Recent content by Mikecr

  1. Mikecr

    COAL using CBTO from Hornady OAL gauge significantly shorter than book COAL?

    No, your COAL is whatever YOU choose, given local components (chamber throat, bullets). Nobody at Sierra knows what your choices are.
  2. Mikecr

    Does a gunsmith know when a barrel will shoot?

    In the big shooting world, most people cannot load develop to a barrel's potential. There would need to be a bunch of qualifiers on that for a known result. XX brass, powder, primer, bullet, at YY range, off ZZ resting(sand, heavy sand, bipod, etc), and temperature range. There are not many who...
  3. Mikecr

    Reading Pressure

    I can't watch the video from here, but high pressure, and pressure 'problems' are separate and different. With a plan, you can build a gun for higher pressure, and yeah a BAT would be a good part of the plan, due to strength of the lugs/action overall.. For the brass part of the problem, you...
  4. Mikecr

    Failures in fireforming

    The brass was fired in a chamber having excessive clearance, and then if sized way back down (before your firing), it work hardened. Brass only stretches just so far.
  5. Mikecr

    Neck tension

    I see process annealing as stress relieving (aka regular annealing I guess). It's not full annealing. Full annealing kills brass for our use. I can get unlimited life ,at SAAMI max, out of any modern cartridge (legacy 30deg or + shoulders) and my chamber and sizing plan. My 26WSSM Imp brass has...
  6. Mikecr

    Neck tension

    Why? Because of load development with soft brass, having low neck tension? Because of over-working brass through excess sizing? Let me suggest minimal sizing and mild process annealing every 30-50 reloading cycles. You will never get more consistent than this.
  7. Mikecr

    Neck tension

    When you guys talk about interference of 3-4thou, is that for FL of necks, or partial length sizing? For what cal? Given the differences to tension I don't see how you can broadly declare anything without these qualifiers. Then of course there is the alloy & worked hardness, which is mostly...
  8. Mikecr

    Is my choice the most effective 223 bullet for longer range?

    It makes no sense to challenge yourself so much at your age. I say call it a 500yd gun and put a 500yd scope on it. Go from there. Or buy an 1100yd gun outright.
  9. Mikecr

    Neck tension

    1. Like MagnumManiac said, interference is NOT tension, as force is not expressed in inches. 2. Friction is independent and different from tension. 3. The interference in play applies differently within -vs- beyond seated bearing length. 4. The elasticity of our necks under hoop tension is...
  10. Mikecr

    Case cleaning

    No. Squeaky clean necks causes high seating friction (not tension). This can mess with your ability to easily seat bullets to desired CBTO. Alleviated with graphite or Tungsten dry film lubricants.
  11. Mikecr

    barrel lengths per cartridge decisions

    A 308 works with very short barrels because it's capacity is small for cal (an underbore).
  12. Mikecr

    barrel lengths per cartridge decisions

    It may be a combination of things. Many factory designs use relatively narrow, high taper cases, with low shoulder angles. Good funnels. This leads to a big wad of unburned powder traveling down the bore with bullets, adding mass, recoil, and pressure. But the pressure is not in the chamber...
  13. Mikecr

    barrel lengths per cartridge decisions

    Pretty sure pressure trace will also show that a barrel grossly too short for the charge can cause secondary pressure spikes, which can even exceed the primary pressure peak. While this is not predicted, I think minding muzzle pressure would mitigate the chances of it. That is, when muzzle...
  14. Mikecr

    barrel lengths per cartridge decisions

    If by best speed you mean that you can find a best speed for a shorter barrel, just like a long barrel,, then yes of course that's true. But if you think 'best' speed equals 'same' speed from a shorter barrel, that isn't happening without more powder or pressure.
  15. Mikecr

    barrel lengths per cartridge decisions

    Another number I like is accurate barrel life. I personally would not choose more powder to get velocity -over longer barrel. I would rather go the way of reasonable cartridge at a reasonable barrel length. And so far I'm sure that long term accuracy trumps short term fireballs. Also less...
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