30-06 problem loading

[Uncle Mike]

I have a H&R in 30-06 mauser action that will not chamber Rem core lokt 165 gr PSP. It will chamber Rem 150 gr bronze point. Easy answer is don't use the former but what gives?The neck appears to be slightly larger on 165 gr but total cartridge length is shorter.

 

[C.W. Richter]

those cases should be of identical sizing (the cartridge case, not the cartridge overall length, or C.O.A.L.) measure the length of each round with a micrometer and report back (although they may be the same length, the 165 gr bullet is longer and may either be seated out farther or the ogive of the bullet is farther forward, hanging up on the rifling.) That said, just your comment re: the neck-i'd return the ammo and switch brands. I do favor the 165s in .30 as they have better BC/SDs. Good luck! The only H&R I ever had was a single-shot. Is yours an old, sporterized mauser made for one particular load?? measure the neck diameters, too and compare. Your barrel/chamber may be picky with respect to dimensions. A chamber cast (very easy) will also tell you a lot about the gun. Is the one load crimped into a bullet cannelure and the other not (causing it to bulge or flare at the neck somewhat?) typ. Rem ammo is cheap, but made to spec, but anything's possible (in mass production-just look at car recalls)! was the gun re-barreled?

 

[JimP]

It wouldn't be the first time that there was a sizing problem with factory loaded rounds.

 

[C.W. Richter]

is the larger neck caused by trying to close the bolt on a round that will not fit the gun??

 

[C.W. Richter]

Oh, and BTW, Uncle Mike, I love your rifle slings and holsters!

 

[Standard Velocity]

Those H&R bolt actions (Ultra) had Douglas barrels. I assume H&R reamed the chambers though. It is possible the chamber is minimum spec and tight but it’s more likely the ammo is not sized correctly.

I like 165 grain Partitions in 30-06. Even the ogive of a CoreLoct round nose 165 grain shouldn’t interfere with chambering unless it was seated way out.

 

[C.W. Richter]

agreed as even 220 gr RN ammo is available for std chambers!

 

[C.W. Richter]

if it Is a tight chamber, you may be getting better Velocity on the loads that do fit!

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I would try and find a box of the same ammo from a different lot.

 

[postoak]

Are we correct in assuming that you are talking about factory loads here?

 

[sestoppelman]

those cases should be of identical sizing (the cartridge case, not the cartridge overall length, or C.O.A.L.) measure the length of each round with a micrometer and report back (although they may be the same length, the 165 gr bullet is longer and may either be seated out farther or the ogive of the bullet is farther forward, hanging up on the rifling.) That said, just your comment re: the neck-i'd return the ammo and switch brands. I do favor the 165s in .30 as they have better BC/SDs. Good luck! The only H&R I ever had was a single-shot. Is yours an old, sporterized mauser made for one particular load?? measure the neck diameters, too and compare. Your barrel/chamber may be picky with respect to dimensions. A chamber cast (very easy) will also tell you a lot about the gun. Is the one load crimped into a bullet cannelure and the other not (causing it to bulge or flare at the neck somewhat?) typ. Rem ammo is cheap, but made to spec, but anything's possible (in mass production-just look at car recalls)! was the gun re-barreled?

Gonna take a pretty big micrometer to do OAL on rifle rounds. Think you meant caliper...

 

[shootist~]

Probably a headspace issue of some kind.

Either Cartridge Headspace - the factory brass improperly sized at the datum line of the Shoulder. Could even be caused by the primers not being seated flush or slightly below flush. Do they wobble when sitting on a perfectly flat surface?

Or the Chamber headspace could be on the tight side - or a stacking of tollerences between the two (slightly fat bullet And tight chamber).

A Hornady Cartridge Headspace Gauge - comparing a few fired (and decapped) cases to several unfired factory cartridges should tell you if the above is true.

If you know a reloader that has the Hornady tool, they could measure for you - preferably After decapping the fired round(s).

Normally, factory ammo will have a shoulder measurement between about .002" to .007" smaller than a typical fired case, assuming normal chamber headspace. I've seen much more (~.016") for a few belted magnums that I happened to check. (Fired Vs factory cartridge).

 

[JimP]

A friend had a few boxes of Winchester rifle rounds that were loaded above SAAMI max pressure. He shot a few and then contacted Winchester about it. Winchester had him send the unfired rounds back and sent him a check for all the boxes of ammo.

Just because it is factory doesn't mean that they didn't do something wrong.

 

[YancyW]

A friend had a few boxes of Winchester rifle rounds that were loaded above SAAMI max pressure. He shot a few and then contacted Winchester about it. Winchester had him send the unfired rounds back and sent him a check for all the boxes of ammo.

Just because it is factory doesn't mean that they didn't do something wrong.

I had the same thing happen with Barnes. I had a bit of a grab with I closed the bolt, I should have stopped, I know better, I blew the primer out and had to tap the bolt open.

Sent the box back to them, they sent me new ammo.

 

[inkonkoni]

@Uncle Mike I have not had this problem, but it sounds like something is out of spec.

 

[roverandbrew]

I had a headspace issue on a CZ in 30-06 that led to problems feeding 180 grain bullets along with over pressure.

 

[inkonkoni]

I had a headspace issue on a CZ in 30-06 that led to problems feeding 180 grain bullets along with over pressure.

A friend had a Ruger in .223 with the same issue.

 

[Waterbuck2008]

No ammunition production line is immune to quality control issues. I've personally seen multiple issues with Remington CoreLoct over the years, personally and among friends. Remington always made it right, and I have no problems with continuing to use their factory ammo through rifles that like it.

 

[sestoppelman]

Guys, headspace and pressure are not directly related. If a round is tight going in, it will be tight after firing as well, but that's not an indication of a hot load, just a tight round.

OP should mark his loads that are tight with felt pen or similar, chamber them and see where they are rubbing, or ink is smeared. This will tell you what is hitting. Be sure and well mark the shoulder area, this will tell you if the headspace is too long on the rounds, but that's unlikely.
Whats more likely is the ogive of the bullet is not a good fit for the chamber.

 

[roverandbrew]

Guys, headspace and pressure are not directly related. If a round is tight going in, it will be tight after firing as well, but that's not an indication of a hot load, just a tight round.

OP should mark his loads that are tight with felt pen or similar, chamber them and see where they are rubbing, or ink is smeared. This will tell you what is hitting. Be sure and well mark the shoulder area, this will tell you if the headspace is too long on the rounds, but that's unlikely.
Whats more likely is the ogive of the bullet is not a good fit for the chamber.

The loads I were using were factory. I am not a gunsmith but I can say correcting headspace did fix both a feeding and overpressure problem. Zero issues now with either.