.300 WinMag reloading trouble FTF

[uberpeck]

Stats: .300wm, Winchester brass, Winchester mag primers, 73.0 gr H4381, Winchester PowerPoint 180gr bullets
Gun: 1991 Remington CDL .300WinMag

Problem: Twice I was not able to fully chamber a round (was able to achieve 80-90% chambering); upon removal of the round, the bullets lead tip was fractured/flattened. What's the deal?

 

[flashpuppy]

Pull the bullets from those cartridges and chamber the case. Does it go? What are you giving for headspace? Full length sized or neck sized? New brass or once fired? Need pics of the bullet.

 

[bstewrat3]

If the rounds with the flattened tips were in the magazine while others were fired the cause may be from hitting the front of the box. If that isn't the case you may have a feeding problem that is allowing the cartridge to tip and hit the rear of the barrel or side of the chamber. Not fully chambering could be a couple things. Your cases may not be fully sized or your overall length may be too long for your chamber.

 

[flashpuppy]

Please provide the following info as well:

What dies?
What is COAL?
What is Base to Ogive?
What is max Base to Ogive of your chamber?
What length is your brass after sizing?

 

[billybob44]

Several things to consider..

First off, a Case Gauge is your FRIEND.. See if you can buy a Wilson case gauge+use it per instructions.

Second, your loads are at the top end=http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

Very likely that you are doing the damage to the bullet tips in the magazine.

For this STOUT load, be sure that you have a QUALITY HD press, and adjust your dies to 'cam over', to get the shoulder pushed back enough to close the bolt (see First off)

As noted before, we need more info-Type of dies, press, if a case gauge is being used..etc...Bill.

 

[Yeah]

Buying a case gauge and camming over your press are both wastes of resources. How did you determine headspace for these cases?

 

[Broom_jm]

First off, a Case Gauge is your FRIEND.. See if you can buy a Wilson case gauge+use it per instructions.

Second, your loads are at the top end=http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

Very likely that you are doing the damage to the bullet tips in the magazine.

For this STOUT load, be sure that you have a QUALITY HD press, and adjust your dies to 'cam over', to get the shoulder pushed back enough to close the bolt (see First off)

As noted before, we need more info-Type of dies, press, if a case gauge is being used..etc...Bill.

The above is spot-on advice for reloaders of limited experience and is most likely what you should do to diagnose the problem you're having.

Buying a case gauge and camming over your press are both wastes of resources. How did you determine headspace for these cases?

This advice is also correct, technically, but should come with a whole lot more explanation and less condescension. Your rifle's chamber is a case length gauge and you should only cam over on a press if your brass/chamber is telling you there is a need to do so. Making that determination is not difficult, but it's not exactly intuitive, either. A case length gauge, as recommended by Bill, removes all the guesswork.

The OP mentioned these rounds only going in 80-90%. If that description is accurate and not anecdotal, there is no way this is a headspace issue, particularly if he's single-feeding rounds. The damage is being done by the round not being centered in the chamber, somehow? There's definitely something more going on here, but headspace problems result in a round that will only go in 99% of the way....not 80-90%.

 

[billybob44]

Thank you for your 'SUPPORT'....

Buying a case gauge and camming over your press are both wastes of resources. How did you determine headspace for these cases?

^^^Yea, comments like this ARE a WASTE of resource!


"Problem: Twice I was not able to fully chamber a round (was able to achieve 80-90% chambering"

^^^This tells me that this was over One Box (of 20 rounds)??--Not hardly enough duplication to determine a problem/fix at all. Hell, these TWO rounds may have been once/twice/more times fired in a chamber with way excessive headspace??

As stated before, INGO needs more info from the OP, and the OP needs more duplication of 'Problem' loads, to help us to determine a course of action that will help the OP.

BTW: Yeah, show me a Handloader that does NOT believe in case gauges, and camming over, (when needed on a "Problem" load), and I'll show you a "HACK", that does not know proper reloading habits. (Note: I DID edit out my first comments on this!!) Take the time to read the RCBS, and Redding die set up instructions BEFORE you come on this form to put ME in my PLACE....Bill.

