Reloading Tips According To Dicehorn #4 A

[dicehorn 38]

I am just putting this one in as it hopefully will serve as a warning to ALL of us reloaders.

 

My R93 has had a little over 2500 shots since I bought it new and I recently noticed that it was starting to open a little (Shooting Charlie on here shot a 5 shot group sub .2" two years ago) and was drifting now out around .6".

 

I decided yesterday that perhaps to revive this old barrel I should do two things - create more space in the case by seating it from 222 thou back to 150 thou back and to compensate, I would increase the powder charge from my usual 46.5 to 47.5 gr. I had prepped 23 cases, then in a flash moment decided why not do an OCW test at 150 thou back moving out to 49.5 (still a safe load although hotter than I would usually consider) - 18 rounds later I was ready for this morning - I was ready but God was not as every time I got in the truck he thought rain would be nice. Eventually it stopped so down to my little range I went

 

Put up the target at 100 yds and started to shoot one of each weight at each target, by the 4th shot, down came the rain, but I carried on - after the 6th shot the rain soaked target slid down the target holder and impaled itself into the grass. Came home and dried target off but because the red had run everywhere, printed off another target and placed the wet target over the new one and marked on where the first 6 shots had gone. Back down to my range and off I went again, however, on the 6th shot with the 49.6 gr when I ejected all that came out was the headstamp with the rest of the body stuck in the chamber - a bit scary as this was 3rd times fired Lapua brass and I don't normally check for the signs of case separation until around the 8th time.

 

Came home and removed the rest of the case using a 308 phosphor brush and then just put 2 dry patches through the bore - just in case. Went back out again to the range but because of the grouping after 48 gr decided to miss the bottom line out- anyway I was happy with the 47.5 gr load.

 

Whilst I accept that the 49.5 gr load was bordering on the hot side, I have now come to the conclusion that the case separation was due entirely to metal fatigue during manufacture. I do have a RCBS Case Master gauge which apart from measuring case/bullet run out also has a gizmo that will register how deep the groove is getting around the case separation area. From now on that will be from 2nd firing onward.

 

Now most reloaders do not have this RCBS item (cos for one thing they are stupidly expensive) so an easy alternative is to take a paper clip, straighten it out and with a pair of pliers simply bend one end at right angles small enough to slide through the neck down to the headstamp, as you draw it back with gentle pressure against the case chamber wall, if it is starting to erode (where mine did) - best to scrap it. Normally, without using the paperclip method you can see at the later stages of separation a ring forming on the outside of the case. In extreme cases this separation that I had could result in the action just blowing up - shivers!!

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