Impact Precision pre-fit issue

[jmornoinf]

I recently purchased an Impact Precision pre-fit in .223. Upon receiving, I measured the chamber to determine the bullet jump with a 77gr SMK using the Hornaldy OAL gauge and discovered it to be very short...out of spec. The OAL of the measurement was 2.231(jam fit)? How did this barrel get through any QC process? What checks are normally made when chambering a barrel blank? I am glad I checked this barrel prior to screwing it on.

I am attempting to get in contact with Impact Precision with no luck so far. It appears they don't answer the phone. Starting to remind me of dealing with Surgeon Rifles years ago.

I have an Impact 737R and love it. In addition, have three additional barrels from Impact with no issues. I hope this is a one-off issue.

 

[orkan]

Did you specify the freebore you wanted?

Did they specify it when ordered?

If no one asked, and no one told... no one is to blame. It is a shame you can't make contact though.

If freebore is important to a buyer, they better specify or ask. A LOT of .223's are setup for zero freebore. Obviously in the use as a trainer, they should be setup quite a bit longer. A .100 to .125 freebore is just fine for that.

 

[Rob01]

The good part is lengthening the freebore is not a tough job. You should tell them you want a .223 Wylde chamber instead of the shorter .223 Rem. I have a Wylde in my .223 and load 75 ELDs at 2.470".

And don't get too worked up about not getting them on the phone. They are obviously not a fly by night company. How many days and times have you tried?

 

[TheOE800]

[email protected] or [email protected]

 

[OneMoreNoMore]

My first custom gun was a 308 and had a similar issue. I was told by the smith that the reamer was worn a little and made the freebore very short. Only cheap surplus ammo would chamber so I sent it back and they fixed it. Shoots excellent now.

 

[jmornoinf]

Did you specify the freebore you wanted?

Did they specify it when ordered?

If no one asked, and no one told... no one is to blame. It is a shame you can't make contact though.

If freebore is important to a buyer, they better specify or ask. A LOT of .223's are setup for zero freebore. Obviously in the use as a trainer, they should be setup quite a bit longer. A .100 to .125 freebore is just fine for that.

No I did not mention freeborn...lesson learned. Most of their other barrel offerings list the freeborn except the .223 one.

2.231 OAL is not even a conservative AR length load. This is for a bolt gun and would be weak if they think anyone would want a chamber that short.

I will continue to contact them.

 

[jmornoinf]

The good part is lengthening the freebore is not a tough job. You should tell them you want a .223 Wylde chamber instead of the shorter .223 Rem. I have a Wylde in my .223 and load 75 ELDs at 2.470".

And don't get too worked up about not getting them on the phone. They are obviously not a fly by night company. How many days and times have you tried?

I plan to load the 75gr ELD at 2.350+ length. What freebore is appropriate?

What other Impact Precision pre-fits are available with a .223 Wylde chamber with enough freebore to accommodate 75gr ELD? Does Hawkhill make such a barrel? I have a 6mm Creed barrel from them that is awesome.

 

[Rob01]

I plan to load the 75gr ELD at 2.350+ length. What freebore is appropriate?

What other Impact Precision pre-fits are available with a .223 Wylde chamber with enough freebore to accommodate 75gr ELD? Does Hawkhill make such a barrel? I have a 6mm Creed barrel from them that is awesome.

With the .223 Wylde chamber I am at the lands at 2.490” and why I load at .020” off at 2.470”. I use MDT mags which can load to 2.550” so plenty of room. Making a dummy and sending it in is a good idea if you want a specific freebore. Tell them how far off you want the jump with the dummy round so they can set it up for you. The ELDs don’t mind a jump.

Not sure about what makers chamber in .223 Wylde but it’s a pretty common chambering. I know PVA does as they did mine.

