264LBC Match Chamber Barrel ???

[customcutter]

I am looking at a barrel that has a 264LBC Match Chamber. The seller says that it will not chamber Hornady Ammunition because it is a compressed load. Also states that RCBS full length or small base dies must be used. I'm thinking my Lee 3 die Grendel set should be able to resize properly and chamber properly. Any thoughts on the Lee dies?

[bja1981]

I have one of the barrels that you are talking about. They are a very tight chamber. I have Hornady dies so I can't say if the Lee dies will work or not. I have spent a month and fired over 250 rounds to get my loads to where they chamber flawlessly. They are good quality barrels and mine is very accurate but if if you want a barrel that is not picky about ammo I would not recommend one of them. If you decide to get one take a look at the shorty brake that seller offers to go with it.

[rabiddawg]

If it won't shoot hornady I would run!

[bja1981]

It will shoot PPU factory ammo but other than that it's pretty much a handloads only barrel.

[LR1955]

I am looking at a barrel that has a 264LBC Match Chamber. The seller says that it will not chamber Hornady Ammunition because it is a compressed load. Also states that RCBS full length or small base dies must be used. I'm thinking my Lee 3 die Grendel set should be able to resize properly and chamber properly. Any thoughts on the Lee dies?

If you buy Lee dies for the Grendel, you will regret it ten times over.

If you want to know why, or want recommendations on dies that work, do a search.

The subject of Lee Grendel dies and die recommendations comes up several times a year and there are many threads on the subject -- all which come to the same conclusions and recommendations.

LR1955

[am4966]

Can we get the barrel mfg or place where you can get this barrel? Technically the 264lbc is the match chamber and it will shoot all brass cased loads.

This seems like another person's attempt to take a great product and put your own spin on it for know reason.

[koden]

My 18" barrel has the 264lbc chamber. It will shoot all factory ammo fine. If your dies bring the brass back to factory spec you will have no issues. Accuracy from my tube is outstanding.

[bwaites]

"Match" chambers typically have tighter necks, that may require turning the neck to ensure adequate clearance. "Compressed" loads have nothing to do with the issue.

Someone may have created a "Match" LBC chamber by creating a smaller neck, say .293 for the neck, and some SAAMI ammo might not work in that chamber with adequate clearance to chamber appropriately. In bolt guns, the camming action of the bolt has much more ability to allow tight necks than there is in a gas gun. Tight necks work to help center the bullet more effectively in traditional throats. However, and this is critical, if there is not sufficient space to release the bullet into the throat by expansion of the brass, pressures may get stupidly high fast. If I recall correctly most people state that with tight necks, 2/1000ths is necessary to do so, though I have heard of necks with only 1/1000th of clearance that seem to work well.

Tight necks really have NO place in gas guns if you want reliability. That is why the compound throat helps the relatively generous .300 neck in the the SAAMI Grendel chamber. It helps center the bullet more effectively than a traditional throat does.

I'd love a tight neck bolt gun, but not a tight neck gas gun!

[bwaites]

It will shoot PPU factory ammo but other than that it's pretty much a handloads only barrel.

I haven't measured PPU ammo, but I'm willing to bet the brass is slightly thinner in the neck area than Hornady or Lapua, meaning that there is slightly more clearance to load in a tight neck chamber.

[JASmith]

The danger eith a neck tight enough to require some force to push in or even the machinist's slip fit is that there is no place for the neck to expand and release the bullet.

At that point, pressures start to get interesting.

[bwaites]

The danger eith a neck tight enough to require some force to push in or even the machinist's slip fit is that there is no place for the neck to expand and release the bullet.

At that point, pressures start to get interesting.

Thanks Joe for adding that, it was in my original text, but somehow got deleted. Added above as well.

[NugginFutz]

If it's one of the close-out barrels from ARP, he's already indicated the tightness has less to do with the neck, and more to do with the chamber walls. One of rounds giving these "264LBC Match" chambers problems is the most recent Factory Hornady 123 Amax, which apparently has a slightly bulged case wall. While I've not personally confirmed the bulge, some have posted photos of the case on a straight edge. I can say, however, that year old 123 SST's have no case deformations.

[bwaites]

Hornady actually released ammo with a visible bulge in the case? You're kidding right?

[customcutter]

Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag. Yes, it is an ARP barrel, states that it is a match chamber and will not chamber Hornady factory ammunition, and must use RCBS dies for reloading. I've never heard of a match chamber, but I don't "target" shoot, I'm a hunter. If it's a normal 264LBC chamber and will chamber (should) factory Hornady SST123's and reloads it might be the ticket.

I'll do a search on Lee dies. A lot of people like to trash Lee products the same way a lot of people like to trash the Grendel is my experience.

[bja1981]

The bulge is not really noticable to the naked eye but if you put a straight edge against the case it is there. I checked for it myself at Cabelas just to confirm it. Hornady brass straight out of the box is a very tight fit in these barrels. The new brass will fit in the chamber but must be pushed out with a rod. The barrels are marketed as .264 LBC but are actually stamped .264 ARP.