Feeding Problem on my Model 70, .375 H&H

Tim is right, length becomes a bit more critical. And as I mentioned before its easy to overcrimp and cause a bulge in the neck which can cause tight chambering. I do however crimp all the big bore stuff providing a cannelure in the right place. The heavier the bullet the more apt it is to want to pull out on recoil. Usually with proper bullet fit to case neck, the neck tension is enough to hold them but on hunting loads a crimp is good insurance against that happening. Lee crimp dies are good and most dies have a built in crimp which usually works well. I must confess, I dont think I have ever had the situation you mention happen to me as to the brass edge hanging up.

Originally Posted by sestoppelman

Tim is right, length becomes a bit more critical. And as I mentioned before its easy to overcrimp and cause a bulge in the neck which can cause tight chambering. I do however crimp all the big bore stuff providing a cannelure in the right place. The heavier the bullet the more apt it is to want to pull out on recoil. Usually with proper bullet fit to case neck, the neck tension is enough to hold them but on hunting loads a crimp is good insurance against that happening. Lee crimp dies are good and most dies have a built in crimp which usually works well. I must confess, I dont think I have ever had the situation you mention happen to me as to the brass edge hanging up.

Well I measured the brass of these dummy loads and they were all between 2.84 and 2.85 inches which I think is right where I need to be. 2.85" is maximum before trimming.

I think I'm going to give the crimp a try, it's a $10 investment that may pay off versus having the gunsmith cut on it and I'm not even sure what he would do.

Well it seems I've found the solution to the problem. I took the M70 with some dummy loads that would hang up on feeding as I've described to the gunsmith at the range I shoot at. After seeing the issue himself, the 'smith was checking out my rounds and asked if I was crimping, which of course I wasn't. He recommended before doing any surgery I try crimping first.

So, I got the Lee Factory Crimp Die and crimped those dummy rounds and they fed perfectly. I loaded quite a few TSX and A-Frame crimped rounds and got to the range today. I seated the A-Frames to crimp at the cannelure and seated the TSX's to crimp into the first groove. I was a little concerned as this changed the OAL from previous loads that shot very accurately, but no issue in the end.

I shot 12 of the A-Frames after sighting in to dead center at 100 yards. One of the shots was 3/4" high and 3/4" to the right. Another two shots were 3/4" low and 1/2" right. A fourth shot was 1/2" right, 1/2" low. The remaining eight shots were dead on vertically varying from 1/2" left to 1/2" right. This was done with anywhere from a cold barrel to flat out hot.

And best of all of course, no feeding issues!

The 12 TSX rounds I shot were nearly as accurate too, fine enough to hunt with that's for sure. I don't know if it's just coincidence, the caliber or the rifle, but interestingly enough they shot nearly to the same POI as the A-Frames, only about 1 to 1 1/2" high of the bullseye.

Anyway I like the Lee FCD. Easy to use and adjust and can be had for $10 at Cabelas.