Always cycle your ammo before a hunt

[meigsbucks]

I know 99.9% of you already do this, but just a reminder. I was at the range today, practicing with my .416 Ruger. I was shooting Hornady 400gr DGX (non bonded) factory ammo that had been sitting on the shelf for about a dozen years. Normally the rifle cycles my handloads slicker than snot. Three of the factory rounds in that box would not let me close the bolt.
So, even if you shoot factory loads, cycle them thru your rifle!

 

[analog_peninsula]

Also, fully load your magazine as rifles can feed differently when single fed. Ask me how I know …

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Sound advice! I always load and cycle every round that I take on safari. Especially DG rounds.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I do this before all travel hunts and recommend it to others. I've never had a non fitting round in large calibers.

I have a double in 30-06, I recently had issues with Federal factory 180 gn 30-06 loads where I could not close the gun properly, I purchased a 30-06 cartridge gauge block, I had 3 rounds of Federal factory ammunition from one box of 20 rounds that would not fit in the gauge block ! I'll stick to reloads in the future.

 

[BRICKBURN]

It's one of those hard lessons to learn. Well worth the time and effort.

 

[steve white]

COAL becomes critical in some guns like the Tikka TC3 and others. Any change in length due to the factory trying to accommodate longer, heavier bullets can run out of room in the clip or magazine well. This becomes even more critical when hand loading the longer monometal bullets. The only response is to seat them deeper, impinging on powder volume. But if they won't cycle, you have a single loader. Having seen the room for 308 in a Tikka, it did not occur to me than they have the same footprint for the magnum cartridges. The new gun was already paid for and delivered before I saw with my own eyes just how tight the fit was for 7mm Rem Mag! Oh, well, just have to creatively solve problems....
At least ejection is not a problem, like that seen on some scope mounted Sako 85's. And sorting out those problems with cartridges banging into turrets and falling back into the chamber opening are just as vital. Some scopes/heights make it, some don't.
There are some guns that it just will not do to show up with in Africa new out of the box, untested--not that any sane person would do that anyway.

 

[shootist~]

Stacking of tolerances. Minimum factory chamber (seems the norm recently) - and the opposite end on factory ammo. I've seen it once.

 

[TheDoubleD]

Good point. I may have done this last year when I took this rifle out. Leaving in the morning for a hunt. No arm in checking again.

Some thing I always carry in my hard case. A solid steel coated rifle rod. If you stick a case in the field and don't have a rod...I have been there and done that. My rod has a shotgun brush adapter and a new unused shot gun brush slightly larger than the inside diameter of my cartridge case, attached. Just in case because I once needed this when I was many miles form home.

 

[JimP]

In over 60 years of shooting I have never had a factory round fail to chamber, doesn't say that it won't happen but that is just my experience.

However in the last 40 or so years I have only shot a box or so of factory ammo through any of my firearms, these were mostly given to me when I purchased a new firearm. But when heading out on a hunting trip I always cycle each and every round that I am taking with me. I'll load them into the magazine of the rifle and chamber them from it just to make sure that there are no problems.

On a stuck case, get a brass rod. That steel one may damage your barrel where a brass one is softer than steel and won't cause any damage.

 

[analog_peninsula]

Look closely at the primer height.

Factory Ammo

 

[Datchew]

Excellent point and timely as fall hunting season approaches.
For the engineering and manufacturing folks, think of it as final inspection.

Trust but verify.

 

[Vintageguy]

The multiple failures to effectively and efficiently reload in the multitude of safari videos on YouTube wouldn’t support your assertion of 99.9 percent doing it. On dangerous game particularly, merely cycling the ammo you intend to hunt with isn’t enough. You need to confirm it will flawlessly cycle when done hard and fast like it would and should be done when the adrenaline is up. I personally discovered that the round nosed 375 softs that fed flawlessly when the bolt was cycled normally became totally unreliable if I ran the bolt fast and hard while A-Frames cycled perfectly. Since A-Frames are what I hunt with I’m good to go. But a follow up shot on a buffalo would been a coin toss had I bought Hornady DGX, cycled on the bench and gone hunting.
It instead seems to be rather rare that a client reloads without being told to do and if they do they then go to searching for and picking up their brass! SMH.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I've never had a factory round fail to feed in my 03A3 Springfield. Not once in sixty years. I would be suspicious of dirty chamber if factory loads suddenly failed to load after shooting many handloads successfully. If the shoulder is set back a bit in the press, it's possible excessive burn residue could accumulate in chamber?

For my DGR 404 Czech Mauser I not only check each reload for feeding but also snap over. I agree with Dennis Weibe, a DGR that doesn't have the capability to snap over is not a DGR. Same holds true with DGR ammo. I picked up a couple boxes of RWS brass when I was building my 404 that both ultimately proved to be faulty on two fronts. All cases were too short which led me to set the loading dies incorrectly (my fault for not checking the case length before loading). Also, rim thickness is quite inconsistent, causing snap over inconsistency. Fortunately, I picked up a new box of Hornady brass of correct length and uniform rim thickness. End of cycling/snap over issues. I use the RWS brass for range work and save Hornady for hunting.

