We always read that sticking our bullets into the lands for accuracy's sake is playing with matches. Those matches being getting the bullet stuck and pulling out a case full of propellant out of the action. Then the propellant spilling all over the actions interior and putting our rifle out of commision until we can remove the bullet.

I would assume that bullets actually getting stuck is a function of neck tension upon the bullet.

so...

1) How many of you have actually experienced this?

2) Under what circumstances did this occur? ie, clean vs dirty barrel, lightly stuck (.005") vs stuck hard (.010"+), what was your neck tension?

3) How tight would you think the neck tension could/should be to negate this tendency?

I've gotten a bullet stuck in the barrel while testing for proper bullet seating depth. Fortunately it was a dummy round, no powder.
Jim

I’ve had that happen. I loaded some Trophy Bonded Bear Claw .338cal, 225gr bullets for my .338WinMag. to take on a brown bear hunt. I went out to the range to sight them in. They proved to be very inaccurate so I used an inertia bullet puller to pull them all and reloaded with 225gr Hornady Interlocks, which is what I normally use. I did not neck size the cartridges first. I’ve done this a lot of times with other calibers/bullets without any problems.

Apparently, the Trophy Bonded bullets were of a slightly larger diameter than the Hornady’s. I noticed that the neck tension on the Hornady’s seemed a little less than normal but didn’t pay any attention to it. The cartridges with the Hornady’s were loaded so the bullets were not touching the lands. If you loaded the rifle one at a time, which I did at the range, there was no problem. If you loaded the magazine with a couple rounds and fired the rifle the recoil would push the bullet forward enough so that when it was chambered it would firmly engage the lands. The bullet was “loose†enough in the case so that if you opened the bolt on a live round the bullet would be stuck in the lands and the cartridge would come apart, dumping all the powder and putting the gun temporarily out of action. This happened on the hunt at a very bad time. Fortunately a second shot was not needed.
.

quote:

Originally posted by GSSP:
We always read that sticking our bullets into the lands for accuracy's sake is playing with matches. Those matches being getting the bullet stuck and pulling out a case full of propellant out of the action. Then the propellant spilling all over the actions interior and putting our rifle out of commision until we can remove the bullet.

I would assume that bullets actually getting stuck is a function of neck tension upon the bullet. Sounds about right

so...

1) How many of you have actually experienced this? I'm one

2) Under what circumstances did this occur? Deminishing mental capacity ?

3) How tight would you think the neck tension could/should be to negate this tendency?Like a German Virgin ( gutundtite)

roger

Seating bullets to close to and or in the rifleing,wrong.

I did it using a Lee Loader "Target Model Zero Error" model. This inside neck reams the brass. Very old. Barrel dirty or clean didn't seem to matter. How much jam, dont remember. The neck tension should be set when sizing at least .002" under the neck diameter of a loaded round, .003 is better, using bushing dies. Or the expander should measure under .0015" of bullet diameter, 243win types. Most all guns will shoot fine with out touching the rifling.

I had it happen with the Barnes XLC's when they first came out. The strange thing about it is that it was intermittent and appeared to be a function of the coating on the bullets and expansion (or constriction) of the gun. An example would be that you could put two shots down a cold barrel with no problems, then if you chambered the 3rd once the barrel was warmed up and then tried to remove it... stuck.

This had nothing to do with neck tension.

I quit using the XLC's in that weight and the problem went away. I have since fired bullets of all different weights and profiles in that gun and never had another problem.

WARNING

I know of two deaths that have occured as a result of stuck bullets involving loaded rounds.

In one case at a bench rest match the shooter attempted to knock our the round with a cleaning rod. The round discharced driving the cleaning rod through his wife.

The other was similar circumstances except I think it killed the shooter.

quote:

1) How many of you have actually experienced this?

Once on a Savage 99.....the bullet stayed in the barrel and I spilled powder all over the magazine.

I knocked the bullet out with a cleaning rod.

Apparantly the neck tension was poor.....and I'm not at all sure of that either.

once my brother accidentally fired a round that only had a primer in it, it got the bullet stuck but he eventually rammed it out with the cleaning rod...

I once loaded Nosler partitions into the rifling. I live in the souther United states and it was a nice warm day when I tested my loads. I wen to Northern Canada in late November. It was -11 whenI got off the airplane. It got colder every day. The 5 day it was -40 and I pulled my bolt back and the case came flying out with a bullet. I was 20 feet up in a tree and 12 miles from the guides residence.

I took a second round and worked the bullet out with my fingers carefully not to spill the powder. I pointed the rifle up and carefully inserted the new case without a bullet and shut the bolt. Then fired the round out the barrel. It cleared the stuck ball. I then did not put a another round in my chamber until I was ready to shoot.
Longshot