338 lapua mag

[patrick021]

made a dummy round it measured .367 i used bushing from .365 to .361 but my bullet still moves with little pressure. i am loading mag length which is 2.777 off the ogive with berger 300 otm is it slipping because the bullet is seated deeper in the case thanks

 

[FAIRCHASE]

Redding dies?
Is your neck hardened? Meaning time for annealing.
Neck measurement after using the bushing?
Tried crimping?


I use custom Nosler brass with 300gr Bergers (loaded .370"). I use a Redding .367" bushing, with a mild crimp and COAL of 3.750". No slipping unless I really try to push the bullet in.

 

[patrick021]

i use lapua brass,coal .3740,.367before bushing, .368 after bushing,redding dies,have annealed, have never crimped, it slips with all bushings from .361 to .365

 

[kaseyfied]

So you measured a loaded round before you started using bushings? It should measure .366-.368 depending on your brass. And then you go down from their. .361 seems like a lot of neck tension. You have a pic of the loaded round? See where the bullet is. If your in to deep it won't get a good grip on the bullet. But I couldn't see 3.67 being that deep have herd of people running 3.650

Kasey

 

[kaseyfied]

And you shouldn't go up in size after using a bushing. Have you removed the expander ball. If your loaded round reads .367 at the neck, that should not change, and for that matter shouldn't grow, so I'm confused about your measurements.

Kasey

 

[patrick021]

it does the same thing with my rcbs dies fls the brass is it possible i have brass problems

 

[patrick021]

tried new brass seems to be alot better. what could be wrong with the old brass?

 

[FAIRCHASE]

Lapua brass is high quality with high QC so wouldn't think there is an issue with the brass.

Since your tolerances are high, it wouldn't be a bad idea to neck turn all brass to 0.0145" or so.

I would take the dies apart and reassemble.

Can you post a pix of loaded round that is slipping?

 

[Pdvdh]

You said you annealed your cases. That could be a problem if you overheated the case necks.

Other than that, what you're describing is hard to imagine. Someone asked if you're using an expander ball. Get rid of it if you are.

 

[patrick021]

i have no way to neck turn the brass. what type do i need?

 

[FAIRCHASE]

I like the Forster for under $100.

Also try reversing the bushing.

 

[patrick021]

no exspander ball could have over heated them and i will try turning the bushing

 

[patrick021]

i took new brass shot about 1/2 in group 5 shots . i think i over annealed the old brass . i was wondering is that brass is no good or is there something i can do to use it again . here is a pic of the group i shot .thanks for the help

 

[Pdvdh]

Hard to say and it would depend on how hot they got and for how long. If you could neck them down to .325 and then expand them back up to .338 several times, the necks might toughen up some and regain some elasticity. Or expand them up to .358 and neck them back down several times. Working the case necks is your only chance of reviving them.

I doubt anyone is going to be able to tell you what it would take to salvage them or if they could even be salvaged. Plan on some trial and error. You'll have to decide if it's worth your time and effort, and even then the neck tension you get out of them could be inconsistent.

They shouldn't be unsafe to load and shoot if you can get them to hold a bullet. But the neck tension has been booger-ed. Just make sure you don't stick a bullet in the lands of your rifling that stays put when you extract an unfired round. That's a headache, especially if you don't have a cleaning rod to dislodge the stuck bullet.

Out of curiosity, how long did you hold the propane torch to the case necks? 7 seconds? 10 seconds? 13 seconds? I would surmise that anything longer than 7 seconds on a case neck rotating in the flame could be overdoing it.