Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

Reloading Question

corvidae
I am having to use BR-2 large rifle primers on my 22-250 reloads.

I have been putting 39.2 grains of H380 under a 53GR Barnes TSX FB.

The Barnes book says you can go over this charge a little because of the ring lands groves in the bullet.

My question is ,

Do you think I should back off a few tenths of a grain to offset the large rifle primer?
0

Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • corvidae
    Does anyone know what the factory load is for
    270 wsm Winchester Supreme loaded with a 130 grain balistic silvertip bullet. I am looking mostly for powder charge and powder type. I have a friend that will reload them for me but I want to stick with the factrory specs because it shoots soooo well.
    Thanks
    Steve
    0
  • bpost
    Good question!
    When you fire the case does expand to form fit your chamber. It also springs back just a bit, allowing for extraction. The idea behind resizing is to reduce the neck diameter to accept and hold a new bullet and to bump the shoulder back just enough to have very little or no resistance to closing the bolt.

    If you set your F/L die to touch the ram you are indeed probably "over-resizing" the case. When the F/L die is set to touch the top of the ram it is pushing the shoulder back many thousandths of an inch more than necessary. The brass has to flow during resizing, so it flows to the neck making it longer.

    Upon a second firing the brass has to again flow to fill the chamber and it flows from just above the web area. This is what weakens the brass, reducing useful life.

    When a die is properly set for a bolt gun the neck gets resized to about 75% of its length. The shoulder is not touched by the F/L die! My theory is the metal flows back a bit towards the case reducing the shoulder just enough to fit the chamber again.

    After three or so firings you will notice the bolt is getting stiff to closing on newly sized cases. That is when the shoulder AND BASE needs bumped back a bit; and is a good time to anneal the necks too. If you use Redding S dies with the proper diameter bushing; and the proper use of F/L die the cases last for many firings.

    Headspace issues are created when you willy-nilly shove the shoulder back, making the case too short for the chamber, this greatly reduces case life.

    The easiest way to set the die is to remove the firing pin assembly from the bolt and start sizing and adjusting the die downward until you feel just a tad of resistance. Turn it down another 1/4 to 1/2 turn and lock it into place. Your case should show a clear line on the neck where the die stopped sizing.

    If you are going to use the F/L die for sizing, without getting the neck die you will need to fire the cases until they are getting too tight. At that point you reset the sizing die to squeeze the base back enough to again chamber easily.

    NOTE; you must remove the firing pin so you can feel the case without feeling the spring tension on the firing pin during closure.
    0
  • Emmett Dunham
    The neck siziing die work that area of the brass that has form fitted and can be used in the same rifle only when reloaded. The full length sizing die works the lenth of the round letting you use the round in other rilfles. You read that the full length die wares the brass out quicker, the neck sizer still wears the brass. I have rifle ammo I have had a very long time that I check and use each time I reload, there are some high pressure brass in the 22 250 family that do not give the long life. Get the NRA reloading book, it is low cost and has lots of pictures and advise.

    Short and sweet

    Emmett
    0
  • corvidae
    Excellent information gentlemen. Thank you for you time and expertise. I will be ordering the NRA book shortly.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity