get it to close.I'm using new w-w brass,rcbs 2 die set and a lee crimp die.Am i sizing the brass wrong that its hard to chamber? Any help welcome!Could it be the crimp die?
27 July 2004, 12:50
ricciardelliTry it without the crimp die...
27 July 2004, 13:06
RiflemanZDoes a bolt action .270 even need a crimp?
27 July 2004, 13:37
MKane160No, a .270 should not need a crimp. Make sure you adjust your sizing die so that it just touches the shellholder with the ram all the way up. Before you charge the case, or prime it, try to chamber the newly re-sized brass. It should chamber easily.
If you are crimping too hard, you may have slightly deformed the shoulder of the case, thus not allowing it to chamber. You should be able to compare a factory, unfired round with your reloaded, crimped round and see if the shoulder has been deformed.
There should be no need to crimp any of your .270 loads. Good luck, keep practicing, you'll get the hang of it....
MKane160 aka BigDogMK
27 July 2004, 13:55
RiflemanZI just sized a new case after adjusting my sizer die like you said.The new case feeds nicely.I won't crimp anymore.Thanks for your help!
27 July 2004, 16:17
steve4102The LEE Factory Crimp Die will not deform the shoulder of your case. It crimps by an entirely diff. method than your seater die. Crimping can be a good thing for any catridge. See Saeed's test on crimping with the Lee Factory Crimp Die in the FAQ section.
www.accuratereloading.com/crimping.htmlThanks for the results of your test. I always wondered about the impact of crimp/no crimp. This could be a significant impact to a competition target shooter but for hunting loads it shows that the effort of crimping does not pay significant dividends.
If the neck expander isn't lubricated it may drag enough to pull the shoulder forward. Try a dab of lube on a q-tip and lube inside at the neck/ shoulder junction.
Good Luck!
ALthough you don't need to crimp a 270, if you stop and think about it, ALL factory bullets are crimped. Since your problem was one of reizing and the Lee crimp is a different process not affecting your brass, I'd go back to it if it was helping yuou tighten up groups. jorge