Bruno built 6mm br

[stenger]

I have a 6mm br .269 neck, bat action, krieger 1/8 28 inch.
The problem i am having with this rifle is that the brass is tight in the chamber. I have the necks turned down for .002 clearance and have conducted tests to rule that part out. i was told that i need an under sized bump die from redding. I did that a little better but still tight. bumping the shoulder as far as .002 back just to see if it was a shoulder problem. I just dont know what else to do. i called lester but he was not in the office and i spoke to someone else at the shop. He said that when i shoot the new brass it will get better after fire forming. I did this, still tight in the chamber. The only thing i can think is that i will have to trim the brass length back more than what is posted as the trim to length. The accurracy of this gun sucks to i will shoot real good for two or three then throw one .5 out. One min it will be verticle then the next horizontal. Some thing is not right and i am out of answers. i have tried everything from neck tension, many different bullets, all kinds of powder, checked bedding, and just everything else you can think of. It has to be the tight fitting brass issue. If i can remember without looking at my records lapua brass comes at 1.55 length. I left it here to start with cause the posted max length is 1.60. Do you all think this could be the issue cause of a short chamber. i just have not tried this yet because it is so stupid i ruled it out at first but i am hurting for a soluton. Any help would be great.

i am only getting 2800 fps with 30.5 gr of varget 107SMK

 

[camac]

Hard to tell without looking at the shells - could be at the base of your neck though. The neck sizers always leave a little neck unsized and the bump dies don't touch it. If you turned the necks down, there also may be a little extra brass left just forward of the shoulder. Was it new brass??
There are so many possibilities -Lester should be the best source of advice..... or post lot's of photos and dimensions, headspace etc.. -

 

[Kenny474]

Maybe making a casting of the chamber could help identify the issue? I have never done it myself and am not very familiar with how it's done, but having a casting of the chamber seems as though it could give you valuable measurements that could very well lead you to a solution.

Did you purchase the rifle new, and are you sure it has a Norma 6BR chamber? Remington 6BR chambers are a bit shorter and tighter around the case head, and even FL sizing with a Norma die probably wouldn't help the cases fit. It's just a thought and probably isn't the cause of your problem. Just throwing it out there as a thought more or less. I doubt Lester Bruno would chamber a barrel with a Remington Br reamer unless someone requested it.

Good luck finding the cause of your issue. Hope it all works out.

 

[tenring]

Send it back to Lester with a few fired cases and let him diagnose and/or repair the problem. I trim 6mmBR Lapuas to 1.525"

 

[johara1]

tenring, Most chambers are about 1.570 so trim length is about 1.555-1.560. I would ask for a reamer print and that will tell the story. If some body made a mistake in chamber you will know by measuring your fired brass, remember to allow for spring back in the new brass .....jim

 

[stenger]

It's a brand new gun i have around two hundred rounds down the tube playing with this thing. As far as the neck trimming i went into the shoulder about .001 when turning them. I also took a case and just trimmed the neck paper thin and way back just for a test and samr result tight fit. It appears the brass it is getting a shinny spot all the way around about 1/16 inch back from the body shoulder junction. Would a redding full length die size it more than the special tight chamber body die i have now? Its about ready to go back!

 

[Kenny474]

sounds like there is a high spot in the chamber. Sending it back is probably a good idea.

 

[deadlyswift]

I agree with Johara1. A reamer print would be a good thing to have in your case. PT&G base their reamers on Lapua brass witch if I'm wrong someone correct me, but lapua brass is made from the Norma dimensions. Could be that a reamer was used that was based on the Remington specs. As tenring said send it back to Lester with a few fired cases. Not sure if there is anything else to check other than what you have stated. I feel your pain I'm in the same boat as you as far as not being satisfied with a rifle. Hope it turns out good for you.
Mark

 

[stenger]

i just dont want to sound like an idiot but i have all kinds of custom rifles with tight chambers and this one i cant figure out. the tight chamber body die i got from redding did help but the bolt is still tight. before i got that die i could barely close the bolt. so i think its a sizing issue. i am just going to talk with lester personnally about this rifle. it seems to me that the overall dim. of the case body is to large, thats where i see shinny spots from contact with the chamber. the necks after being fired are producing a nice wavy powder residue line around the necks like it should be. i see no signs of pressure and it shots pretty good with 30.5 gr of varget but not very predictable, just like i said it will shoot .1 for three then .5 with the other two, then verticle, then horizontal. i believe this gun has potential. If not i think i am going to re-chamber to a dasher. anyone know what dasher reamer everyone is using? what neck is everyone using in their dasher's?

