[F. Guffey]

“Why do you want your bullets to have a running start/Why are you a fan of the "jump start"?”

A friend called, he built 5 magnificent 7mm wildcats, one of the 5 was not accurate, it was a big disappointment. The last place he took rifle to was to a smith with a bore scope and nothing, the smith scoped-it-out, nothing. My friend called me, and I said “I do not know”, He wanted to know where I would start when troubleshooting. I said I would start with his fire formed cases, I indicated I would drill out the primer pocket/flash holes for modified cases. After making the modified cases I told him I would remove the bolt, seat a modified case with a seated bullet, then chamber the case and shove the bullet out to the lands to determine the length of the chamber from the beginning of the refines to the bolt face.

He went to the Internet and did a search, he found long dowels, pencil marks, bullets and bolt face measurements, and nothing made sense so he came over. I drilled out the flash hole/primer pockets and then seated a few bullets. And then? I started pushing the bullet out, toward the rifling, before hitting the rifling, the bullet came out of the case. And Then? The bullet continued to move forward while being pushed forward, until it reached the rifling .375”+ beyond the beginning of the throat. I then dug out some heavy 170 grain bullets and started over, no matter how long the bullet was, the bullet came out of the case before getting close to the rifling.

And the question was “How did this happen? and my answer “I do not know”.

We loaded cases to test fire, long, short, max powder, minimum powder etc.. No matter the extreme the best accuracy was in the middle. He has not decided what he is going to do with the rifle.

The running start, I do not want my bullet to hesitate, I do not use reduced loads, I do not use cereal as a filler. I use the perimeters set by reloading manuals and data from manufacturers.

I had a Winchester Model 70 chambered in 300 Win Mag. The rifle shot patterns like a shot gun, it did not shoot groups, (Start over) I am surrounded by a few reloaders that I have a lot of confidence in. First offer, went something like “We have to find something that rifles likes”, nothing but patterns, move the bullet out, move the bullet in to the tune of 120 rounds, I contacted Winchester and informed them the rifle had the ugliest chamber in the world, they did not believe me, so, they made arrangements to take the rifle to their local warranty shop. I took the rifle to the warranty shop and explained to him the problem, he informed me Winchester and their warranty man had it all planned out, they were going to polish, hone and ream the chamber. And I ask “ How is that going to fix a chamber that is too long and too large in diameter?”

I went back in two months only to find they sent the rifle back to Winchester and I ask “WHY” and they said the chamber was too long and too large in diameter , and I said “Longer, the chamber started out to long and too large in diameter, now it is longer and larger in diameter” , it was about that time they decided I was difficult, before I got the rifle back they decided I was impossible. I wanted a chamber that fit my dies or I wanted Winchester dies to fit their chamber. Before bringing the rifle to the warranty shop they wanted me to fire it more like it was going to heal itself.

F. Guffey