Rookie mistake - What did I do wrong?

kelbro · January 30, 2005, 10:13 PM

I was loading some once fired .270s with Sierra 90 HPs. Win brass, neck sized and trimmed back to 2.53" The bullet length is .85 so I did the math to allow for one bullet diameter in the neck, (.85 - .28) + 2.53 = 3.1". Hodgdon manual showed a 3.17 COL so I tried that length. First 8 loads wrinkled the necks right above the shoulder before I noticed it.

Re-grouped and tried 3.2 COL and it worked fine. I'm concerned that I may not have enough bullet in the neck.

Should I be OK with only .18 seated?

What happened to the 3.17 loads? Should I have full length sized? The first loads fired in these cases were 4759 reduced recoil loads with 115 gr sierras so I didn't think that I would need to FLR.

I appreciate any input.

Robert M Boren Sr · January 30, 2005, 10:39 PM

kelbro, were you using once fired in your firearm or fired in someone elses firearm? If they were fired in someone elses gun, then you should have full length resized for the first firing at least, in your gun.

It's important to make sure you have plenty of friction on the bullet other wise you get poor ignition or you could get bullet jump from the primer before the powder ignites. Stick to what the book says on the col at least on the lighter bullets. If you want to seat out, then go to a long or heavier bullet.

Walter · January 30, 2005, 11:03 PM

I do not claim to be anything near an authority on reloading, but I have done a lot of it. From the info you gave, I don't see where the problem may be.
That makes me think the problem is with the info you didn't give.

Such as, what kind of rifle are you shooting? What type of powder, and how much of it, were in that "first 8 loads"? Were the "once fired" cases fired in the same rifle both times?

Sorry I can't give you a definitive answer, but there are so many variables
in reloading, it usually requires all the data to draw any strong conclusion.

Walter

kelbro · January 30, 2005, 11:32 PM

Same rifle. Rem 700. This happened at the press, never fired them a second time. Probably wouldn't have even chambered.

It was a setup problem. I re-adjusted the die to touch an empty case. Backed it off one turn. Then adjusted the plug a little at a time until I got to the desired COL of 3.17. No damage. It's obvious (now) that the die was crushing the case. It worked earlier but I was using longer bullets. Thanks!

Robert M Boren Sr · January 30, 2005, 11:51 PM

Glad you figured it out. Have fun.

Nnobby45 · January 31, 2005, 12:11 AM

Put the die in the press per instructions. Finger tight at this point. Then try this: Raise the ram until you just barely seat the bullet. If the seating stem doesn't touch the bullet, screw it down more. If it does, don't go up any farther than is needed to just get the bullet STARTED. It may be only 1/8th in. deep or so. Doesn't matter. Now back the seating stem way out so that the bullet is not touched when the ram is fully raised. Screw the seater doen until it touches the bullet. Now just go down in small steps until you get the right depth/COL you want. When that is done, untighten the lock ring with the bullet seated (the ram raised). Then tighten the lock ring. Things line up better that way when you tighten the lock ring with the seater engaging the bullet. Go easy, even finger tight is ok. And of course, with the typical 7/8" die, you can figure out how much one full turn of the seating stem will seat the bullet and you can go accordingly.

Another trick is to simply use a factory round or any hand load: screw the seater way out, as above, raise the ram and screw the seater down till it touches the bullet, then back it off again--since the factory round or round you're using may not be the depth you want and may be a different bullet with a different ogive--then go down in steps as mentioned above. Once you get your pet load, make a dummy round, and setting up the seating die will be a snap. You'll simply turn the backed off seater down till it touches the bullet, lower the ram and screw the seater down ever so slightly more to remove any play, and you're ready to go.

Even the best of bullets are not perfect in their construction, whether it's the position of the ogive or the length. So don't get frustrated when you find COL variations of several thousanths. Take an average.

