22BR questions

[nvbroncrider]

Picked up a 22BR about a year ago and just started shooting it. Nice rifle built on a M70 CRF short action Lijia barrel 26" 1-14" with a brake don't care for it but it appears it's threaded on. But no markings on the barrel as far as chambering or neck. Came with 50 pc of once fired Lapua cases with a load for 40gr BK's knew I was gonna be shooting 55's didn't bother looking at the data. Started working up a load with 4895 and mid-book loads were blanking primers not everyone but a few here and there enough that I stopped. I even tried and trimmed 10 cases back to Rem spec chamber thinking the neck was causing the problem. I finally sent the bolt to Gre-Tan and had the firing pin bushed. Still waiting on it too get back.

Picked up some more cases and started forming some new Lapua Blue Box. Run it through my Redding body die gets it down to .256" then neck the rest of the way down did the first 10 twice @ .254" then finished with a .248". I haven't turned or trimmed these yet but a light bulb went off after reading some threads on neck tension and all the different custom reamers for this chambering.

Is it possible that the issue I'm having is caused by the neck being too snug in the chamber? Loaded rounds are .250" sizing to .248" for .002" tension. When I got the original cases I measured the OD of the necks @ .250". The rifle chambers these fine the bolt falls in no heavy bolt lift on any of the rounds I've fired. But after firing a case I can't slide a bullet back in the casing. Never seen this before.

What are your no turn chambers like .254" necks? Loaded rounds .251"? When I do get the bolt back I can do some testing like try to chamber a .256" or a .254" case and see if it chambers. Maybe the PO didn't turn the brass that was with the rifle and needed to? Just looking for suggestions and any ideas.

Thanks,

Jake

 

[Preacher]

IF a bullet will not go back in a fired case, the neck is to tight....
Fix that and the problem will more than likely go away...

 

[XBBR Shooter]

You did not say what primers you were using - Federal primers punch at a much lower ppressure than CCI, Win, or Rems.

You would do well to do a chamber cast - it's easy, you can do it yourself - get Cerrosafe, and follow the instructions.

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...ls/cerrosafe-for-chamber-casts-prod39539.aspx

Plan "B" is to chamber a new case and bullet (bullet does not touch the lads), without the bolt - just push the case al the way in.
Then stand the rifle muzzle up. The case should drop out, or, if just touched with a cleaning rod, it should fall out.

If you have to push it out, you have a neck that requires turning.

But the Cerrosafe method is the best, because it tells you exactly what you are dealing with.

 

[nvbroncrider]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will see what I can't figure out. I think I'm running CCI's if I recall correctly. It was pretty ugly. Started shaking colder than a well digger that day but it definately wants to shoot couldn't hold it together for 5!

 

[nvbroncrider]

Got the BR bolt back this morning loaded two rounds and popped them off the front porch looks good in that perspective. I think I need to cast the chamber just to make sure of what I got but I can neck down with a .254" bushing and pop it in the chamber. The .256" outta the body die will not so I think I got a .254" no turn chamber. Now with that being said I probably need to buy a larger bushing as with the .248" loaded rounds are at .250" but after firing cases measure .250" and I can't slide a new bullet in the case. This seems odd to me never seen that before. Cases pop in and out with ease. Or I need to turn the necks just slightly. Fired case ID with a caliper measures .223"

By the way that bolt looks great!!

 

[Preacher]

Smoke the neck on a fired case and insert it into the chamber, then extract it and see if any of the smoke has been wiped off..
If it will, then you need to turn the necks....
Pretty hard to put a .224 diameter bullet back into a .223 hole....

 

[th82457]

If the loaded necks are at .250 & fired necks are at .250, then you have found the problem. Necks need at least .002" removed to operate at safe pressures. Does not sound like a no turn chamber, rather a tight chamber. My 22 BR has a .252 chamber and I run loaded brass at .249 to .250. Better to err on the safe side here.

 

[nvbroncrider]

If the loaded necks are at .250 & fired necks are at .250, then you have found the problem. Necks need at least .002" removed to operate at safe pressures. Does not sound like a no turn chamber, rather a tight chamber. My 22 BR has a .252 chamber and I run loaded brass at .249 to .250. Better to err on the safe side here.

