Guys,

The load I've chosen for my upcoming Buff hunt is 78g of Big Game behind a 300g Barnes TSX FB. Brass is Nosler.

The load is accurate and fast (bit over 2600FPS)

I'm having difficulty seating and crimping the bullets in one stroke of the press. It takes several tries till I get it to full seated depth and an OAL of 3.570". All straight out of the Barnes manual.

I've tried vibrating the cases when full and that has helped a bit. My press is a RCBS and the dies are also RCBS.

Ideas?

Thanks

Mike

375 H@H ?

yes, 375H&H

Use a funnel with a long drop tube to charge your cases.

Better be careful if it overly compressed!

Bullet might creep up.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Better be careful if it overly compressed!

Bullet might creep up.

I have seen that happen.

Lee factory crimp die.

They won't push out.

REDUCE the load; because as S said, sometimes they can creep out anyway; reliability is more important than that extra 50 FPS.

I just checked the Barnes website and your load is very close to maximum, which is listed as 78.4 grs. of Big Game behind the 300 gr. TSX. Barnes lists that charge as a compressed load.

Plus, you're using different brass than Barnes used to test the load (Nosler for you vs. Norma for Barnes). Could be a difference in case capacity that is making things tight for you.

Based on those factors, I would be inclined to back off, even if the drop tube helps alleviate the powder compression.

For a compressed load, you definitely want to crimp the bullet.

You want more velocity, use a different cartridge!

This is exactly the reason I designed the 375/404 long before Remington came up with their 375 RUM.

Because I couldn’t get the velocity I wanted from the 375 H&H.

Now I hunt with a cartridge loaded several grains BELOW maximum.

It is possible to ignite powder without striking the primer. This has happened at least once with a fatality while trying to drive a stuck round out of a chamber with a cleaning rod.
I would suggest you are dangerously compressing your powder if your Rock Chucker is having trouble doing it.
I regularly compress powder charges while loading competition ammo on a Rock Chucker. I destroyed a set of dies doing it because I wasn't wearing my hearing aids and I didn't hear the powder crunching. I changed brands of dies and all is now good.
I do not know what caliber you are loading, but I would suggest you decrease your charge weight by 2 grains and listen for powder crunching. I like to use amplifying hearing protection and hearing aids to aid my hearing. I would recommend that you find a charge that does not compress and then increase it by no more than 1/2 grain to hear the crunching of the compressing. Loads that are divisible by 1/2 grain are easy to remember. So 58.0, 58.5, 59.0, etc whichever is the first to compress.

Note: Due to lot to lot variations in powder lots, start lower and work up when you get a new powder container!

I’ve damaged Redding competition seating dies and had to send them back due to compressed loads in a .223. They fixed it but also sent a package insert with them (the original documentation) with the note that one should not use compressed charges with that die…

I tend to go to different cases now, but I did have some loads in the .375 with the TSX that I had issues with elongating despite a very stiff crimp.

I never have had an issue with the 300 grain TSX at 2500, and if I wanted faster, the 270 grain would be where I went.

Yes, the long drop tube and vibration help get some more in, but it’s not that much of an improvement in my experience (with smokeless anyhow).

Thanks to everyone for their help. I dropped back a grain and used the longer funnel tube. I gently eased the seating process in shorter strokes. All seemed to go smoothly. I applied a crimp.

Should be fine now. I know 77g gave good accuracy as I had worked up to my former max of 78g. Not sure of exact FPS, but it was over 2500. Off to the range to be sure accuracy wasn't a fluke before.

When testing loads or shooting in a rifle on the range I usually just single load cartridges but when checking my Mauser 404 for bullet movement or crimp holding when I developed the initial reloads for the rifle I shot with a full magazine leaving the bottom round in for as long as I was shooting.
Usually with a magazine rifle the movement of rounds forward in the magazine causes bullets to be driven back into the case when the rifle recoils if not crimped well or being held with good neck tension. A cartridge that remains in the magazine while it is topped up with fresh cartridges can be subject to multiple recoils. Compressed loads can actually obviate this by preventing the bullet being driven back into the case.

If the bullet has a definitive edge on the front of the crimping groove then the case lip crimped into the groove up against this edge will stop the bullet being driven back into the case. Too much compression can see the bullet forced forward in the case neck just in carry and storage of the cartridges irrespective of crimping, a la some of the early Win 458 cartridges.

Like others have advised I too wouldn't risk heavily compressed loads for DG cartridges; the hot temperatures and movement in vehicles when hunting in Africa are conditions that could be ripe for seeing bullet movement in heavily compressed loaded cartridges.

I follow simple rules in reloading ammo for hunting.

Number one is it must be reliably able to fit in the magazine!

I have read a bit about different seating depths producing better accuracy.

That might be the case.

But, in my own tests, there was hardly any difference.

I have seated bullets all the way out to touch the rifling, then reduced the depth in 20 thou increments each time.

All the way where the bullet actually sits barely in the neck.

As a rule, I load ammo to the maximum allowed for that cartridge.

Of the bullets are light, where this can’t be achieved, I seat the bullet one diameter down.

That is it.

As far as I can tell, the bullets used are a big factor in choosing the “right” seating depth.

Some bullets seem able to jump any amount of free bore with no adverse effect while others are thrown off course unless seated close to the rifling.

As an example, Bergers seem very sensitive to “too much” free bore but the Barnes TSX seems immune to it.

That’s one of the reasons I love the Barnes TSX. No matter the cartridge, just load it to maximum overall length and you’re good to go.

Michael.
I've kinda started doing the same thing. I just seat to the depth of whatever manual I'm using for that particular load. I reload because I enjoy taking animals with homemade handloads, not because I need 1/4" groups to take a Buff.

Basser,

I've loaded for the 375 H&H for about 35 years and tried several powder and bullet combos. I used to use 80 grains of IMR 4350. Just dumped in the case slowly it would overflow the case BUT if I used a 6 inch drop tube pouring the powder in slowly and tapping the case at the same time I had the whole neck to seat a bullet in and I never had to crimp. Load was compressed but never gave me any trouble.

I expect you might have similar results. Use of a crimp die rather than your press for crimping might be more effective also.

You also might just use R15 for a little less FPS. You'll have no issues with R15.

Mark

Thanks Mark. I have a Lee Crimp Die on order.

You will get better performance with 2500 FPS on Buffalo with a 300 gr bullet, not end up with a sticky case in the 375 H&H. tHAT COMBO HAS BEEN DOING ITS WORK FOR IONS.