319 lilja test day failure

[Kikn]

Well it wasn't a very successful day. It is a 100% humidity and very overcast 65° morning.

I set up the chronograph to take a test and fouling shot with hornady factory 123 SST. As you may well have guessed, the chronograph isn't working today its on strike....

So I put it to the side and decide to shoot some of the rounds I made up for testing. I was going to start with the 27.0 gr. IMR 8208 with 123 nosler CC on top....well apparently I can't add and had to much lengoon the pills won't go into battery.so o try a couple more same problem. Looks like I'm not going to test those out

So I take out my same lead with hornady 123 SST on top. Well all I can say is at least I'm consistently bad... they won't load either to long WT freikin foul

Well after my failures I decided to not waste the time since I'm now 4 hours from the casa and no way I'm going to get these pills seated deeper this weekend. I decided to fire off 5 rounds of factory hornady. So I load the 5 rounds and set up on my sand bag on the back of the truck and fire all 5 as fast as I can get on target.

Shots taken at 200 yards in photo. My first 5 shot group with my new barrel looks to be pretty good. I guess I'll have to keep this barrel a while.

[BjornF16]

Not bad...

Are you sure you set the shoulder back enough on your brass?...I had that issue early on in my Grendel reloading.

[BluntForceTrauma]

Pretty dang good for rapid fire at 200! But live and learn, huh?

John

[Kikn]

Not bad...

Are you sure you set the shoulder back enough on your brass?...I had that issue early on in my Grendel reloading.

Its hard to say. I sized and put primers in so long ago. I did grab a few and put them in the 65 Grendel ammunition guage. And they fit in easily.

I don't have any gauges to measure with. I'll have to wait until I get back home before I can measure any thing.

Pretty dang good for rapid fire at 200! But live and learn, huh?

John

Im happy with the results.

It seems like you never stop learning even when you try and resist.... lol

[BjornF16]

Did you size based upon a different rifle?...I always make a dummy round (no primer or powder) and chamber to check for correct sizing and bullet depth...a comparator gauge is always a nice to have

[JASmith]

Bummer! I have had days like that too, but your last group made up for a lot of the hassle!

Have you looked at the possibility of using a chamber gauge that will let you see how things come together in your chamber?

I got one from Bulberry Barrel Works to go with the Encore they put together for me: http://www.bullberry.com/reloading_supplies.html .

Their price is $65.00 and the gauge is cut with a minimum spec Manson reamer, so it should be good for SAAMI-compliant chambers. Of course the ideal thing is for your barrel maker to cut one using the same reamer as was used for your chamber, but using a tight gauge gives one a bit of margin.

[Kikn]

Did you size based upon a different rifle?...I always make a dummy round (no primer or powder) and chamber to check for correct sizing and bullet depth...a comparator gauge is always a nice to have

It was trimmed for my other 16" barrel. But it is well within SAMMI spec.

Before I started to reload I had made a dummy round up and spent a good hour or two trying to get the right bullet depth correct with both rounds. I used a black marker method to get my OAL.

I do have an OAL gauge that I bought but I need to buy or make a shell for it for the 6.5 been. Before I can use it.

[Kikn]

Bummer! I have had days like that too, but your last group made up for a lot of the hassle!

Have you looked at the possibility of using a chamber gauge that will let you see how things come together in your chamber?

I got one from Bulberry Barrel Works to go with the Encore they put together for me: http://www.bullberry.com/reloading_supplies.html .

Their price is $65.00 and the gauge is cut with a minimum spec Manson reamer, so it should be good for SAAMI-compliant chambers. Of course the ideal thing is for your barrel maker to cut one using the same reamer as was used for your chamber, but using a tight gauge gives one a bit of margin.

I bought one of these a few years back when I decided to start reloading.
http://m.shopalexanderarms.com/product.c...duct=35939

That bulberry may be better than what I have tbough .

Although I don't test every piece with it I usually test a few starting out and if all is well I keep going with my reloading.

[JASmith]

The gauge came in a week ago, and I have looked at how the Hornady 123 gr SST ammunition fits. The base is flush with the gauge when the shoulder contacts the chamber's shoulder. One can also see where the shoulder touches and where the ogive 'kind of' meets the free-bore / throat.

[Adam Lilja]

That title made my heart drop haha

[Kikn]

The gauge came in a week ago, and I have looked at how the Hornady 123 gr SST ammunition fits. The base is flush with the gauge when the shoulder contacts the chamber's shoulder. One can also see where the shoulder touches and where the ogive 'kind of' meets the free-bore / throat.

So it has part of it cut out like the photo?

[Kikn]

That title made my heart drop haha

LoL... my failure not yours.

[JASmith]

So it has part of it cut out like the photo?

Yup!

Apologies for no pix yet.

[Kikn]

Well I am officially confused...or maybe just tired.

I checked the rounds that I made with the AA ammunition gauge and they all fit in easily. I had set the bullet in a little deeper to see if anything changed and it still won't load. I set it deeper and still not going into battery.

So I pull out my other upper just for giggles and the rounds load in easily. Even with the longer seated bullets (to a certain extent).

Just won't load into the new barrel but factory ammo is just fine.I guess I'll take the once fires brass and try again at a later time and just use this already loaded ammo for development in my older 16" upper.

[rasp65]

Kikn The only problem with the bullberry gauge is if there is any difference between it and your chamber it won't tell you anything reliable. Custom builders will sometimes make these out of the barrel end and cut it with the very same reamer as on the barrel.

[JASmith]

Kikn The only problem with the bullberry gauge is if there is any difference between it and your chamber it won't tell you anything reliable. Custom builders will sometimes make these out of the barrel end and cut it with the very same reamer as on the barrel.

Largely true.

What I can say is that the gauge appears to be a minimum-size chamber. So, if your cartridge fits in the gauge with the base flush with the gauge, it should work in any spec chamber. It just won't be good for customizing ammunition for your chamber.

Also, if ammunition fitting in the gauge does not fit in the chamber, then you know that some trouble shooting is in order.

So, the gauge is good if you want to check handloads for several rifles, each of which has a unique but otherwise spec., chamber.

The lesson I get from this discussion is that, when ordering a custom barrel, one should automatically request a chamber gauge that gives visibility into the shoulder, neck, and throat so you can easily see where contact points are. One may still need to use marking fluid on occasion because small gaps can be hard to see.

[Adam Lilja]

If we offered guages for our Grendel drop ins... ?

[JASmith]

My experience with the Bulberry gauge suggests that getting the right seating depth is a lot easier and faster.

It even helped me trouble shoot a shoulder problem in the 20 Grendel because i could see what was happening. I now know that I have to bump the shoulder back every time even though the Model 16 is a bolt action.

[TheDroz66]

If we offered guages for our Grendel drop ins... ?

I would be interested. Just starting to get everything together so I can reload.

[NugginFutz]

If we offered guages for our Grendel drop ins... ?

Interesting proposition. Would they be cut with the same reamer(s) as on the production line?