Okay that makes sense to me one question for you why does a .254" case slide right into the chamber then?

 

[CRhoades]

If you are using cci 400 primers, that could be the problem. They pierce like crazy in my dashers, tried br4, 450, and rem 7.5 and they all work good.

 

[th82457]

The .254 neck sliding into the chamber is a mystery. All I can guess is maybe the chamber neck has a taper, or possibly your cases have a donut at the base that ends up with a larger diameter than .250 when a bullet is seated limited case neck expansion upon firing. But, if a fired round neck that starts at .250 loaded and ends at .250 fired - something in the chamber is keeping the neck from expanding as it should to release the bullet. So this is a very dangerous condition that should not be taken lightly. Unless you are shooting competitive bench rest with this gun a couple of thousandths neck clearance will not make any difference in how accurate the rifle is. Work to the safe side and be happy. The 22 BR is a great round.

Terry

 

[nvbroncrider]

Yes that is why I'm asking Terry it doesn't make sense to me. The two rounds I fired off this morning one was a 3rd firing on the brass that came with the rifle the other was a new case blue box that I necked down to test at least my results are consistent. Neck turner is on the Brown truck. I will get to the bottom of this just taking more time than I want it too cause I really like this rifle it's slick action works like a hot knife through butter.

 

[nvbroncrider]

Terry I checked again this morning. Sometimes night shifts really kick my tail. The .254 doesn't chamber so I must have a .252" chamber. I was chambering them with my finger yesterday. Tried with the bolt today. So you guys are right just shave a little off and I'll be good.

 

[Gabe22BR]

250, &.248 are "common" tight neck chambers


I have a 221fireball in a .248 neck, regular NEW brass will not chamber.

 

[sofarfrome]

You really need to have the chamber cast. It is ultimately important to know the exact diameter of your neck. Until then you are dealing with a very dangerous situation. If you can tell me what that dimension is I can share with you an incredible amount of 22BR info. I can push a 40gr ballistic tips to 4300fps with amazing accuracy. Terminal performance is outstanding. I also have pushed Speer 50gr TNTs to a little over 4000fps and the woodchuck would literally explode at 150 yards. I have been shooting this cartridge for 20+ years and frankly there is no better 22caliber varmint round ever made, with all due respect of course.

 

[nvbroncrider]

Got it all figured out. Want to say thanks to you guys for the suggestions. I have a .252" chamber the fired rounds are now coming out @ .251" and I can slide a bullet into a fired case. Tried to turn down from .250" to .248" and wasn't enough had to turn down to .246" to get things to work properly. Also got a couple of Hornady 6BR OAL case guages and necked one down to 22BR @ .254" then turned to .253" no chamber and at .252" it will go in and I can shut the bolt it's a slight crush.

 

[dewey7271]

There you go buddy
Glad it's working

 

[XBBR Shooter]

Got it all figured out. Want to say thanks to you guys for the suggestions. I have a .252" chamber the fired rounds are now coming out @ .251" and I can slide a bullet into a fired case. Tried to turn down from .250" to .248" and wasn't enough had to turn down to .246" to get things to work properly. Also got a couple of Hornady 6BR OAL case guages and necked one down to 22BR @ .254" then turned to .253" no chamber and at .252" it will go in and I can shut the bolt it's a slight crush.

Did you ever do a chamber cast? You have not solved anything until you know what the neck diameter is.
I have several rifles that have "No turn" necks, and the bullets will not go back in the neck of a fired case, but there is 2 to 3 thou of clearance. With no turn necks, the neck does not expand enough to stay expanded - it pops right back to the sized diameter.

I even have a diminutive little .218 Bee in a Ruger #1 with a factory "no turn" neck, bullets do not drop back in a fired neck... but there is 3 thou neck clearance.

There are several things that will affect this - annealed necks will stay "expanded", whereas hard factory necks will spring back to almost where they started, and not let the bullet in.

You are "shooting in the dark" (pardon the pun), until you make a chamber cast.

 

[Preacher]

Plus 1 for what he just said.....