FGMM inconsistencies

[ArcticFun]

Went shooting yesterday with my dad and found some startling inconsistencies with Federal brass. My dad bought 2 boxes of 168gr FGMM for my .308 because I was fresh out of loading supplies. The inconsistencies I found was that the brass was too large for my chamber. Out of 40 rounds, 7 were too large to be chambered in my rifle. Now granted it is a custom build with an extremely tight chamber (case in point is that standard RCBS die won't make the brass small enough to fit and I have to use competition dies to successfully reload). If I would have been thinking I would have taken pictures but... I wasn't.

Thought I would share so that others with custom chMber could avoid the same problems.

 

[Hateca]

Re: FGMM inconsistencies

There are many "custom match" chambers so to say the brass in FGMM is at fault wouldn't be accurate.

Factory ammo, match or otherwise, is made to fit SAMMI spec chambers. You want a "custom match" chamber then one needs to be very specific on what you want and what you want to shoot in it otherwise you will end up with ammo that may not fit, just like you found for your chamber, which by the way sounds a little too tight except for anything but "custom" reloads.

 

[Charliehorse794]

Re: FGMM inconsistencies

You have a custom rifle that won't accept match grade ammunition? That seems like an issue. If you don't mind will you say what kind of action and who built it?

 

[fdkay]

Re: FGMM inconsistencies

It's not the action, it is the chamber that was cut in the barrel.
Probably a tight neck chamber, excellent for those that shoot at a range only and use neck turned brass and small base dies, but not a good idea for a tactical rifle.

 

[bm11]

Re: FGMM inconsistencies

The chamber in my AW is tighter than my friends TRG-22, I can't load in his handloads, and I have not had a problem with the 1375 rounds of Gold Medal that my rifle has seen, from various batches.

I will also say that the same friend has procured me some handloads from my once fired brass, and he says that it is very consistent in weight and neck length.

 

[ORD]

Re: FGMM inconsistencies

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: HateCA</div><div class="ubbcode-body">There are many "custom match" chambers so to say the brass in FGMM is at fault wouldn't be accurate.

Factory ammo, match or otherwise, is made to fit SAMMI spec chambers. You want a "custom match" chamber then one needs to be very specific on what you want and what you want to shoot in it otherwise you will end up with ammo that may not fit, just like you found for your chamber, which by the way sounds a little too tight except for anything but "custom" reloads.
</div></div>

Like the man said...not all chambers were created equal! Any time you go with a "tight" chamber...you should know that you are getting into territory where factory produced ammo (match or otherwise) may not feed/function properly. Now, if your smith told you that you'd be able to run factory match from it and you can't...well that is a different story altogether.

What specific chamber does your rifle have? That would be more helpful than just knowing that FGMM 168gr factory ammo wouldn't fit in your "custom build with an axtremely tight chamber."

 

[fdkay]

Re: FGMM inconsistencies

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bm11</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The chamber in my AW is tighter than my friends TRG-22, I can't load in his handloads, and I have not had a problem with the 1375 rounds of Gold Medal that my rifle has seen, from various batches.

I will also say that the same friend has procured me some handloads from my once fired brass, and he says that it is very consistent in weight and neck length.

</div></div>

Of course you can't load his handloads.
He probably neck sizes only as this both prolongs brass life and inproves accuracy. The case is fireformed to HIS chamber dimensions.

Your brass, fired in your rifle is fireformed to your chamber dimensions, unless the case is full length sized which returns it to SAAMI dimensions.

 

[ArcticFun]

Re: FGMM inconsistencies

I don't know the specific chamber I have because I didn't spec out the build, I stumbled into the rifle at the right time in the right place and picked it up without a second thought. It is my first custom build I have owned and all the factory ammunition I have run beforehand (hornandy, nosler, federal (175 and 168gr) has run smoothly and without a hitch. So I was surprised that I had almost 1/4th of my ammunition unable to be used with my rifle.

Maybe I had a bad batch, maybe. I didn't. Just sharing my
Experimce.

 

[bm11]

Re: FGMM inconsistencies

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: fdkay</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bm11</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The chamber in my AW is tighter than my friends TRG-22, I can't load in his handloads, and I have not had a problem with the 1375 rounds of Gold Medal that my rifle has seen, from various batches.

I will also say that the same friend has procured me some handloads from my once fired brass, and he says that it is very consistent in weight and neck length.

</div></div>

Of course you can't load his handloads.
He probably neck sizes only as this both prolongs brass life and inproves accuracy. The case is fireformed to HIS chamber dimensions.

Your brass, fired in your rifle is fireformed to your chamber dimensions, unless the case is full length sized which returns it to SAAMI dimensions. </div></div>I know. My point wasn't anything other to say that I have a tighter chamber than my friends TRG-22 (which aren't known for being "sloppy,") and I have put 1435 rounds of Gold Medal through this chamber without a hickup, as of today.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: FGMM inconsistencies

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ArcticFun</div><div class="ubbcode-body">standard RCBS die won't make the brass small enough to fit and I have to use competition dies to successfully reload</div></div>

Sounds like "stumbling" into the rifle may not have been a good thing.

With a chamber as tight as you are describing it's just a matter of time before you have problems. Don't bother relying on that rifle at a match with any kind of adverse weather (wind, dust, rain, etc.).

The ammo is NOT to blame.