Bullet Touching Part of the Lands

Gaz

Well-Known Member
Help from you experienced re loaders Please

Could anyone please give me some information as to what they think I have done wrong here and any suggestions how to remedy.
As can be seen in the pictures the bullet I presume is touching the lands but only just around 40% of it is marked. The bolt is tight when trying to close. The OAL is what it should be (less 10 thou) according to my comparator measurement.
Only just starting out in the reloading game so appreciate any information


Thanks in advance. Gaz DSCF3327.JPGDSCF3329.JPG
 
Help from you experienced re loaders Please

Could anyone please give me some information as to what they think I have done wrong here and any suggestions how to remedy.
As can be seen in the pictures the bullet I presume is touching the lands but only just around 40% of it is marked. The bolt is tight when trying to close. The OAL is what it should be (less 10 thou) according to my comparator measurement.
Only just starting out in the reloading game so appreciate any information


Thanks in advance. Gaz View attachment 53955View attachment 53956

That isn't contacting the lands.. those marks are way beyond the OGIVE.. Are you magazine feeding them? that looks like feed rash from the cartridge being pushed out of the magazine and into the chamber to me
 
Thanks Vipa but no I am not feeding from magazine.

Hmmm.. no idea then, definitely not rifling marks though. If you have a Hornady bullet comparator, you would you would see rifling marks at the same place the collar of the comparator makes contact with the bullet when you measure them
 
Firstly I don't get the "OAL Is what it should be" bit

if the bolt is stiff it is not what it should be!
the rash could be anything but sort the close first
 
Firstly I don't get the "OAL Is what it should be" bit

if the bolt is stiff it is not what it should be!
the rash could be anything but sort the close first
Please elaborate a bit more. I have got the AOL from using a overall length gauge and modified case as per the manuals I've read. The rounds in the picture are the same length but are getting marked as shown. The bolt works fine with no rounds chambered and will also work fine with factory ammo, so if the made rounds are the same or less than the measured AOL why should this happen. Thanks
 
It could be that the rounds are not concentric, I.e. The bullet is not entirely in line with the case and so is touching on only part of the bullet and not all, as it should be, if you haven't got a gauge then you could try rolling them on a work surface and see if you can see any run out.
 
It could be that the rounds are not concentric, I.e. The bullet is not entirely in line with the case and so is touching on only part of the bullet and not all, as it should be, if you haven't got a gauge then you could try rolling them on a work surface and see if you can see any run out.
Thanks Foggy. the case necks have been turned with a K&M micro adjustable neck turner and I am wondering if this process has worked correctly and is actually needed at all.
 
The shoulder looks to me as though your black ink has been marked. That suggests that your case hasn't been fully resized (this is reused brass, yes?). Try removing the bullet (and powder) and chambering the same cartridge. If it's stiff to close the bolt, you have located the problem. But first, is the loaded cartridge OAL as per the bullet maker's manual? If so, you will be clear of the lands. Look down you barrel from the muzzle. Look at the lands: how many are there, and what is the land to groove width ratio? Compare that to the mark on your bullet. Does it look like a land impression? Try seating you bullet 0.100" further out (on a case with no powder). It should engrave. Take a look at the marks. How do they compare to the questioned mark? Finally, don't use felt tip markers (e.g. Sharpie) as the ink is like treacle, only use Staedtler Lumocolor CD/DVD markers, their ink is microscopic.

-JMS
 
The shoulder looks to me as though your black ink has been marked. That suggests that your case hasn't been fully resized (this is reused brass, yes?). Try removing the bullet (and powder) and chambering the same cartridge. If it's stiff to close the bolt, you have located the problem. But first, is the loaded cartridge OAL as per the bullet maker's manual? If so, you will be clear of the lands. Look down you barrel from the muzzle. Look at the lands: how many are there, and what is the land to groove width ratio? Compare that to the mark on your bullet. Does it look like a land impression? Try seating you bullet 0.100" further out (on a case with no powder). It should engrave. Take a look at the marks. How do they compare to the questioned mark? Finally, don't use felt tip markers (e.g. Sharpie) as the ink is like treacle, only use Staedtler Lumocolor CD/DVD markers, their ink is microscopic.

-JMS
Thanks JMS. The brass I am using is Norma which has been fired from a previous rifle. Done a bit of trial and error this evening. It looks like the brass is the problem. As suggested the cases were fully resized which has seemed to sort the problem, except for some reason the odd case that was tight being resized were found to have a greater run out on the neck. When I did the tight cases a second time the run out on the neck improved to virtually nothing. What would you say causes this ? Thanks again Gaz
 
The cases are once fired from a previous rifle. Thanks Gary

Theres your problem gaz brass from another rifle, even when F/L resized usually causes problems, either in the headspace length but most usually the case web area above the extractor groove that does not get sized because of the design of reloading dies.
I dont want to sound blunt but this same problem pops up with monotenous regularity, as soon as i started reading your post i said to myself "here goes, another shooter having problems with brass originally fired in another rifle".
Save yourself a lot of grief and dont use brass fron another source, buy new or use cases from factory ammo fired in your rifle, this is what i do and i have never had problems with chambering brass.

ian.
 
To be fair to the OP I have used once fired norma brass exclusively in my rifles (including this cartridge), mainly because it is very expensive and hard to find new.
Almost all it has come from another rifle

Never had a problem chambering FL sized Norma brass in .222, .243, .270, .308 and 300wm


surely if your cases are so oversize at the head/web then either:
your dies are not set up properly, not decent dies
you have a particularly tight chamber - loose die combo
or your brass has been fired so many times so hot that it is scrap anyway
 
Theres your problem gaz brass from another rifle, even when F/L resized usually causes problems, either in the headspace length but most usually the case web area above the extractor groove that does not get sized because of the design of reloading dies.
I dont want to sound blunt but this same problem pops up with monotenous regularity, as soon as i started reading your post i said to myself "here goes, another shooter having problems with brass originally fired in another rifle".
Save yourself a lot of grief and dont use brass fron another source, buy new or use cases from factory ammo fired in your rifle, this is what i do and i have never had problems with chambering brass.

ian.

+1 I frequently experience issues chambering with brass previously fired in another rifle but I have a number of 308s and will not be bothered with keeping brass separated for each one,

SS
 
To be fair to the OP I have used once fired norma brass exclusively in my rifles (including this cartridge), mainly because it is very expensive and hard to find new.
Almost all it has come from another rifle

Never had a problem chambering FL sized Norma brass in .222, .243, .270, .308 and 300wm


surely if your cases are so oversize at the head/web then either:
your dies are not set up properly, not decent dies
you have a particularly tight chamber - loose die combo
or your brass has been fired so many times so hot that it is scrap anyway

Normal press dies have a radius machined in the mouth of the die, this combined with the thickness of the top of the shell holder leaves a section of the case web that does not get sized even in F/L dies
If the rifle the cases were originally fired in happens to have a chamber slightly bigger then the OPs rifle then chambering problems will occur, this is not always a problem but is very common.
You are one of the fortunate ones bewsher but sooner or later you will encounter brass that will not chamber satisfactorily in your rifles if you keep buying once fired brass.

ian.
 
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Whitebeard, would a 'FL competition' die be any better in these circumstances? Bubble

I think this problem could be resolved with a Small base die or Redding competition shell holders. Both give that little extra sizing right at the head of the case.
 
Thanks all for your replies. It really is an eye opener when things don't go to plan. At least the .270 norma cases are the ones fired from my rifle when we get onto those ones Bubble :lol:
 
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