 

[jmornoinf]

With the .223 Wylde chamber I am at the lands at 2.490” and why I load at .020” off at 2.470”. I use MDT mags which can load to 2.550” so plenty of room. Making a dummy and sending it in is a good idea if you want a specific freebore. Tell them how far off you want the jump with the dummy round so they can set it up for you. The ELDs don’t mind a jump.

Not sure about what makers chamber in .223 Wylde but it’s a pretty common chambering. I know PVA does as they did mine.

Do you think PVA can take the barrel I currently have and modify it to meet my specs(supplied dummy rds)?

 

[Rob01]

Do you think PVA can take the barrel I currently have and modify it to meet my specs(supplied dummy rds)?

I wouldn't dare speak for PVA but I would bet Josh could do that. Get in touch with them and ask.

ETA: forgot to add though I would still try and get with Wade and crew at Impact and talk to them before doing anything. Drop an email if you can't get them by phone. I meant to mention emailing them in my earlier post but glad their addresses were posted up.

 

[srt-4_uk]

Most importantly, is the caliber engraving visible when in the stock?

 

[LV Precision]

The Hornady OAL gauge is not reliable, there is too much variation based on how much pressure you're using on the tool. Use the Mark Gordon method and load a dummy round; it works every time.

Also, just email Impact. Every time I've had an issue, Tate responds within 5 minutes. Don't send anything off to PVA; if it's truly an issue from Impact/Stuteville, they'll make it right.

 

[Mike Casselton]

One more thought for you. Sometimes, for an inexplicable reason, people can seem to get a bad measurement from those hornady tools. If that is in impact pre-fit barrel that means you torqued it on and have the capability to take it off. I would recommend taking the barrel off and putting it in a vise with the chamber/ breach easily exposed to you. Take a piece of size brass without a bullet in it and "plunk" it down into the chamber and observe where the web and the rim sits. Observe and feel the "plunk" of the case shoulders hitting the front of the chamber. Make sure the case fits and slides freely without resistance in the chamber. Then seat a bullet at 2.260 and insert it into the chamber of the same way. If it doesn't "plunk" and instead it is stopped short of fitting in the chamber you should be able to feel the lands grab the bullet. Some sticky resistance. If you push in a little bit it makes pulling the dummy round out a little more difficult. Take that case with a bullet seated in it and progressively seat the bullet deeper 5 thou at a time and keep repeating until you feel the lands just barely grab the bullet and then eventually there will be no stickiness as the lands no longer grab or touch the bullet and it's replaced by the "plunk" feel of the shoulders hitting the front of the chamber. You can very easily discern where the lands are using this method and it's fairly foolproof.

I do it slightly different after determining the brass fits the chamber.

I also seat a bullet long but I set it gently into the chamber.
The amount the web sticks up is noted and I seat the bullet almost that amount deeper.
It goes back into the chamber and is observed again...

Where my technique differs is I don't drop the dummy in, instead, I go easier and once it's in there, I try to rotate the brass.
Then I do the same .005 deeper until the dummy will rotate without any drag or marks on the bullet.

Amongst those numbers (total of .005) are touch, not touching and at the most .004 off the lands.


You get the same end result, but there's much less "potential" damage to the ogive.

 

[Rob01]

I found the Hornady tool works fine if you use it properly. Don't jam the bullet as hard as you can. Just push the rod until it touches. Do it a couple times and should get the same reading.

 

[jmornoinf]

I found the Hornady tool works fine if you use it properly. Don't jam the bullet as hard as you can. Just push the rod until it touches. Do it a couple times and should get the same reading.

Tracking thanks. The gauge is not the issue but your advice is sound.

 

[jmornoinf]

Update...

The barrel has .025 FB. It shot Berger factory 77gr OTM very well at .310 sized groups going 2,825 fps.

I tried several other measurement techniques(remove the ejector and firing pin method...name?) and found the lands to be longer out than with the Hornady OAL gage was telling me. I am now measuring 75gr ELDs @ 2.438" OAL.

Moving to load development now. MTF.