The Accurate Reloading Forums
Rem 700 damaging brass (pics) feeding from mag
09 December 2010, 07:59
eliscominRem 700 damaging brass (pics) feeding from mag
My rem 700 .308 is scratching my brass when the shell is chambered from the mag. This does not occur when a single round is chambered & the mag is not used. Scratches are fairly deep (will not buff out with oooo steel wool), & run from the head up nearly to the shoulder.
http://mob1094.photobucket.com...matijevich/case2.jpghttp://mob1094.photobucket.com...matijevich/case1.jpgIt looks like the area marked in the following pics is scratching the cases when I chamber a round from the mag. It is scratching on the other side as well (180 degrees from the mark shown).
http://mob1094.photobucket.com...jevich/receiver2.jpghttp://mob1094.photobucket.com...jevich/Receiver1.jpghttp://mob1094.photobucket.com...jevich/receiver3.jpgAnyone have a cure for this? -would a dremel & a buffing wheel or a fine sanding of the ridges (guides?) in the receiver that seem to be doing the damage help? Should I just ignore the scratches & reload the brass? - I do not want to create weak spots or scratch my dies.
Any thoughts or suggeswtions will be appreciated.
PS - I tried to import the pictures from photobucket, but the links were the best I could do.
09 December 2010, 09:52
WestpacThose pictures are too small to see any detail. But what you need to do is carefully watch the case as you feed it and note the possible trouble spots with a Sharpie. You can use a fine, 400 grit or better, piece of emory cloth to lightly knock down a sharp edge or remove a burr. Be sure to clean the action of sanding residue prior to cycling any ammo. You don't want any of that crap embedding itself into the interior of your action. Also, I wouldn't recommend using a Dremel tool. Too easy to do irreversible damage to a feed rail. Use your fingers and go slow.
_______________________________________________________________________________
This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend, it is my life.
09 December 2010, 18:18
D HumbargerSharp edge on the chamber mouth maybe. Feel the mouth of the chamber with your fingernail to feel for sharpness or tiny burs. OR rub the edge of the chamber mouth with a cotton swab or piece of nylon to see if anything catches.
Also to expand on what that
jar head uh i mean westpac

just told you
One way to get rid of any roughness at the chamber mouth without having to remove the barrel is to get a 12" long wood dowel the OD of the bolt & turn the end to a 45 degree or a bit greater but not less. Insert it it the action & rub it against the chamber. This will show you where you will need to apply the lapping compound. Put a bit of 320 or finer lapping compound on the rubbed area of the dowel. Put dowel back in the receiver & rotate it against the chamber mouth till the edge is smooth. BE CERTAIN TO CLEAN THROUGHLY AFTERWARDS!!!
TIP! I put a wad of tissue snuggly in the chamber to keep the gunk out before i start.
Doug Humbarger
NRA Life member
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club 72'73.
Yankee Station
Try to look unimportant. Your enemy might be low on ammo.
09 December 2010, 21:25
eliscominI don't feel anything in the chamber mouth, & since a single round feeds in & ejects without a mark, & I have watched carefully while slowly feeding a round I am pretty sure it is the feed rail, but I cannot feel any burrs or rough places. The entire rail seems a bit sharp, though. Perhaps smoothing the lower edge?
10 December 2010, 19:55
D HumbargerYou can smooth the edges up with some 400 grit emery paper then polish. Go lightly. It might not take much to see results.
Doug Humbarger
NRA Life member
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club 72'73.
Yankee Station
Try to look unimportant. Your enemy might be low on ammo.
11 December 2010, 20:56
eliscominDoug & Westpac - Thanks for the suggestions. I will try the 400 grit emory cloth or paper lightly on the bottom edge of the feed rail & see if that helps.
If not, maybe I am being too anal about the sctatches on the brass - they should probably reload OK, & maybe it will smooth out as more rounds are cycled through the magazine.
12 December 2010, 06:51
Art S.I wouldn't discount the possibility of a burr at the chamber mouth, or simply a sharp edge from reaming. The fact that it doesn't happen when feeding singles simply indicates that it is not burred into the opening of the chamber. When you feed from the magazine, the cartridge enters at an angle and is forced over the edge of the chamber mouth. Often, a small hook edge will develop pointed outward from the chamber, bur will engage the cartridge. You won't feel it when sticking your finger into the chamber mouth, since the hook is pointin out away from the chamber. Feel around outer face of the breech, both around the chamber itself and around the face of the barrel counterbore.
14 December 2010, 01:27
eliscominArt S. - thanks for the response, but in watching carefully while I slowly feed cartridges out of the magazine, it is definitely the feed rail, maybe just in front of where I marked it with the arrow in the receiver pics in my initial post. The brass is being scratched well before the shell chambers. I can see the scratches as the cartridge comes up & forward out of the mag, & they look like they are being made right at the front of the feed rail where it "opens up" - both right & left sides of the cartridge. They occur even on shells that I remove well before they even go into the chamber. I can not feel any burrs, but the sharp edge of the rail must be doing it,