 

[deadlyswift]

Don't know about neck dia. My guess would be the .272 no turn. but I haven't asked many that question about their Dashers. IMO There isn't any other reamer other than a PT&G! Especially when it comes to the dasher! Dave Kiff has pretty much perfected the dasher reamer so I'm told and have read!
Mark

 

[fdshuster]

stenger: A possibility is that your chamber was cut with a well worn reamer. Try to close the bolt on a go-gauge, and how does it close on new, unfired Lapua brass? Chamber lengths on all 5 of my 6BR chambers are 1.570". My trim length is 1.560". My new Lapua brass is all 1.554" to 1.556". 30 grs. of Varget with the 107 Sierra, BR4 and/or 450 primers is the "standard" load for my 8 twists, Hart & Krieger barrels. No pressure signs, hard bolt closing or lift after firing. My last chronographed velocity with that load was an average of 2885 fps.

 

[stenger]

It closes hard on unfired lapua brass also. i was thinking the same thing about the reamer. i also pulled the spring and its as smooth as glass so its the case for sure. thats strange i am shooting 30.5 gr varget, 107SMK, cci 450 at 2800 no faster. with 8208 i was only getting 2750. i did notice one thing i took it out p-dog hunting and fire a few rounds through it. After about 20 rounds the bolt would not close without beating it down. i went home and cleaned the gun and it went right back to being really stiff.

 

[rbertalotto]

Tight on closing or tight on opening?

If it's tight on closing it might be a "chamber size" issue.
If it's tight on opening it could be an oval chamber. I've seen this a few times. A chamber cast and careful measurement of the cast will identify this.

You might want to check the reamer print against your brass. Remington 6BR brass and Lapua / Norma 6BR brass are slightly different. The reamer might be for the smaller and you are using the larger brass.

But in any event, Lester will figure it out to be sure.........

 

[allenn]

You might try covering the suspected tight area of the case with magic marker. Then chamber the round and see what it looks like when you take it out.

 

[stenger]

its tight on both closing and opening.

 

[oldroper]

i just dont want to sound like an idiot but i have all kinds of custom rifles with tight chambers and this one i cant figure out. the tight chamber body die i got from redding did help but the bolt is still tight. before i got that die i could barely close the bolt. so i think its a sizing issue. i am just going to talk with lester personnally about this rifle. it seems to me that the overall dim. of the case body is to large, thats where i see shinny spots from contact with the chamber. the necks after being fired are producing a nice wavy powder residue line around the necks like it should be. i see no signs of pressure and it shots pretty good with 30.5 gr of varget but not very predictable, just like i said it will shoot .1 for three then .5 with the other two, then verticle, then horizontal. i believe this gun has potential. If not i think i am going to re-chamber to a dasher. anyone know what dasher reamer everyone is using? what neck is everyone using in their dasher's?

Why don't you try a set of Redding Competiton Shellholders
http://www.redding-reloading.com/online-catalog/35-competition-shellholder-sets

 

[Kenny474]

Oldroper, if the cases are tight the Redding shell holders will be of no use. They are actually thicker so you size the case less. They are designed to adjust the bump so your cases fit tighter in the chamber.

I think cutting a new chamber with a reamer that is ground to the proper dimensions is going to be the best way to fix the issue. It will insure you have a properly sized chamber, and you won't need to spend any more money on dies that may or may not help the situation.

This is a brand new rifle from a very reputable smith, it shouldn't be this hard just to make brass fit in the chamber. You seem to know what you're doing, and I doubt this is an error with the sizing of the brass on your part.

 

[fdshuster]

stenger: If it were my rifle, after spending the big bucks, and with everything you described, I'd have to grit my teeth and send it back to Bruno, and would include the fired cases with the rub marks at the shoulder/body junction, and would include a detailed description of the problem. Then would keep in touch by phone, always speaking with the same individual at Bruno's. I would hesitate to "fix" the problem myself, or with the help of another gunsmith (local?), since that would create problems when dealing with Bruno/ better to leave it as they made it, and let them fix it. Just my opinion.

 

[johara1]

Do you clean your chamber and lugs? If the bolt is tight going down the shoulder needs set back a little,if you have hard bolt lift it's a hot load or the base needs sized a little more. get a print .......jim

 

[dreever]

No question about it. Send it back with the brass. Bruno's will make it right.

Danny