January 30, 2005, 10:13 PM	#1
kelbro Member Join Date: December 15, 2004 Posts: 22	Rookie mistake - What did I do wrong? I was loading some once fired .270s with Sierra 90 HPs. Win brass, neck sized and trimmed back to 2.53" The bullet length is .85 so I did the math to allow for one bullet diameter in the neck, (.85 - .28) + 2.53 = 3.1". Hodgdon manual showed a 3.17 COL so I tried that length. First 8 loads wrinkled the necks right above the shoulder before I noticed it. Re-grouped and tried 3.2 COL and it worked fine. I'm concerned that I may not have enough bullet in the neck. Should I be OK with only .18 seated? What happened to the 3.17 loads? Should I have full length sized? The first loads fired in these cases were 4759 reduced recoil loads with 115 gr sierras so I didn't think that I would need to FLR. I appreciate any input.

January 30, 2005, 11:03 PM	#3
Walter Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2004 Location: North Texas Posts: 641	Kelbro I do not claim to be anything near an authority on reloading, but I have done a lot of it. From the info you gave, I don't see where the problem may be. That makes me think the problem is with the info you didn't give. Such as, what kind of rifle are you shooting? What type of powder, and how much of it, were in that "first 8 loads"? Were the "once fired" cases fired in the same rifle both times? Sorry I can't give you a definitive answer, but there are so many variables in reloading, it usually requires all the data to draw any strong conclusion. Walter

January 30, 2005, 11:32 PM	#4
kelbro Member Join Date: December 15, 2004 Posts: 22	Problem solved Same rifle. Rem 700. This happened at the press, never fired them a second time. Probably wouldn't have even chambered. It was a setup problem. I re-adjusted the die to touch an empty case. Backed it off one turn. Then adjusted the plug a little at a time until I got to the desired COL of 3.17. No damage. It's obvious (now) that the die was crushing the case. It worked earlier but I was using longer bullets. Thanks!

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

January 30, 2005, 10:39 PM	#2
Robert M Boren Sr Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2004 Location: NW Montana Posts: 269	kelbro, were you using once fired in your firearm or fired in someone elses firearm? If they were fired in someone elses gun, then you should have full length resized for the first firing at least, in your gun. It's important to make sure you have plenty of friction on the bullet other wise you get poor ignition or you could get bullet jump from the primer before the powder ignites. Stick to what the book says on the col at least on the lighter bullets. If you want to seat out, then go to a long or heavier bullet.

January 30, 2005, 11:51 PM	#5
Robert M Boren Sr Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2004 Location: NW Montana Posts: 269	Glad you figured it out. Have fun.

January 31, 2005, 12:11 AM	#6
Nnobby45 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2004 Posts: 3,150	Put the die in the press per instructions. Finger tight at this point. Then try this: Raise the ram until you just barely seat the bullet. If the seating stem doesn't touch the bullet, screw it down more. If it does, don't go up any farther than is needed to just get the bullet STARTED. It may be only 1/8th in. deep or so. Doesn't matter. Now back the seating stem way out so that the bullet is not touched when the ram is fully raised. Screw the seater doen until it touches the bullet. Now just go down in small steps until you get the right depth/COL you want. When that is done, untighten the lock ring with the bullet seated (the ram raised). Then tighten the lock ring. Things line up better that way when you tighten the lock ring with the seater engaging the bullet. Go easy, even finger tight is ok. And of course, with the typical 7/8" die, you can figure out how much one full turn of the seating stem will seat the bullet and you can go accordingly. Another trick is to simply use a factory round or any hand load: screw the seater way out, as above, raise the ram and screw the seater down till it touches the bullet, then back it off again--since the factory round or round you're using may not be the depth you want and may be a different bullet with a different ogive--then go down in steps as mentioned above. Once you get your pet load, make a dummy round, and setting up the seating die will be a snap. You'll simply turn the backed off seater down till it touches the bullet, lower the ram and screw the seater down ever so slightly more to remove any play, and you're ready to go. Even the best of bullets are not perfect in their construction, whether it's the position of the ogive or the length. So don't get frustrated when you find COL variations of several thousanths. Take an average.