 

[typilotguy]

The multiple failures to effectively and efficiently reload in the multitude of safari videos on YouTube wouldn’t support your assertion of 99.9 percent doing it. On dangerous game particularly, merely cycling the ammo you intend to hunt with isn’t enough. You need to confirm it will flawlessly cycle when done hard and fast like it would and should be done when the adrenaline is up. I personally discovered that the round nosed 375 softs that fed flawlessly when the bolt was cycled normally became totally unreliable if I ran the bolt fast and hard while A-Frames cycled perfectly. Since A-Frames are what I hunt with I’m good to go. But a follow up shot on a buffalo would been a coin toss had I bought Hornady DGX, cycled on the bench and gone hunting.
It instead seems to be rather rare that a client reloads without being told to do and if they do they then go to searching for and picking up their brass! SMH.

I was just discussing this with some friends of mine…both PHs, one an outfitter. What is it with the vast majority of people not cycling their bolt, being prepared for a follow up?!

Not to detract from the sage wisdom of checking every round, but found the timing interesting.

 

[steve white]

I've never had a factory round fail to feed in my 03A3 Springfield. Not once in sixty years. I would be suspicious of dirty chamber if factory loads suddenly failed to load after shooting many handloads successfully. If the shoulder is set back a bit in the press, it's possible excessive burn residue could accumulate in chamber?

For my DGR 404 Czech Mauser I not only check each reload for feeding but also snap over. I agree with Dennis Weibe, a DGR that doesn't have the capability to snap over is not a DGR. Same holds true with DGR ammo. I picked up a couple boxes of RWS brass when I was building my 404 that both ultimately proved to be faulty on two fronts. All cases were too short which led me to set the loading dies incorrectly (my fault for not checking the case length before loading). Also, rim thickness is quite inconsistent, causing snap over inconsistency. Fortunately, I picked up a new box of Hornady brass of correct length and uniform rim thickness. End of cycling/snap over issues. I use the RWS brass for range work and save Hornady for hunting.

Well, your 03A3, my Mannlicher Schoenauers, Czech mausers and such are slick and QUALITY MADE. We don't expect trouble, and if there is any 90 % of the time it will be the ammo. Not saying the barrels and triggers aren't good, but my Tikka T3c is largely cheapo deepo, with plastic trigger guard, flimsy thin magazine, etc. You can't top load it, all this despite having the potential to shoot small groups. It takes some getting used to, if you are used to having better. If it shoot tiny groups it will be used a lot because I don't give a crap about it and will use and abuse it in any weather.
Still, since ammo is a weak but vital link in some cases, we must be SURE.

 

[steve white]

I was just discussing this with some friends of mine…both PHs, one an outfitter. What is it with the vast majority of people not cycling their bolt, being prepared for a follow up?!

Not to detract from the sage wisdom of checking every round, but found the timing interesting.

It's called, "admiring the shot" and our own pre-hunt training should get us out of the habit by always forcefully rechambering, even if we are purposely leaving the gun empty or dry firing.
On the other hand, it seems to work OK if you are just playing video games...

 

[deewayne2003]

I know 99.9% of you already do this, but just a reminder. I was at the range today, practicing with my .416 Ruger. I was shooting Hornady 400gr DGX (non bonded) factory ammo that had been sitting on the shelf for about a dozen years. Normally the rifle cycles my handloads slicker than snot. Three of the factory rounds in that box would not let me close the bolt.
So, even if you shoot factory loads, cycle them thru your rifle!

Tim Sundles the owner of Buffalo Bore ammo had a video on this months ago where a man in Oklahoma sent him a video about buffalo bore factory ammo not chambering in his .416Ruger.

It was loaded with Hornady factory brass.

 

[Russ16]

Similar experience recently. I have decent supply of 25 or so year old Federal Safari ammo for my 375 H&H. Mostly 300 gr partitions with nickel plated cases. At the range the other day 3 out of a box of 20 wouldn’t let me close the bolt. 2 out of the next box. On inspection all had burrs on the neck of the case where it holds the bullet.

 

[Mekaniks]

I know 99.9% of you already do this, but just a reminder. I was at the range today, practicing with my .416 Ruger. I was shooting Hornady 400gr DGX (non bonded) factory ammo that had been sitting on the shelf for about a dozen years. Normally the rifle cycles my handloads slicker than snot. Three of the factory rounds in that box would not let me close the bolt.
So, even if you shoot factory loads, cycle them thru your rifle!

I agree 100%. An excellent reminder that a full magazine of ammo should be cycled before every hunt.