Shoulder bump .30-06

[Uncle Ed]

Odyssey

Forget measuring the factory loaded ammo and just measure cases fired in the 760 chamber. Then after measuring a few fired cases then set the die up for .003 to .005 shoulder bump.

The Remington 760 does not have the cramming action of bolt action rifle. The case must be shorter in cartridge headspace than chamber headspace. You also do not have the primary extraction that a bolt action has. All you have is the ability to push the bolt straight forward and straight back. And the bolt will not close if the case shoulder location is too long. And the case will not extract if the case body does not spring back from the chamber walls.

For over 20 years I resized my 760 without any gauges and set the die up to contact the shell holder plus 1/8 turn more with press cam over. Meaning I followed the RCBS dies instructions and never had a case head separation.

Stop over thinking how long factory ammo is, it's made to plus and minus tolerances. And I have had new factory loaded ammo .009 shorter than a GO gauge. So find out how long a fired case to the shoulder is and then find out how far the shoulder is pushed back. Meaning "IF" you need to back the die off the shell holder.

 

[Odyssey]

Odyssey

Forget measuring the factory loaded ammo and just measure cases fired in the 760 chamber. Then after measuring a few fired cases then set the die up for .003 to .005 shoulder bump.

The Remington 760 does not have the cramming action of bolt action rifle. The case must be shorter in cartridge headspace than chamber headspace. You also do not have the primary extraction that a bolt action has. All you have is the ability to push the bolt straight forward and straight back. And the bolt will not close if the case shoulder location is too long. And the case will not extract if the case body does not spring back from the chamber walls.

For over 20 years I resized my 760 without any gauges and set the die up to contact the shell holder plus 1/8 turn more with press cam over. Meaning I followed the RCBS dies instructions and never had a case head separation.

Stop over thinking how long factory ammo is, it's made to plus and minus tolerances. And I have had new factory loaded ammo .009 shorter than a GO gauge. So find out how long a fired case to the shoulder is and then find out how far the shoulder is pushed back. Meaning "IF" you need to back the die off the shell holder.

 

[Odyssey]

Uncle Ed. Got it.
Makes sense to me now based on your explanations. I am pretty slow. This is why I chose loading high powered ammunition as a hobby
Thanks for helping me keep it safe.

 

[divingin]

The reason factory ammunition is "short" is because it's made to fit and fire in 99.9% of the guns out there. Factory ammo is not made with reloading in mind; it's made for a one-time firing. As long as it goes bang, the factory has supplied a good product.

Most reloaders want to have their process be a little easier wear-and-tear wise on the brass (see Unc's case head separation pics for clarity - too short from base to shoulder allows the body to stretch and thin and weaken) so we usually try to size the brass the least amount possible to get it to work in the rifle it's reloaded for use in. Less working of the brass = less stress on the metal = longer brass life = less money replacing brass.

So, as a reloader, you aim for base-to-shoulder just under what the actual chamber is, a case body just small enough to fit the rifle, and enough sizing of the neck to hold the bullet. How much is enough depends on the rifle's action, the load, how dependable it needs to be and a bunch of other factors.

 

[Odyssey]

A member shared an article from GS Custom Bullets that described their suggested process which indicates trimming to min OAL before resizing. I didn't trim as yet. I was planning to follow the Lee die instructions which indicates trimming after FL sizing. Is trimming B4 FL resizing what I should have done?

 

[RegionRat]

A member shared an article from GS Custom Bullets that described their suggested process which indicates trimming to min OAL before resizing. I didn't trim as yet. I was planning to follow the Lee die instructions which indicates trimming after FL sizing. Is trimming B4 FL resizing what I should have done?

No, the length can change after sizing so the basic method is to size, then trim and chamfer.

ETA: There are always possible variations and methods that can work or that might confuse the inexperienced. Some trim methods are based on the over all case length, and some "index" off the shoulder, like the Giraud for example.
Before a batch of random pick-ups is trimmed, it is best to size them, but...

That does not mean you can't get a decent result the other way, it is just that getting the shoulder datum and diameters through the sizer gives you a neck and shoulder that are not going to get changed by subsequent sizing.

 

[Ccrider]

As stated above, with hunting rifles, my first concern is flawless operation. If it does not fire when I need it too, it’s useless. There is no way that I would reload to .002 shoulder set back. I would set back at least .005 in any factory hunting rifle. Of course, I would not use the bras over three times, maybe less depending on how hot the load is.
Make sure you check each round after sizing to insure that it cycles cleanly. And, buy a small base die if you plan to reload for this rifle, or expect and accept that you may be shooting a single shot if you choose to hunt with reloads in it. Most all of us never need but one shot any way, so you should be fine.