My first batch of .270 Winchester

[ChefJeff1]

I tested my first batch of .270. 49 grains of h4350 and a 160 gr. nosler partition bullet. Accuracy was PERFECT! However they didn't cycle perfectly. I guess they're a little too long. I cycled them a time or two to observe and one of the bullets became loose in the case. I was able to pull it out. I used the Lee factory crimp die and the bullets don't have a crimping groove. Do I need to crimp the more or do something else. thanks, Jeff

 

[dakotasin]

something else.

is this a bolt gun?
what is your seating depth, or col?
does the loaded ammo fit in the mag?
when you feed one into the rifle, does it jam the lands?

 

[Dean Williams]

You shouldn't be able to pull a bullet out of the case, (with your fingers, at least, if that's what you meant).

What are you using for sizing?
If full length die, do you have it adjusted properly?
If a Lee type collet die, are you putting enough pressure on the press handle to size the neck properly?

I would leave out the crimping until you get the neck tension on the bullet figured out. Really, you should not need a crimp if this is a bolt gun or single shot.

 

[ChefJeff1]

bolt gun.
oal is 3.340
they fit in the magazine but cycle a little funny (less than smooth)
After cycling they were 3.330 so i guess they hit the lands.

 

[Slamfire]

I tested my first batch of .270. 49 grains of h4350 and a 160 gr. nosler partition bullet. Accuracy was PERFECT! However they didn't cycle perfectly. I guess they're a little too long. I cycled them a time or two to observe and one of the bullets became loose in the case. I was able to pull it out. I used the Lee factory crimp die and the bullets don't have a crimping groove. Do I need to crimp the more or do something else. thanks, Jeff

Seat your bullets to magazine depth. Seating hunting bullets to the lands, or a precise distance off the lands is wasted effort in a hunting rifle to be used in a hunting situation.

If all you are going to do is shoot groups using a bench as a support, well, spend the time getting small groups. But you won't be able to hold that tight unless you take that bench with you hunting.

As for crimping. I do not crimp bullets in rifles with box magazines. I rely on a tight fit between the case neck and the bullet.

I believe crimping bullets damages them. It swages the soft lead core, and is swages the copper jacket. I followed the FCD instructions, gave a crimp to match bullets that were so light that no crimp marks were on the neck, and yet it swaged my 30 caliber SMK's like the 6.5 mm SMK's pictured.

This is what a Lee Factory Crimp die will do to 6.5 mm SMK's.

 

[Mal H]

3.340" OAL shouldn't be a problem assuming your rifle has a normal length of leade. I am using 3.350" to get the bullet a little closer to the rifling with a Rem. 700, and it doesn't touch the rifling.

If you do suspect that the bullet is touching, you can try the old "smoke" test. Although these days it's done with a Magic Marker or similar felt tip marker. Coat the bullet around the ogive. Be sure your safety is on and cycle the round. Only do this if you can point the rifle in a safe direction, assuming the case is loaded, otherwise do the exercise at the range.

You can also determine the distance to the rifling with this little trick. First get a non-resized non-primed case that has been fired in your rifle. Slip a bullet into the mouth (it should be free to move), but leave it fairly long. Load the round and close the bolt, the bullet should touch the rifling and be pushed back into the case. Gently remove the round and measure the OAL now - that's your maximum OAL. The actual distance to the lands will be shorter than that since the rifling usually touches the bullet somewhere along the ogive. If you suspect the bullet might have been pulled out a little when you brought the bolt back, coat the bullet with the felt marker around the base and you can tell if that happened.

 

[ChefJeff1]

Slam, thanks for the pic. I don't want that to happen to my bullets. How do I determine magazine depth? as long as they fit?
Mal h, that is the technique that I read in the nosler manual. Should I go just a little shorter that the Oal that I get when using the marker trick?

Thanks, Jeff

 

[Mal H]

You should definitely be a little shorter than the length you determined with the marker method. However, you don't have to go any longer than the nominal OAL unless, as Slamfire1 implied, you are striving for superior accuracy. If you are loading for hunting (as the partition bullet suggests), you don't need to load to the lands - load to the mag and/or the "book" OAL.

Did you determine that the bullet is touching the lands when using 3.340" OAL?

Also, please describe what you mean by "cycle a little funny (less than smooth)". Where in the cycle of loading a round in the rifle does it feel funny? What rifle do you have?

 

[ChefJeff1]

Ruber M77. As far as loading funny, I think the rounds were too long and were in the mag at an ngle instead of straight on. I loaded 3 cartridges to 3.335 and cycled them and they worked fine. As far as the bullet coming loose maybe it's because I lubed the inside of the mouth per the Lee instructions that came with the dies. I wiped out the necks on the 3 with a Q-tip and the bullets are as snug as a bug in a rug. I'[m surprised the Nosler manual doesn't have different lengths for each bullet and each loading, there's just one length on the bullet diagram. thanks, jeff