Poor day at the range with my new 22-250
Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 8:13 am
I think I know the initial answer, but wanted to ask here to be more certain.
I started with a 10 rounds of factory Remington in the shoot a couple, push a patch etc in the wind on Monday. Just wanted to get on the paper from 35 yards at home. Yesterday I went to my shooting spot to see what I could do with the bench at 100yds. I started with Winchester white box 45gr jacketed hollow points. These are rated 4100fps I believe. I saw from 4040 to 4100+. Shoot clean, moving to a good zero I shot 10 of these. All in all they did not group too badly.
Then I got out my test loads and here is where it got interesting. Cleaned it with 2 quick patches, fired another Winny as a fouler and chambered my first round. Bolt worked much harder than it should have to close. Not much I could do but try them. Most did not shoot worth beans. Effort to open the bolt was also quite significant. The extractor was gouging the rim. To be certain that it was not load related, I chambered and extracted one and it acted the same way.
So I think what got me here is that the brass that I used was once fired and came from a Howa 1500 that I used to own. The chamber must have been large or long.
Chrono conditions were favorable for a while then it got too dark. What I saw was 3600's using H380 (starting at 36.5gr and working up) and 55BK's as well as 55 Noslers seated .010 from the lands. ES was 20 on the one group and 8 on another so I think I am doing my thing just need to get past the tight brass?
Brass was full length sized with my Forster die. Come to think of it this is the same die that was giving me grief with the decapping pin. This die has been repaired and returned.
I did have some of my 3 shot groups that put two in teh same hole, but the 3rd was a flyer. Wind was near non existent. I did have a couple of loads that put all 3 near touching but horizontally strung.
So how do I get my now twice fired brass to fit? I guess I need to crank down the sizer die so it pushes back the shoulder and see how they chamber? I do have the Hornady lock-n load tools that I believe check this.
Or do I write this brass off and use only new?
I started with a 10 rounds of factory Remington in the shoot a couple, push a patch etc in the wind on Monday. Just wanted to get on the paper from 35 yards at home. Yesterday I went to my shooting spot to see what I could do with the bench at 100yds. I started with Winchester white box 45gr jacketed hollow points. These are rated 4100fps I believe. I saw from 4040 to 4100+. Shoot clean, moving to a good zero I shot 10 of these. All in all they did not group too badly.
Then I got out my test loads and here is where it got interesting. Cleaned it with 2 quick patches, fired another Winny as a fouler and chambered my first round. Bolt worked much harder than it should have to close. Not much I could do but try them. Most did not shoot worth beans. Effort to open the bolt was also quite significant. The extractor was gouging the rim. To be certain that it was not load related, I chambered and extracted one and it acted the same way.
So I think what got me here is that the brass that I used was once fired and came from a Howa 1500 that I used to own. The chamber must have been large or long.
Chrono conditions were favorable for a while then it got too dark. What I saw was 3600's using H380 (starting at 36.5gr and working up) and 55BK's as well as 55 Noslers seated .010 from the lands. ES was 20 on the one group and 8 on another so I think I am doing my thing just need to get past the tight brass?
Brass was full length sized with my Forster die. Come to think of it this is the same die that was giving me grief with the decapping pin. This die has been repaired and returned.
I did have some of my 3 shot groups that put two in teh same hole, but the 3rd was a flyer. Wind was near non existent. I did have a couple of loads that put all 3 near touching but horizontally strung.
So how do I get my now twice fired brass to fit? I guess I need to crank down the sizer die so it pushes back the shoulder and see how they chamber? I do have the Hornady lock-n load tools that I believe check this.
Or do I write this brass off and use only new?