Ok guys i have been handed down a lovely 22-250 Weatherby Vanguard. I began loading for it and it shot like a double barrel shutgun with 00 buck. I sanded out the pressure point in the front of the stock and bedded the action. I again loaded up some rounds completly match prepped brass. I shot them and once again couldnt get anything to group under 2 1/2" at 100. I noticed that some rounds were chambering hard and the pills were not jammed. I then tried some Winchester Supreme ammo and several Caused a hard bolt down. I measured fired brass and the shoulders are the same as factory loaded rounds. I then took a fired round and put shims behind it to see how much head space it has and it closes on a 8 thousands shim. The groups may have 2 shots touching and the third will go 2" off. I cant get my full length die to push the shoulders back anymore.
Weatherby 22-250 chamber issue need input
- Thread starter 1holeaddict
- Start date
If you're having trouble chambering factory ammo I'd take the rifle to a gunsmith and have the headspace checked before I did anything else.
Pushing the case shoulder back too far is a bad idea especially with the 22 250 since the case is tapered and tends to stretch. Setting your die up using a Wilson Case Gage will give you the proper amount of headspace assuming the rifle chamber has the proper headspace.
Pushing the case shoulder back too far is a bad idea especially with the 22 250 since the case is tapered and tends to stretch. Setting your die up using a Wilson Case Gage will give you the proper amount of headspace assuming the rifle chamber has the proper headspace.
1holeaddict said:
Why would you want to set back the shoulder if you have .008 too much now?
I agree with K22, have it checked out. How many rounds down the pipe? .22-250's aren't exactly easy on barrels and factory tubes can be less than hummers.
U hit my misunderstanding on the head. If too much head space is present why does factory and full length ammo cause the bolt to close hard? There is less than 150 rounds thru it most of which were trying to develop a load. I tried two different brands of brass and the necks are splitting after 3-4 loadings
1holeaddict said:
Let me repeat, you need to first verify that the rifle has the proper headspace. If the rifle won't chamber factory ammo then there must be something amiss with the rifle. I've seen this before as late as this deer season. Interesting enough it was a brand new Vangruard in 30-06 which wouldn't chamber Remington factory ammo.
There could be several reasons why the necks are splitting - I won't go into it here since there is no sense chasing this until you eliminate the rifle as the source of the problem.
Reloads are another issue. Sizing the 22 250 brass can be tricky. That's why setting up the die for optimum sizing with a Case Gage is very important so you don't over or under size. The Case Gage will allow you to verify that your cases are sized properly.
I'm not a big fan of neck sizing hunting ammo with the exception of the 22 250. This is one caliber that benefits from neck sizing because of the tapered case and its tendency to stretch especially with hot loads. However neck sized cases need to be check for chambering after a few times, the frequency depending on the load. Again, the Case Gage can be used to do this and will tell you when you need to full size the case.
What ever you do - DON'T FORCE THE AMMO INTO THE CHAMBER. For safety sake, have the rifle inspected by a competant gunsmith.
I'm measuring the cases with a hornady gauge, When i measure the shoulders on the fired rounds they are the same measurements as new Winchester Supreme loaded ammo within .001. When i set the die up i can not get the shoulder to move back at all. I am not shooting hot loads starting low and working up and it keeps splitting necks. I ha vent tried neck sizing simply cuz if I'm full length sizing and the bolt is closing hard neck sizing will be worse.
1holeaddict said:
Is the Hornady Gage a headspace gage? If so, there should be a high and low step. A sized round should not be below the low step or above the high step. Ideal sizing is half way in between these steps.
A fired round that is significantly above the high step could indicate a serious head space problem. A gunsmith can quickly and cheaply insert a no / no go headspace gage into the chamber and quickly tell you if you have a problem. If you don't have access to a gunsmith you can buy the gages yourself at Brownells.
Also, have the gunsmith check the dimensions of the chamber in the neck area, it may be oversized thus causing excessive expansion of the brass thus causing the split case necks.
Because you stated that you're having difficulty chambering factor ammo, the problem is probably not due to a faulty die.
I agree, neck sizing at this point will only make the problem worse and should be avoided until you determine the root cause of the problem.
I just finished work in a Weatherby Vanguard that had the same issues you're talking about . We had to take .002 off the bottom of the die so it would push the neck back two thousands so the round would chamber properly . Also this is not the first one I have experienced this with . Once your brass has been fired twice in your chamber you have pretty much taken out any extra headspace that there is . Those cases should stretch to fill that chamber , and then it's a matter of bumping the shoulder back one thousands for a proper rechamber . Check your fired brass with the Hornady head space guage , be sure to measure at the mid way point on the shoulder , then take one or two thousands off that measurement and set your die accordingly . You can do this with an empty case , it does not have to have a seated bullet . There will be some slight difficulty to close on the empty case due to the extractor having to ride over the case head , but if you lift the bolt handle to the open position , and then reclose you should feel no tension . Funny your're getting a hard close with factory ammo , it's usually much shorter so it will fit all chambers . A hard close with factory ammo usually indicates a very short chamber , but then you indicate it closed on an .008 shim , that's a loose chamber . Sounds like a bore scope and a chamber cast might be order if all the above doesn't help .Pic below on proper measure after firing . By the way you should punch out primer but not resize when taking this measurement !
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