OK say I had a 6.5-06AI knowing that I will have a wildcat how much too deep can I run the reamer without causing problems?

Problems in what way? Just cut the back of the tenon off to the correct headspace and move the shoulder forward or are you worrying about the chamber being up into the smaller diameter of the barrel.
Butch

you probably wanted a 6.5 Gibbs anyway didn't you!

New unchamber barrel. I'm not trying to chamber it to AI just wondering if I could get away with using an AI reamer to move the shoulder forward for a wildcat. If so how much

quote:

you probably wanted a 6.5 Gibbs anyway didn't you

Am I that obvious? Well a gibbs with a 40 deg. Could your run the reamer in .125 to .17 deep?

I'm sure you've looked at all the possible problems.

If not, here are a few:

1. Running the reamer in farther won't just push the shoulder in farther, but will do the same for the whole neck & throat...unless you have a reamer without the neck and/or throat portions. That's not a problem IF your basic brass is long enough to make cases which will still fill the whole chamber. But if your brass isn't that long, it may give your bullets a heck of a jump to the rifling....

2. Not all reamers are cut in such a way they can cut barrel metal smoothly when you get back to where the flutes start to shallow out. The base part of a chamber cut with such a reamer run in too deep MAY start to look a bit like a rat chewed it out. Even if the flute angles are still okay for cutting metal, shallower flutes also provide less room for chips right where the cutting is being done. There's always at least a little tiny danger of catching a chip and scarring the hell out of the chamber.

3. You DID measure just how long the overall cartridge will be, so loaded rounds which fit the chamber will also fit your magazine, DIDN'T YOU?

None of those potential problems are in the least insurmountable, but they are things to "heads up" about. Probably won't come into play, but it never hurts to think 'em over in advance.

the answer is, it depends ..

if the reamer keeps tapering out, then not very far, or you will have odd brass .. if stops taper at the base of the case, then MAYBE ..

it will likely have taper the entire length of the case, and then go straight .. but .. and this is the insubtle BUT

normally you don't stick it in that extra .150 -- and you MIGHT have SLIGHTLY over large base .. MAYBE ...

remember, VERY few rifles have 100% of the chamber cut into the barrel .. some singles and double, for example .. there's almost always some sticking out on other cases

Paul, IN YOUR CASE does it matter? probably not .. might in some realms, but not in your case

You WILL have problems with cases, unless you only go a few thousanths deep. The ass end of the chamber will be far too big for the casehead and web area of the brass. You wont be able to size the cases properly, although that won't matter much anyway. Your primer pockets probably wont hold a primer after the first firing anyway...

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Paul, IN YOUR CASE does it matter? probably not .. might in some realms, but not in your case

Jeffe, you saing I'm half a bulb off anyway.

Well It was a branfart that should have just vented. Reason I asked the other day I was doing the final headspace on my 380PDK. Needed to move the shoulder a couple thousand at the most. I've only done this 30 or 40 times but I got in a hurry and didn't remove the shroud on my MKX. Yep you guessed it since I was trying for just a touching fit I wasn't compressing the spring. So by the time I pulled my head out of my butt I was over a 1/8" deep. Out of curiosity I loaded case and fired it. While it wasn't a heavy load it didn't look that strange. My case has a .458 shoulder anyway so not much taper.

Ended up having Too Manytools set it back a turn so my 380PDK has a shoulder a little forward of all its sisters.

My reamer cuts to give minimum clearance to a Norma 280 case then goes flat.

AC your comments got me to consider the other end. You are correct I think even if I didn't F-up the base neck throat would be a major issue in an 3.4" mag box.

So I guess if I really want to replace my 6.5PDK I need to just bite the bullet and have a new reamer cut.

I have a darn magnum action sitting here and a set of 264Wmag dies but just can't make myself build one.

can you spell H-e-a-d-s-p-a-c-e?

Rich

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I have a darn magnum action sitting here and a set of 264Wmag dies but just can't make myself build one.

Aaaahhhh....go ahead....you know you really really want one!

If you have a tool post grinder, you might be able to eliminate any over-size base problem by grinding the reamer to a nice round "relief" depth back of where you would normally run it in to.

Then, at least in theory, you could run the reamer into the barrel as far as the length of the shank allows you to, without the base becoming oversized....assuming you stick with reamers for unbelted cartridges.

well .. yeah... you are friends with me, right? that's going to count for 1/4 bubble off!

quote:

can you spell H-e-a-d-s-p-a-c-e?

Sure I can Rich headspace. Sorry just being a smarta$$.

When I called it a wildcat I meant with shoulder forward it would no longer be an AI more of a modified Gibbs or PDK. If it had worked I would have fireformed some brass had custom dies made.

But like I said best bet is to let the brain fart die.

Pointblank the head on a M98 hangs out the back of the barrel. You might have had a strange looking web area but at normal pressure the primer pocket wouldn't have been effect. Unless I'm missing something. Which is always possible.

Heck a 1/2 bubble and 1/4 bubble makes me 3/4s of abubble off. Yikes.

I've had the action and dies for at least a year probably 2. Just can't make myself do it knowing that my old 6.5PDK did everything my buddies 264 did with less powder.

AC since the plan would have been to rent a reamer they would have frowned on me working on it.

I just need to bite the bullet and have a new reamer cut I know I'd never be happy with the 264.

"Pointblank the head on a M98 hangs out the back of the barrel. You might have had a strange looking web area but at normal pressure the primer pocket wouldn't have been effect. Unless I'm missing something. Which is always possible."

Nothing to do with the head itself. But the web area will stretch and take brass from the head with it. Depending on the taper in the case/reamer, it could leave a lot or a little of the web unsupported. Lots of folks believe that loosing primer pockets is a function of hot loads and/or cheap brass, but it has much more to do with chamber dimensions...if a chamber is cut with near zero room for the brass to move, then it wont. That's why BR shooters can subject cases to hundreds of 65K to 70K psi firings with no ill effect to the brass.

This idea is now a non starter. The web would have been supported, No head space issue since the brass would be formed to the chamber. Might be late but I can't understand your point in this case.

I agree it would make a heck of a difference if the reamer continued the taper vs going to no taper at head dimensions.