Hello all,
let me start out by saying that I have been reloading for a couple of years and I have yet to see this problem in my other calibers. I currently load and shoot 6.5 grendel, 300 rogue (300wm wildcat), 45 acp, 30-06, 7.62x39, 223 and my newest en-devour has been into 308. However, I'm having some problems with stuck cases as below minimum load. This was shot with my factory Rem 700 SPS 20". My load is as follows:
CBC once fired brass (uniformed primer pockets, uniformed flash hole, FL resized, IIRC they were right under the max COAL)
Berger 168 VLD Hunting
Rem 9 1/2 primer
45-49.5grns of CFE-223
Seated at 2.842 (one diameter into the case)
I was using the magnum primer because 1) that's all I can get my hands on 2) I was told magnum primers are used for ball powders. The minimum load from Hogdons was 46.5~ grains for the 168 SMK. I subsequently backed it off to 45 grains for the Berger and I figured it would be a good starting place.
The first 5 shots at 45 grains got stuck. When I say stuck I don't mean rubber mallet stuck I mean that bolt lift was easy but the case wouldn't extract without a light (I mean light) tap from a wooden block. After I tapped it free the case slid perfectly from the chamber and ejected normally. The problem neither got worse, nor better when I went to 45.5 grains which has me pretty confused. The primers looked fine and there was no extractor marks on the case.
What do you think could have caused this? I have some FC brass that I was debating on recreating the load to see if it was a brass issue but I wanted to hear the hide's opinion first.
Regards
Dave
let me start out by saying that I have been reloading for a couple of years and I have yet to see this problem in my other calibers. I currently load and shoot 6.5 grendel, 300 rogue (300wm wildcat), 45 acp, 30-06, 7.62x39, 223 and my newest en-devour has been into 308. However, I'm having some problems with stuck cases as below minimum load. This was shot with my factory Rem 700 SPS 20". My load is as follows:
CBC once fired brass (uniformed primer pockets, uniformed flash hole, FL resized, IIRC they were right under the max COAL)
Berger 168 VLD Hunting
Rem 9 1/2 primer
45-49.5grns of CFE-223
Seated at 2.842 (one diameter into the case)
I was using the magnum primer because 1) that's all I can get my hands on 2) I was told magnum primers are used for ball powders. The minimum load from Hogdons was 46.5~ grains for the 168 SMK. I subsequently backed it off to 45 grains for the Berger and I figured it would be a good starting place.
The first 5 shots at 45 grains got stuck. When I say stuck I don't mean rubber mallet stuck I mean that bolt lift was easy but the case wouldn't extract without a light (I mean light) tap from a wooden block. After I tapped it free the case slid perfectly from the chamber and ejected normally. The problem neither got worse, nor better when I went to 45.5 grains which has me pretty confused. The primers looked fine and there was no extractor marks on the case.
What do you think could have caused this? I have some FC brass that I was debating on recreating the load to see if it was a brass issue but I wanted to hear the hide's opinion first.
Regards
Dave