LKaler

I feel so stupid asking these questions, but: does the chamber open up towards the read, and does forming the brass to the chamber cause the bulge because of this? Also, if I am neck sizing only will the bulge stop growing as it is already formed to the chamber?

Cotys, started a new thread for that last post. Figured I would separate the issues.

Hi, I noticed I have a bulge in my twice fired brass about 1/4" from the base. From the neck to the bulge it has a worn appearance, and from the bulge to the bottom of the cartridge it is still polished and shiny. Its being fired out of a Rem 700. The bulge is very minor, but I am always worrying about something so if anyone can give me some input that would be awesome. Curiosity got to me, and I wanted to check the wall thickness at the bulge, so I cut it in half. Please excuse the hack job. The walls are consistent, so I think i should be fine, let me know if anyone thinks otherwise. Also, what are common causes are of these bulges in bolt action rifles? Thanks again.

Another thing that is of concern in the base of the cartridge has a very small bulge. It is about 1/4" from the base. From the neck down to the bulge the case has a "worn" appearance, and from the bulge to the bottom of case it is still very polished. The used case is still chambers and extracts with ease. Is the case just being formed to my chamber, or do i need to worry about case head separation? Once again, this is my first bolt action and 308, so please bear with me. Thanks

I am not one to blindly follow the reloading manual, but being under the max charge, and under the the max velocity I feel pretty comfortable. The pics make the primers appear a little more flat then in person. there is a nice rounded gap between the primer and pocket around the edges. But am i correct in assuming the primer is backing out and touching the bolt face? I know they were seated with enough depth. Thanks for all the help Cotys, your helping me make my day at the office really unproductive, haha.

Off the top of my head i think I ran 2.730 with lyman listing max as 2.735. They were exposed to some heat, as they were sitting in my trunk for about a hour. I really have no experience with flattened primers, I usually load all my other calibers on the conservative side. If the pressure is enough to flatten the primer, has it permanently damaged the primer pocket? or should I be more concerned with the base of the case and internal thinning?

I have loaded tens of thousands of .223's using Rubbing Alcohol and Lanolin. Never had a issue. It use around a 4 parts alcohol to 1 part lanolin, but really just eyeball it. I purchased a 8oz bottle at a health food store, and haven't even used half of it. It takes a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate, but its leave a nice layer of lube on the cases. The only problem is it gets a little sticky if you do not wipe it off after after loading.

Yeah, Lyman has a much higher max load and max fps. Its a pretty large difference. What do you think about the photo I posted? Also, does Hornady have the same load data for their SPBT and SP with a flat base interlock 150gr pills? i know It usually is the same starting, but sometimes different max for BT vs FB. Lyman only has data for a standard 150gr SP. I have a few hundred of both style bullets.

I am sorry, i have been loading thousands of 223's with 26grs recently. You are correct, 45 and 46grs.

Hopefully This will work in until i can post URLs, Also, The pic looks like there us cratering, but its just glare. The area around primer strike is smooth

Sorry, it will not let me post pics, as I am a new member. I will work on getting one up asap

Hi, This is my first post on these forums, and from what I have read so far everyone here is very knowledgeable. I recently started reloading for my Remington 700, .308 Win with a 20" 1:10 twist. I purchased some Winchester virgin brass, and full length sized and loaded it with 45gr Varget and a 150gr SPBT Hornady Interlock Bullet. I fired all 50, with no signs of overpressure. It was chronoing a average of 2525fps. After firing those, I neck sized and loaded with 46gr of Varget and used the same bullets. Those averaged 2705, and it was a very hot day, 90 degrees. According to my Lyman Manual, the max load is 47gr of Varget for the specific bullet I am using. I am also following their OAL recommendations. I do not know how much a difference my shorter barrel effects the velocity, so I can not use the 2891 FPS as a apples to apples comparison to what I data I have. I checked the primers after firing 10 test shots, and noticed that they are textured which has to be from the bolt face. The primers do appear to have a small amount of flattening occurring, but they still retained their beveled edges around the entire outside of the primer. I know I set the primers deep enough, so I have to assume the primer is being pushed back when it is fired, enough to impart a texture but not enough to flatten it. I guess my questions are: Does anyone have any chrono data on a 20" Barrel and 150gr SPBT? Has anyone seen primers get textured like I am experiencing? Judging from the pics, is that a acceptable amount of primer flattening? Should I pull the remaining 40 i have loaded, and lower the load to sub 45gr? Should I toss the brass that have already been fired? Sorry, this is a long post. Any input would be greatly appreciated.