Any ides what would cause this ring around the bullet?



I had to send this rifle back to Ruger to have the firing pin replaced. The work order said, Replace Firing Pin, Replace Bolt and Repare Headspace.

This was a MOA rifle before Ruger "Fixed" it. Now groups avg about 6 inches at 100 yards. I sent it back to Ruger a second time so they could check it out and make some changes. Four weeks later and nothing has changed.

The ring on the bullet looks as though I took a pipe cutter and made two turns around the bullet just below the ogive. I don't think the OAL is too long and I am touching the lands. This load is a Hornady 130gr SSP .308 loaded to an OAL of 2.140. That is .040 short of AA load data. Before Ruger repaired the headspace in this rifle I could not even come close to the lands and stay in the mag.

It seems more like some kind of burr left in the chamber.

Any ideas??

This is only a guess, without seeing the rifle, but it appears that when they set the barrel back ahd re-cut the chamber, that the throat was cut square instead of tapered. In other words, where the lands and grooves begin it square, not tapered. It would account for a lot. Look at it from the breech and see if that is the case.

If you are touching the lands at 2.14" the headspace is clearly fucked up now. The SHORTEST OAL listed in the Accurate Arms loading guide is 2.53 and that is for a lead cast bullet. Most are 2.7" or longer. The magazines in all mine are right at 2.80. You could be .4" short for the throat. If you want to see how screwed up that is, just set your calipers to .4" (Not.04). That is a long way.

Send it to someone who can cut the chamber properly.

quote:

Originally posted by larrys:
If you are touching the lands at 2.14" the headspace is clearly fucked up now.


Send it to someone who can cut the chamber properly.

Ummmm OAL and distance to the lands have nothing to do with headspace. Headspace is the distence from the bolt face to a datum point on the shoulder of the case.

He needs to have a chamber cast made and measured, as there could be a couple of things going on A) a burr at the front of the chamber/throat, B) it's now short throated (if they set the barrel back), C) the freebore area of the throat is just under minimum spec.
No point in guessing as to which it is, until a cast has been made.