berettaprofessor
Member
You'all have been immensely helpful on my 243 reloading journey and now I need a little more help. I went to the range today to test a set of 243 reloads; I'm using H414, 35 grains, behind a 100grain BTSP, CCI rifle primers, R&P brass and had 20 reloads to test. They are loaded to an OAL of 2.720, about 40 thousands off the lands in this particular Remington 700.
I shot 10 of them over about 8 minutes, then there was a cold range period, then I shot two more. All functioned and boomed normally. Then on the thirteenth round, I couldn't fully close the bolt. I pulled the bolt and checked for bore obstructions and couldn't see anything (except a slightly dirty bore). The last case (#12) appeared normal; no bulged primer, etc. All cases have a little soot on the neck only, but I know that I'm loading the H414 at the bottom of suggested load. I tried all of the other reloaded rounds, thinking I had a few out of whack, but the bolt wouldn't close on any of them.
So I set the rifle aside, plinked for an hour with a 22, came home, and prepared to clean and examine it. Before cleaning, and I stress BEFORE CLEANING, I chambered a commercial round, and the bolt closed tight. Then, I picked up three of the reloads again (which had not changed OAL during transit or previous chambering, I checked), and all three chambered fine now. I then cleaned the rifle; it did not appear extraordinarily dirty or look like other issues were there. I should note also that all twenty of these reloads were checked with a 243 case gauge after loading and passed fine.
So what gives? Is it possible that the rifle chamber is expanding tighter as it heats and I'm loading so close to the lands that it stops me from chambering? What other explanations am I missing? How do I prevent it?
I shot 10 of them over about 8 minutes, then there was a cold range period, then I shot two more. All functioned and boomed normally. Then on the thirteenth round, I couldn't fully close the bolt. I pulled the bolt and checked for bore obstructions and couldn't see anything (except a slightly dirty bore). The last case (#12) appeared normal; no bulged primer, etc. All cases have a little soot on the neck only, but I know that I'm loading the H414 at the bottom of suggested load. I tried all of the other reloaded rounds, thinking I had a few out of whack, but the bolt wouldn't close on any of them.
So I set the rifle aside, plinked for an hour with a 22, came home, and prepared to clean and examine it. Before cleaning, and I stress BEFORE CLEANING, I chambered a commercial round, and the bolt closed tight. Then, I picked up three of the reloads again (which had not changed OAL during transit or previous chambering, I checked), and all three chambered fine now. I then cleaned the rifle; it did not appear extraordinarily dirty or look like other issues were there. I should note also that all twenty of these reloads were checked with a 243 case gauge after loading and passed fine.
So what gives? Is it possible that the rifle chamber is expanding tighter as it heats and I'm loading so close to the lands that it stops me from chambering? What other explanations am I missing? How do I prevent it?