terry2425
.270 WIN
I just bought a Mossberg ATR 100 rifle/scope combo with a wood stock. While waiting for the 10 day wait period here in California, I thought I would load some 06 ammo to shoot when I got the gun. Picked up the gun and headed out to the range and to my surprise, the 06 reloads would chamber but it was very difficult to lock the bolt. Some of the rounds you could not get the bolt to lock.
What bothered me the most was I have been loading ammo for over 35 years and have never had this kind of problem. So I thought somewhere along the line I screwed something up. Back to the loading room I went.
First I checked the components; Federal once fired brass, CCI large rifle primers, 174 grn boat tail match FMJ bullets and H4895 powder. All of the specs on the components checked out, especially the bullets.
Second, I checked the overall cartridge length. I took a sized and trimmed to length case and just started to seat the bullet into the case. Chambered the round into the rifle and carefully removed the round. I then measured the overall cartridge length and found it to be 3.305. That told me I should seat the bullet in the case from 3.300 to 3.250. Didn’t solve the problem. Tried 3.245, 3.235 and 3.225 overall length and still no luck.
Third, maybe my sizing die is not sizing the case correctly. Tried a Lee, RCBS and a Forster sizing die and didn’t solve the problem.
Fourth, tried trimming the case way down from factory specs (.20 more trim). No luck.
So now I take a sized, trimmed and unprimed case and seat the bullet to 3.250 and chamber it in the gun. It’s still very tight to lock the bolt. I took the round and flat filed the case head several times and now the round will chamber and the bolt closes like it should.
That tells me there is a problem with the rifle’s chamber and not the 06 reloads.
Any and all comments are welcome!
Thanks,
Terry
What bothered me the most was I have been loading ammo for over 35 years and have never had this kind of problem. So I thought somewhere along the line I screwed something up. Back to the loading room I went.
First I checked the components; Federal once fired brass, CCI large rifle primers, 174 grn boat tail match FMJ bullets and H4895 powder. All of the specs on the components checked out, especially the bullets.
Second, I checked the overall cartridge length. I took a sized and trimmed to length case and just started to seat the bullet into the case. Chambered the round into the rifle and carefully removed the round. I then measured the overall cartridge length and found it to be 3.305. That told me I should seat the bullet in the case from 3.300 to 3.250. Didn’t solve the problem. Tried 3.245, 3.235 and 3.225 overall length and still no luck.
Third, maybe my sizing die is not sizing the case correctly. Tried a Lee, RCBS and a Forster sizing die and didn’t solve the problem.
Fourth, tried trimming the case way down from factory specs (.20 more trim). No luck.
So now I take a sized, trimmed and unprimed case and seat the bullet to 3.250 and chamber it in the gun. It’s still very tight to lock the bolt. I took the round and flat filed the case head several times and now the round will chamber and the bolt closes like it should.
That tells me there is a problem with the rifle’s chamber and not the 06 reloads.
Any and all comments are welcome!
Thanks,
Terry
