Any danger in doing so? Rebarreled a rifle of mine and am currently shooting the same bullet with a bit more powder than the reloads that I had made up from the original barrel. Just didn't feel like pulling them all and thought I'd simply shoot them as practice rds but apparently this barrel was set back a tish and the bolt closes hard on them, so I'd like to bump them back a couple thou......
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Shoulder bumping loaded rounds
- Thread starter ltrbuck
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D.Camilleri
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If the bolt closes and you feel the powder charge is safe, just shoot as is. I wouldn't want these in a hunting situation though.
Wedgy
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When you put the loaded round in a die it is like being in a chamber but now it has no way out so it's basically a pipe bomb. It doesn't really have a way to detonate but if it does you will be injured or worse. Same thing I guess when you seat a bullet and I've never seen one go off, but I know someone who had a round go off in a kinetic puller/hammer. Scared the hell out of him and blew the hammer up. How it happened nobody knows, the primer looked new from the outside.
I have reseated bullets deeper but never resized the case on a loaded round.
I have reseated bullets deeper but never resized the case on a loaded round.
Bullet bumper
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Not going to recommend you bump a loaded round. I will tell a story though.
I went hunting with a guy who had bolt closing issues on many of his rounds and they were light loads .
He was using a cartridge that I also used so I had all my dies and reloading gear with me. I used a Redding body die on all his rounds and it fixed the issue was only a minute bump . no problems after that but I don't recommend you do that .
Max loaded rounds would be the worse situation and could raise pressure to unacceptable levels . Lighter loads would be a better situation . Seating a bullet deeper has a similar effect of reducing case volume and many do that all the time .
If you are in doubt about what you are contemplating don't do it . Pull the bullets and start again .
I went hunting with a guy who had bolt closing issues on many of his rounds and they were light loads .
He was using a cartridge that I also used so I had all my dies and reloading gear with me. I used a Redding body die on all his rounds and it fixed the issue was only a minute bump . no problems after that but I don't recommend you do that .
Max loaded rounds would be the worse situation and could raise pressure to unacceptable levels . Lighter loads would be a better situation . Seating a bullet deeper has a similar effect of reducing case volume and many do that all the time .
If you are in doubt about what you are contemplating don't do it . Pull the bullets and start again .
FearNoWind
Well-Known Member
Whenever a live round is returned to the press there is a danger. It's the degree of danger that is difficult to assess. IMO, if it's necessary to bump the shoulders, pull the bullets, dump the power, and do it right.
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Bullet bumper
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If you are at home then it's no big drama to just pull the rounds down and start again . When you are 1000 k's from home and deep in the bush the situation changes . Lets not loose sight of what is happening when you close the bolt on a hard chambering round . The bolts camming force sizes the case down to fit the chamber . So how is this differnt to sizing down that same amount or maybe .001 more in a die ?
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Bullet bumper
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Another thing is that it's the chamber dimentions that set the volume of a certain specific case even though it may be sized down extra before firing ( not withstanding head clearance issues ) it will still expand out to the full chamber dimension upon firing setting it's max volume .
So if the load in that case was safe with it being jammed into the chamber with bolt camming force then it will still be safe expanded to the max chamber dimensions. The chamber volume remains the same in each case for the specif ammo case .
If the round can be jammed in with bolt camming force then I can't see the difference with sizing it down just a small amount so the bolt can close a bit easier but the ammo still has about zero head clearance . Slightly sized It will just expand back up to full chamber dimensions and be the same pressure .
It's when you start sizing down ammo loaded for another chamber in another gun to fit into your smaller chamber that pressure will rise .
I am still not recommending that you bump loaded rounds . Just discussing the underlying issues .
So if the load in that case was safe with it being jammed into the chamber with bolt camming force then it will still be safe expanded to the max chamber dimensions. The chamber volume remains the same in each case for the specif ammo case .
If the round can be jammed in with bolt camming force then I can't see the difference with sizing it down just a small amount so the bolt can close a bit easier but the ammo still has about zero head clearance . Slightly sized It will just expand back up to full chamber dimensions and be the same pressure .
It's when you start sizing down ammo loaded for another chamber in another gun to fit into your smaller chamber that pressure will rise .
I am still not recommending that you bump loaded rounds . Just discussing the underlying issues .
CatShooter
Well-Known Member
It is perfectly safe... in 2010, I body sized (body and shoulder with Redding body dies) close to a ton of 223 loaded ammunition that was returned to an ammo company that had closed (because of poor quality control).
It is 1000 times safer than seating bullets.
Buckskinner
Well-Known Member
I have done it and do not see what the issue would be. You are bumping a couple thousands... I agree with Catshooter, much safer than seating a bullet, where there is friction and powder very close to each other... And obviously seating a bullet is no big deal.
redneckdan
Well-Known Member
I did a couiple hundred rounds one time for my wife's AR which had a tight chamber from the factory.
I would argue bumping with a body die is SAFER than bullet seating, as long as you don't position your head over the top of the die. With bullet seating, there is no where for the pressure to go. A round going off while bullet seating would scatter shrapnel in all directions.
I would argue bumping with a body die is SAFER than bullet seating, as long as you don't position your head over the top of the die. With bullet seating, there is no where for the pressure to go. A round going off while bullet seating would scatter shrapnel in all directions.
Bullet bumper
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A round going off while sizing is not the issue it's how the sized down case volume may or may not affect in chamber pressure while firing it .
I say don't ever size down another persons reloaded ammo to fit and fire in your gun or any other gun it was not worked up for.
I say don't ever size down another persons reloaded ammo to fit and fire in your gun or any other gun it was not worked up for.
