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Posted: 7/26/2011 12:42:23 PM EDT
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Howdy
I have recently started reloading for the .223 and I have settled on the 77grain SMK HPBT in LC cases. I am a new reloader, and have been loading .308 with no issues. However with the 77grainers i find that I have to charge the case, and then jam the bullet into the neck a bit and make sure it is oriented straight up before seating it in the rockchucker. If it is at an angle at all the chucker pushes it down and widens the mouth the point where I can push the bullet in by hand. Also when using my method of "pre-seating" the bullet, about 10-20% of my reloads will display bullet wobble if laid on their side and rolled across my bench. Q1. Can i still fire these slightly angled bullets? Q2. How do i fix the seating issue? The frustrating thing is I can buy m855 for about 4 cents a round more then my reloads, I might just stick to reloads for the 308 if I cant figure this out. |
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Powder and bullet isn't the problem.
You have SOMETHING else wrong . Pull the seating die out and inspect the stem where the bullet nose hits. See if there isn't something hung in the stem or in the die. Then make sure you're using the right shellholder. I know, sure you are but double check. Make sure you have the die adjusted right. |
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Recipe:
Bullet: 77 grain SMK Brass: LC 10 / LC 11 Powder: Reloader 15 23.8grain (slightly crunchy) Primer: CCI 200 small rifle I am using the RCBS 2 die rifle set, it came from the original owner with a shell holder which sees to fit most .223, ill take a look at it when i get home. I have never taken the die apart, I guess i can just unscrew the nut holding the stem and see what I can find. |
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One thing that I would consider critical when using match boat tailed bullets is to use a VLD case mouth chamfer tool.. It definitely helps start the bullets straighter plus it prevents sharp edges from scratching and pulling copper from the bullets when seating. A tool such as this one or similiar should be used for match boat tailed bullets:
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/case-prep/vld-chamfer-reamer.php Check your seating die punch. Take it out of the die and check to see that the tip of the bullet isn't hitting the punch. It should be only touching the ogive and not the tip. I use 24.1 grains of Rel 15 with RP 7 1/2 primers in RP or LC cases. If you vibrate, shake, or use a drop tube you will almost eliminate the slight crunch. Seat them for magazine length of 2.260 or slightly shorter. I check and make sure the longest seated bullet is 2.260" which puts some of them at near 2.250-2.255". The hollowpoint tips vary a little. |
| I weigh every charge and peck the powder pan against the funnel which is against the case mouth. A few light pecks will settle the powder and helps reduce the bullet from crunching the powder. I edited my post above for some more info. A drop tube is just a few inches long tube that you use to charge the case with powder. By dropping into the case from a distance the powder settles and compacts a little. |
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I must also wonder what else is wrong.
The load you are using is one of the most common Service Rifle loads known. In general, the 200, 300 yard load is a magazine length 77 SMK over 24.0 RE 15 Countless amounts of this load have been used by far too many SR shooters for this load to be the issue. We must find a different root cause. When you look at that powder charge in the case, it should come up to the neck-shoulder junction and just a little short of it. The projectile is then loaded to magazine length and does not need to go much deeper. You may notice the projectile touches and displaces some powder, but not so much so as to cause any issues. A drop tube isn't required for this load to work. Maybe we should check your seater as suggested. Try starting with about half the total depth engagement and see what comes. What COAL are you trying to obtain? |
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I Full Length Resize using a small base RCBS sizer die.
I trim with a Possum Hollow case trimmer chucked in a drill. Inside Chamfer with the Wilson tool in a power adapter Outside Chamfer with Wilson tool in a power adapter (Inside one end, outside the other) Prime using an RCBS bench priming tool. (Remington 7-1/2 Bench Rest primers.) I charge the cases using an RCBS Uniflow powder measure. Best Loads to date: 24.0 RL15, and 22.5 H4895 Seat 77 gr Sierra using Redding Bench Rest Seater Die to magazine length. This set up works pretty well. I do need to change to a Redding Bushing Sizer Die so I can adjust neck tension. I am using a 30 year old RCBS Rock Chucker press also. Shell Holder RCBS #10, or a Lee #4 I normally use the Lee Shell Holders in the Bench Priming tool. See You at the Range Bob |
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Quoted:
I Full Length Resize using a small base RCBS sizer die. I trim with a Possum Hollow case trimmer chucked in a drill. Inside Chamfer with the Wilson tool in a power adapter Outside Chamfer with Wilson tool in a power adapter (Inside one end, outside the other) Prime using an RCBS bench priming tool. (Remington 7-1/2 Bench Rest primers.) I charge the cases using an RCBS Uniflow powder measure. Best Loads to date: 24.0 RL15, and 22.5 H4895 Seat 77 gr Sierra using Redding Bench Rest Seater Die to magazine length. This set up works pretty well. I do need to change to a Redding Bushing Sizer Die so I can adjust neck tension. I am using a 30 year old RCBS Rock Chucker press also. Shell Holder RCBS #10, or a Lee #4 I normally use the Lee Shell Holders in the Bench Priming tool. See You at the Range Bob Missouri has a lot of members posting here. Welcome to the Reloading Forum. 
Good line, See you at the range...... I like it. |
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Something AeroE suggested and something I had been doing is to peck the bullet down into the case with the seater die little at a time while rolling the case at the bottom of the ram downstroke about 90 degrees. This can help to keep it centered. Also, make sure you get a good smooth neck bevel after trimming. Boat tails like the SMK, usually are easier to start into the neck than say the flat base bullets.
As was alluded to above, you may have the seater die body set out too far, so it is not aligning the neck very well. If you are not roll crimping, you can put a trimmed case in the shell holder, run the ram all the way up, and thread the die body down with your fingers until you feel it makes contact with the neck. Then, back off the die body about 1/4 to 1/2 turn and lock it down. One last point, and this also was a tip from AeroE. Some case/powder/bullet combos will cause the bullet to drift back out if the powder is compressed and there is marginal neck tension on the bullet. It is a good exercise to keep a running check on COAL after the rounds are assembled and stored, to assure the bullet is not drifting back out of the case neck due to powder compression. |
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Cheap Fix Attempt: remove seaing stem and drill out tip so that the circumference of the stem contacts the bullet's ogive but not the tip. When seating, seat half way, then rotate case and seat the remaining half. Sometimes this reduces run out.
Spend a little more if needed and purchase a better seattng die. A Forster or a Redding. These have more precise neck and throat diameters to keep everything verticaly aligned without tipping over. Plus they have proper seating stems to begin with. |
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Quoted:
Spend a little more if needed and purchase a better seattng die. A Forster or a Redding. These have more precise neck and throat diameters to keep everything verticaly aligned without tipping over. Plus they have proper seating stems to begin with. I use the Forster competition seater die for 30.06 and 6.5X55. I use the RCBS Comp seater for .223. The drop in window makes it real easy for the little bullets. |
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