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Old May 24, 2000, 07:33 PM   #1
davpet
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Join Date: March 8, 2000
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Guys,
I'm a newbie, and I loaded some dummy rounds for my 30-06 Garand. Heres the scoop, I used various OAL's from 2.95-3.28. I've been told that 3.34 is OK to use for an OAL. Anyway, I loaded a clip with these unprimed dummies, and cycled the action. I was checking to see if the bolt closed on all rounds, and if there were dents and headspace problems on the shoulders of each round. After the third or fourth cylcle of eight, I had a bullet remain in the chamber(Unbeknownst to me) and the brass ejected. The next two rounds jammed into the back of that bullet and reseated them beyond the crimp. My question is did all the "cycling" cause the bullet to come loose, or should I be crimping these rounds on my RCBS? I also remeasured all the rounds after this test and only one was not below the minimum OAL of 2.94. What did I do wrong? Additionally, is this experiment a valid test for the ammo? I'm taking all advice. I don't wanna blow my head off. Thanks in Advance

ps. should I get the bullet puller and try to save the bullets which were shoved down into the neck of the brass? Or just chuck them?

Dave.
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Old May 24, 2000, 07:54 PM   #2
Bud Helms
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Join Date: December 31, 1999
Location: Middle Georgia, USA
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Get a kinetic bullet puller. You'll use it. I've just about worn mine out.

It sounds like you jammed a bullet into the rifling and it got a grip on the bullet. When you tried to extract it, it held it and withdrew it from the neck of the case. Way too long.

There is no one OAL for any cartridge. It depends on the bullet shape and the magazine length.

[This message has been edited by sensop (edited May 24, 2000).]
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Old May 25, 2000, 09:34 AM   #3
Bill Hebert
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Join Date: May 15, 1999
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Davpet, do a search on TFL, and you will probably return lots of discussion on to crimp or not to crimp. The downsize to crimping is that you shorten the life of the brass (everytime you work the brass in any way you shorten its life in some way.) The upsize to crimping as I see it is that the factories (all of them) crimp the brass. I use Lee dies almost exclusively and have what they call their "taper crimp die" as suggested by others on TFL. It securely locks the bullet to the case. I have never regretted using the taper crimp. Someone else may want to comment on "roll crimping" but as I understand it, it's not the best for rifle cartridges. Good luck and be safe.
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Old May 25, 2000, 11:17 PM   #4
alan
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Join Date: June 7, 1999
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davpet:

Re reloading ammunition for the Garand rifle, when I used one in competition, oal of 3.3- 3.4" worked fine using several different bullets (Sierra 180 & 168, Hornady 168 & 190, FA Match bullets, Sierra 165 grainers and such).

These were all jacketed bullets, none having a crimping groove. I never found it necessary to crimp, in any way at all, any jacketed bullet ammunition in any rifle that I ever fired.

I have seen a couple of bolt guns that would sometimes "pull" the bullet out of National Match 30-06 ammuntion. Suspect that the chambers of these rifles might have been just a mite short, combined with ammunition that was perhaps a mite long. Most often, one does NOT run into this sort of thing, however there is always the possibility of "tolerance interference", a polite term for what I above described.

Hope this helps.

[This message has been edited by alan (edited May 26, 2000).]
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