Hey guys Im new here and I have a problem that I could really use some help on.
I am fairly new into long distance shooting and precision reloading.
I recently purchased a new Remington 700 Long Range in 300 Ultra Mag. Before I even took it to the range, I had the stock bedded, a muzzle brake put on and my Vortex Viper FFP 6-24 x50 properly installed.
Brass is almost more expensive than loaded ammunition so I purchased a box of Remington Power level 1 150 grain to break in the barrel and several boxes of Barnes 180 grain Vor-tx ammunition.
Out at the range I wasn't very focused on getting my scope dialed in as I plan to reload all of this brass with a yet to be determined load using 208 grain Hornady Match with IMR 7828SSC.
Once back at home I tumbled my brass and sized it. This is where I first noticed my problem. I am getting ejector marks on about 50-70% of my brass. These marks vary in severity and do not seem to change between brands of brass. I shot all 20 rounds of Remington Brass and so far I have shot 20 rounds of Barnes brass.
I spoke with a friend who suggested that it might be a headspace issue. I do not have a headspace gauge but I did use tape on the back of a new, unfired round and with only one layer of tape, I was able to determine that the case has good contact with the bolt face without excessive space.
Question Number One:
"Could this be a bolt/ejector problem"?
Question Number Two
"Is this even a problem"?
Question Number Three
"If this is a problem and I let it go unresolved, what could happen to a reloaded round"? i.e. catastrophic failure?
I haven't even attempted to work up a load yet but I would imagine that by shooting a considerably heavier projectile (208 grain with IMR 7828 SSC) I will have higher pressure. So if I am getting signs of pressure from Rem 150 grain Power Level 1 ammunition imagine what Ill get from hand loads...
Also while priming my first batch of brass, I found that the primers where quite loose. Thoughts?
Thank you all for your input.
Wyatt