Not able to seat bullet anywhere close to lands...

[Chaotik]

I have run into a situation that has me baffled and am hoping for some sage advice from the experts on this forum.

I just had a rifle built (6.5 x 47 Lapua) by a local gunsmith, and am trying to determine the base to ogive length for this new chamber using the Hornady tool with a modified case. I'm using hybrid 140 gr Berger Bullets.

The problem is that the bullets seat much deeper in the chamber than I have ever seen with multiple 6BRs and 6dashers. It would be impossible to seat a bullet anywhere close to the lands and expect it to stay in the case. The bullet protrudes out of the case neck almost completely except for the last ~.130”. It seems to me that the bullet would need to be jumped at least ¼ inch or more if I wanted to seat it securely in the neck.

The reamer was brand new and purchased from PT&G: .175 freebore and a .293 neck. Barrel was a new Krieger barrel. Action was a new trued Rem 700. I looked at the chamber with my Hawkeye borescope but do not see anything obvious to explain my dillema.

Any suggestions?

 

[Drop Port]

Are you sure you are getting the Hornady case all the way into your chamber with shoulder bottoming out? If so a .175" FB should leave plenty of bullet in the neck, what is your OAL? with a .198 FB on the lands with my current batch of Bergers I'm at 2.830, my old batch was 2.850.

 

[Chaotik]

Thanks, Drop Port- it appears that the case was not seated all the way into the chamber.

 

[Barrys]

Shwew, got lucky huh? Always nice when it turns out to be just a little boo boo and find the problem that quick!

 

[jlow]

I had a similar problem seating 140 Berger Hybrids in my Bartlein 260Rem barrel in my AI AT. What I find is the normal way that I do it which is to put the bullet deep in the modified case push the case into the chamber, then push the bullet out until it touch the lands does not work well.

However, if I seat the bullet long in the modified case, leave the lock off and push the case/bullet into the chamber until it is flush i.e. let the barrel push the bullet into the case, then lock the tool down before I pull the whole assembly out, I get correct and very consistent BTO length.

I think the reason is with this long bullet, if it start seated deep in the case, it can come out cockeye and get jammed before actually touching the lands.

 

[Eraser]

When I was looking for a modified case in 6mmBR and could not find one, I made my own.
I used a fired case from that chamber and it is all the difference in the world as far as fit goes. No excessive wiggle, very positive.

I understand that all that is needed is just shoulder contact, but this took out a lot of the other variables such as a case to lose in the chamber causing bad bullet aliment.

 

[jlow]

It's not the case that is loose in the chamber that cause the bullet misalignment. It's the bullet itself sitting too deep inside the case and not lining up with the opening of the neck. The more streamline and long the bullet (i.e. those with a high BC), the more likely this will happen.