 

[Aszerigan]

Is there a barrel obstruction? Broken case in the chamber?

LE Wilson makes a nice case gauge, but it's adjustable, meaning you need to check the OAL of your chamber. 300 Win Mag brass needs to be trimmed nearly every time it's fired also.

Improper shoulder placement wouldn't crush the tip of the bullet. Neither would neck vs FL sizing.

Is your CDL feeding from the box, or are you dropping the rounds in one at a time. Sliding across the top of the internal mag plate may cause it to jam into the feed ramp, causing the damaged tip you speak of. If that's the case, then check your sizing. Either way, a case gauge is a valuable tool for a 300WM bolt gun.

If time permits, feel free to bring the whole kit in, ammo and rifle, and we can inspect and troubleshoot your issues. Bring some unloaded sized brass and bullets too, we'll check your chamber's OAL. That'll give you some hard data on how to size your reloads.

 

[uberpeck]

I will try and get pictures and accurate measurements to you tonight.

However, I will address some comments I am sure of now: there was no barrel obstruction, these rounds were never placed into the magazine because only load one bullet at a time, and then fire it, and finally the brass was once fired.

I am using a single stage RCBS press and RCBS dies. If I seat the bullet further, I will not be able to crimp it on the cannelure. Pics to come this afternoon.

 

[flashpuppy]

Forget the cannelure man! The length is what matters. What are the numbers? How did you determine the correct head spacing for your rifle?

 

[Josh Ward]

Buying a case gauge and camming over your press are both wastes of resources. How did you determine headspace for these cases?

WHAT?!?! LOLOL Wow......where do these people come from

 

[IndyGunworks]

Buying a case gauge and camming over your press are both wastes of resources. How did you determine headspace for these cases?

For someone who has came on here looking like they are fairly new to reloading, this is aweful bad advice to be giving. Caming over the press, and utilizing a case guage are both fantastic ways to ensure that you are reloading properly and safely. Perhaps YOU also need to attend a reloading seminar somewhere.

 

[uberpeck]

Factory load vs reload

 

[flashpuppy]

WHAT ARE THE MEASURMENTS? Nobody can help you without the rest of the information, but let me take a stab. You didn't trim your brass, right? That's the cannelure/crimp space issue, as well as your chamber issue.

You didn't do any work up loads did you? Just jumped right up to 73.0gr? Bet your rounds that did go off were over pressure due to a) brass being too long and b) the too long brass getting "crimped" where it shouldn't be. Unfortunately, I think the problem goes further.... Like the fundamentals getting skipped here. Measure, check, measure again, chamber dummy round, check again, load up, fire.

 

[billybob44]

Stop using Lee dies.

HA, flash, you SURE did open yourself up...Here comes the Lee FanBoys...Bill.

 

[flashpuppy]

I just checked Hodgon's site on this... Wow. 73.0gr is a COMPRESSED load at dang near max SAAMI pressure spec. Playing with fire here.

 

[flashpuppy]

billybob44;4524866]HA, flash, you SURE did open yourself up...Here comes the Lee FanBoys...Bill.

The smushed tip. I had/have the same problem with a particular set of LEE dies on a 300wm. That comment was the first thing that jumped to my head. Then I remember he said he's using the RCBS dies, so I ammended the post.

 

[billybob44]

I just checked Hodgon's site on this... Wow. 73.0gr is a COMPRESSED load at dang near max SAAMI pressure spec. Playing with fire here.

Yea, check line #2 on post #5...He's right there into the "Do Not Go Zone"...Bill.

 

[Broom_jm]

OK, but if the OP is loading too hot, what does that have to do with the odd angle on his bullet tips, before he's even fired the reloaded rounds?

My guess is the case is not running straight into the chamber and catching on something. If he's loading to the cannelure and crimping, (not necessary) that still shouldn't create the problem of the case getting stuck or the tips being deformed. They're just getting caught up on something before they chamber...weird.

Also, I can't begin to imagine how someone could attribute this to the brand of reloading die used. Even those "awful" Lee dies won't misalign a bullet with the bore badly enough to cause this problem.