Bullet Sticking issues

[mulie]

Hi all I was out last week hunting and had a bullet stick in the action. I am shooting 7mm LRM I built. Shooting Berger 180 grain, 1 in 8 twist 0.030" off the lands 0.002" neck tension, measure seating depth on each round. I had it happen unloading for the day. So went back to camp cleaned everything up removed the bullet which came out kinda difficult. The following morning 22.5 degrees, 78% humidity lined up on a nice mulie at 400 yards squeezed one off great hit, however went to cycle another round and the same thing happened again. Returned to camp swapped out to another rifle then hauled *** back and luckily collected the deer. I also tape the end of my barrels when hunting. I have hunted 2 years previously with this rifle no issues.
Not sure what the ????

 

[alf]

Could be a combination of fat bullets, tight throat diameter, and/or not enough neck tension......
I'd never run 2 thou neck tension in a hunting gun.

 

[Orange Dust]

Carbon fouling????????

 

[L.Sherm]

I'd never run 2 thou neck tension in a hunting gun.

I do it all the time, no problems.
I'm guessing your into the lands even though you think your not.
How are you measuring off the the lands, stripped bolt method?

 

[Orange Dust]

If it was fine and now it is not something has changed. Is this a new lot of bullets? CBTO may have changed and put you in the lands. Doubtful though. .030 is a lot of change to a bullet. Seating die backed out? Possible. Carbon fouling is not removed with normal cleaning, and will definitely cause this and raise pressures too.

 

[Frog4aday]

The bullet you tapped out...did it have marks on it like it was stuck in the rifling? If not, then I vote carbon fouling. If so, then your OAL 'grew' at some point and you are jamming into the lands. Glad you still got your deer!

 

[Orange Dust]

Here is another idea that may be far fetched. Is it a compressed load? With lite bullet pull and all the jiggle and vibration from traveling is it possible they grew a little from internal pressure of a compressed load? Did you check your unfired rounds when you got home?

 

[J E Custom]

It is easy to jam the bullet in the rifling and not know it you really can,t check the bullet engagement using the bolt so I would recommend measuring the distance to the lands with tools made to do this with no added force applied. If you want to set the bullet this close to the lands you should also check each batch of bullets even though they are the same manufacture and stile. (They can change from batch to batch).

If you are still not sure exactly where the bullet is seated, I would recommend backing off .010 and trying it. if you are sticking the bullet in my opinion you are jamming the bullet into the rifling.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[L.Sherm]

Like JE said lot to lot I've seen as much as .020 difference in Bergers.
Lot's are as consistent as it gets, but when I buy bullets anymore I make sure I buy the same lot and still check BTO

 

[lancetkenyon]

78% humidity, 22°.
Could you have gotten a touch of condensation in there, that froze, and stuck the bullet to the cold steel barrel? Kind of like when bino glass gets cold, you look through with either breath condensation or perspiration on the brows, and fogs up?

 

[L.Sherm]

I've hunted in -20 here in montana and no problems not saying it couldn't happen.
Only time I had this happen I had one do it from jamming into the lands on my 338WM about 12 years ago when i changed box of 210NP.

 

[Orange Dust]

The $100 question. Now that the hunt is over and you are back home, does it still do it??

 

[jebel]

Clarification question. You say the "bullet" is stuck, but from your description it sounds like you fired a round (at a nice buck) and then it was stuck again. Are you talking about the case being stuck in the chamber, not the bullet being stuck in the lands (since you successfully fired the round)?

 

[Rich Coyle]

Jebel,

That's what I thought.