Problem during load testing

The rifle is a model 11 long range hunter chambered in 300wsm. I managed to find a box of 150 grain sierra bullets and some IMR 4064, according to the loading manual the minimum charge was 53.? so I started at 54 and went up to 61 (max is 62) in one grain increments (54, 55, 56, etc.). COL is 2.8. I loaded 5 rounds per load and headed to the gun club even though it was stinking hot out. I was waiting 3 to 5 minutes between rounds to let the barrel cool and everything was fine until I got to the rounds loaded with 61 gr, I put a round in the chamber and could not close the bolt. Tried a second round and used a little more force, still could not close the bolt and now the bolt is stuck! A few light taps with a rubber mallet when I got home freed the bolt and the round. I measured the col and it was dead on and a few hours later the other 3 rounds chamber fine. I'll try to post a picture of the stuck rounds because they have some marks on the shoulder but its hard to see. So did I over heat the rifle? Do you think this did damage or will not be accurate?

http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/...0/DSC02166.jpg

Bad angle. Can't determine anything from that perspective. What is your experience level with reloading?

Did you size your brass before you loaded? Didn't put any info on the brass

Sounds like typical WSM/WSSM crap brass. Brass is hard and it springs back, thus the shoulder is an interference fit. Try annealing, then resizing again.

I've been reloading for about 5 years but mostly pistol and 223, this is my first bolt action rifle. The brass is Winchester once fired from this rifle, it was put through a sizing die and trimmed to the length in my reloading manual (don't have the manual handy at the moment). The more I think about the situation it had to be excessive heat because once the rifle had a chance to sit in the air conditioning for a few hours the other 3 rounds chambered without a problem. I just hope I didn't do damage that will affect accuracy.

Im not sure how hot your rifle were but I doubt your problem was the rifle being hot. That is all I can tell you, not much help I know...
Now, as far as you loading your increments are a little too much (IMHO) and it will be easy to miss your node. I would not do anything larger than .6 increments for your load.

Yeah, bad angle on the picture. Get a better picture and we'll be able to help you.

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Originally Posted by Nandy

Im not sure how hot your rifle were but I doubt your problem was the rifle being hot. That is all I can tell you, not much help I know...
Now, as far as you loading your increments are a little too much (IMHO) and it will be easy to miss your node. I would not do anything larger than .6 increments for your load.

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Your right, after reading your post I tried to chamber the stuck rounds again (the rifle is obviously cool) and they weren't even close to chambering so I guess the brass is somehow screwed up. I'll try to take some measurements and see if I can find the problem. This is really odd because the other 35 rounds were fine and then I get down to the last 5 and all of a sudden have a problem.

On the load increments I was hoping my first set of loads would narrow it down to a smaller range like 58 to 60 and then I was going to half the increment amounts. Unfortunately my group sizes were from 1.5" to 2.9" with no real consistency up or down the scale so back to the drawing board! I'll try .5 increments and see if I can find the sweet spot.

The flash on my camera is making the pictures come out blurry but if I can get a good one I'll post it.

Thanks for info.

jsand, if all of the groups are consistently larger than expected, try seating the bullet further out toward the lands. When shooting for accuracy with a bolt gun, you'll want to know the point at which the bullet will touch the lands when a round is in the chamber. I usually start load development at .015 off the lands.

Also as a side note, I really don't think you got the barrel too hot, in the match's I shoot in were shooting 25 rounds in 15 minutes, on 90 degree days. I can touch the barrels after a string like that but I can't keep my hand there for more than a couple seconds. No one is losing any accuracy over it but POI may walk a little bit.

Okay, but how do you determine where the lands start?

LOL, Dan's right. You need tools though... and money and time to read and research. Get with it times a waisting.

Search youtube for reloading for accuracy.

I am sure someone will respond with a written explanation but a visual is so much easier than five people tying explanations of the same process. Here is a random one I grabbed. Part 1 of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn7S3lHHdfo

Thanks for the link, I will set a side some research time.

My wife shakes her head and laughs when she sees me doing research for a hobby 4 to 5 nights a week. Her famous line is "just think what you could have accomplished if you put this much effort into your school work". ;)

It looks like you might have collapsed the shoulder with too much seating pressure.This can be commonly done if the brass varies in neck thickness.You should get a ball mic and measure the wall thickness.If it varies a thou or so then you could end up over sizing the neck and have too much seating pressure which can sometimes collapse a shoulder alittle causing it to bulge slightly and when you try chambering you end up with a shiny ring just below the shoulder junction on the body.

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Originally Posted by jonbearman

It looks like you might have collapsed the shoulder with too much seating pressure.This can be commonly done if the brass varies in neck thickness.You should get a ball mic and measure the wall thickness.If it varies a thou or so then you could end up over sizing the neck and have too much seating pressure which can sometimes collapse a shoulder alittle causing it to bulge slightly and when you try chambering you end up with a shiny ring just below the shoulder junction on the body.

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Thanks for the information. Would it be a bad idea to chamber the case after sizing? This way I can set it aside if it does not chamber.

Yes...good idea :)

I had to aneal the brass in my 243 wssm that I had in an AR. lube it well and turn your die down a turn past contact with your shell holder. Not every rifle will shoot better in or close to the lands. You don't need a bunch of fancy tools to find your lands in the rifle. Start with your sizing issue. When you stop having feed proble,s your accuracy will come together cause your not pissed off lol

maybe you had the seating die screwed down too far and created bulge at the shoulder!

Excellent observation jonbearman. I could not see that but have had it happen and the results are the same as you describe. essentially the neck is pushed down into the shoulder. Another look and It would seem jon is correct

http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/...0/DSC02166.jpg



A side view would prove it.

Wish I could post a side pic but I'm out of town for a while. One question...wouldn't all (or majority) of the cartridges have the chambering problem since they were all seated with the same die and no adjustments were made to it once I had it set? I only had a problem with 2 out of 40.