[SMOKEY]

I need some help. I have a Ruger M77 .280. I had it rebarelled with a match barrell and what the gunsmith said was a good reamer. Same caliber. Now my reloads stick in the chamber. I was determinining bullet seating depth and discovered it. I push a reloaded round into the chamber and push it back out with a dowel. I start out real long and shorten by about .0010 and try another round if it shows land and groove marks. But my shells are sticking and the bulletts have scuff marks on one side only. I marked the case and turned the shell 180 deg. and the same side is marked so I know it is not the throat out of round or a burr. The gunsmith says it will go away after I shoot it alot. Not acceptable. Accuracy is lousy. If it isn't accurate it isnt interesting or useful. I just finished reloading for a friends 7mm WSM and we got it down to 5/8 at 100 yards. I've been reloading for a while and never had this happen. Ideas? Suggestions? Thanks Guys!

[Jaywalker]

Sorry, but I don't understand the issue yet. You indicate the scuff marks are on the same side, but I don't know what that means. The same side of the barrel, or the same side of the cartridge/bullet? With a match barrel and (possibly) a match reamer, would we expect to see a different (tighter) throat? More info, please.

Jaywalker

[SMOKEY]

Same side of the bullet. If my cases were out of round, I wonder, would that cause it. I bought a second set of dies and same thiing. Even factory shells stick. Why do people turn the outside of their case necks.?

[BigG]

I am guessing your bullet is not being seated straight but is cocked somewhat to one side. A bullet should ideally be seated concentric to the axis of the case which is concentric to the axis of the bore. I hope that is clear.

People turn the outside of case necks as the brass tends to flow forward after firing a few times. The neck is thicker, in other words. To get it back down to spec they take the excess off the neck.

Hope you find the solution to your difficulty! :)

[swifter]

Smokey,

Try this: Blacken an empty, resized case with magic marker. Chamber it & extract it. The scuff marks will show where the case is tight.
I suspect your "scuffmarks on the bullet " are caused by the extractor cocking the round so the bullet drags along the chamber edge.

Some turn necks to achieve better concentricity, others because they have "tight neck" chambers, and can't chamber an unturned round.
I have one where I turn necks to 0.0015".

Tom

[SMOKEY]

Thanks, I tried the magic marker. I didn't see any point where I could say the case was sticking. And I don't use the bolt to remove the shell. I push a dowel down the barrel. I didn't feel any real resistence when I push the shell out. I suspected my bullets are not seating straight. How does one seat a straight bullet? I always put my faith in Redding. I think Hornady advertises a better bullet seater.

[Jaywalker]

With apologies to those who turn necks, I wonder if that's really an answer. If the case neck wall is too thick on one side, you cannot seat the bullet straight, no matter what you do, and it doesn't have anything to do with the outside diameter of the neck. To seat the bullet straight, the first necessary thing is to have cases whose neck walls vary very little.

The RCBS Casemaster and the Sinclair MIC-4 and 5 allow you measure this critical dimension. RCBS says variance of .004" make little difference to hunters. Others, concentricity nuts, like to keep the variance to .0015 or less.

I went through a lot of 50 Winchester 6.5X55 cases last night and none of them were as much as .004, though I'd have had to throw out a bunch if I wanted to keep it below .0015.

Edited to suggest the Casemaster. You can check your fired brass necks for concentricity. If they're out, then it's the gunsmith's concern if the reamer wasn't centered.

Jaywalker

[swifter]

Seat the bullet approx 1/2 way, rotate case 90* in shellholder, then complete seating often helps to seat bullets straight...:scrutiny:

Another vote for the casemaster, or a dedicated concentricity rig...

Check concentricity of : loaded round at bullet & neck; of fired round, at neck(should be straightest); of resized round. This will tell you where its off, or if it is.

What seater are you using?:confused:

Tom

[SMOKEY]

Tom,

I'm using a Redding Die set. I also have a Lee. They both do the same thing as far as seating. The Redding set does leave a smother case neck. I'm using Hornady 139 gr. Interbond and Interlock and 140 barnes. All with the same results.

Before I can go with a case concentricity guage or neck reaming I must try every thing else.

I'm using Remington brass. Alot of guys don't like it but I got 1/2 MOA with several bullets and powders before I wrecked my barrel with moly bullets. That also was a mystery that led to bullet tension in the case neck. Near as could be figured the bullets were leaving too fast and I was using slow burning powder. Never got any signs of high pressure. Took the load over max a grain or two. Too much powder burning in the barrel. I shoot alot.

I was gone this week end and I can't try seating the bullets 1/2 way and then rotating them until tommorrow. I have hope now.

Thanks

[SMOKEY]

I tried seating the bullet 1/2 way then rotating it and seating it the rest of the way. Didn't help. I checked the price of the concentricity guage and I wish I knew some one who had one I could use. Back to the gun smith. But if my chamber isn't straight with the barrel and that is causing my bullets to stick then when I rotate the shell 180 deg. I should get a mark on the opposite side of the bullet also.