Lapua Brass - soft?

[JAYgs8163]

ADG, Alpha and Lapua all recommend using book data carefully but at 10% below listed max loads due to thicker brass. Usually you won't loose any velocity as they reach pressure sooner with less charge weight.

With regards to "clickers". They're usually discovered when reaching max pressure in certain cartridges, most commonly for me on short magnum style cartridges. They're not always present but can be depending on the cases used and the designs of the different chambers. A "clicker" happens when the web of the case expands at the "200 line" near the base of the case. It kind of sticks at this area in the chamber and will occur and pop almost when you stroke the bolt on the Primary Extraction function of the bolt. When you lift the bolt handle and stroke the bolt from right to left is when it will occur. It will NOT occur when you're pulling back on the bolt handle, only on the cross stroke. Some call it "clickers" but I refer to it as a "pop" release. Almost will feel like it's being held in by suction. Again, I found it present mostly on my WSM loads and my 65 PRC and 300 PRC loads. Since then I've had my chamber modified on my PRCs and it's no longer present. Sometimes it won't happen with softer brass MFGs. Good luck and hope this helps.

 

[highfinblue]

Oh it does! Father of four young kids, some nights if all of them are being absolutely hyper and fighting each other and causing mayhem more than usual my wife and I look at each other and realize at the same time

"Oh….its a full moon, isn't it…."

My mom used to work at a nursing home. They observed a very real increase in violent incidents involving schizophrenic patients as well as Alzheimer's patients attempting to sneak out of the facility in pajamas at -30 outside, which would have been very bad and possibly ended in someone freezing to death indeed.

My wife worked in public low income housing for a while and as such worked with the RCMP and social services a lot, lots of issues with crime and drugs and domestic violence and mental health disturbances. Many of the social workers and police officers are absolutely convinced there's a spike in "events" surrounding the full moon, heck one cop that she knew said they have it marked down at the precinct!

Talk to any schoolteacher, they will tell you some wild stories about full moons

 

[Culpeper]

I have used various brass - federal, hornady, winchester, lapua, norma, sig across probably 15 cartridges and two dozen rifles. I am not a find my max pressure and then back down from there type of loader. I normal start low and load a few safety check rounds and then run an OCW from just below mid-point up to book max if I need to.

Only with Lapua brass (308 - two different rifles, 7mm-08 1 rifle, 6.5x55 1 rifle) have I experienced the following with loads around 1 to 1.5 grains below book max and on up to book max: No sign of any flattened prior, no chrono'd excessive velocity but stiff bolt lift and ejector marks.

Thoughts?

On those two knock off that boutique reloading style. It's wrong from the start.

 

[med358-boise]

On those two knock off that boutique reloading style. It's wrong from the start.

Care to expand? I have been accused of many things in my life, being clairvoyant has never been on the list.

 

[Culpeper]

Care to expand? I have been accused of many things in my life, being clairvoyant has never been on the list.

EDIT: Try not using pop gun safety loads with Lapua brass in those particular rifles.

 

[Mikecr]

No sign of any flattened prior, no chrono'd excessive velocity but stiff bolt lift and ejector marks.

Are you saying that muzzle velocities were as expected from the book data?

 

[med358-boise]

Are you saying that muzzle velocities were as expected from the book data?

yes - exactly

 

[JAYgs8163]

Try not using pop gun safety loads with Lapua brass in those two rifles.

He lists 4 rifles. 3 different cartridges.

 

[Culpeper]

He lists 4 rifles. 3 different cartridges.

You're correct

"Only with Lapua brass (308 - two different rifles, 7mm-08 1 rifle, 6.5x55 1 rifle)..."

 

[med358-boise]

Try not using pop gun safety loads with Lapua brass in those two rifles.

Again, care to expand and describe what is wrong starting say 1.5 grains below book loading a couple of safety check rounds in 1 grain increments and then starting an OCW process. If indeed Lapua brass, is thicker with less case volume it would seem a prudent thing to do.

 

[JAYgs8163]

You're correct

"Only with Lapua brass (308 - two different rifles, 7mm-08 1 rifle, 6.5x55 1 rifle)..."

Exactly, LOL….. he lists 4 rifles. 2 308's, 1 7-08, and a 6.5x55 of experiencing this issue. That's 4 rifles.

So are you saying there's no reason to fire his safety check rounds in the 308's? Just trying to understand the reasoning behind removing his "safety" check rounds and how it has anything to do with his question.

 

[med358-boise]

ADG, Alpha and Lapua all recommend using book data carefully but at 10% below listed max loads due to thicker brass. Usually you won't loose any velocity as they reach pressure sooner with less charge weight.

With regards to "clickers". They're usually discovered when reaching max pressure in certain cartridges, most commonly for me on short magnum style cartridges. They're not always present but can be depending on the cases used and the designs of the different chambers. A "clicker" happens when the web of the case expands at the "200 line" near the base of the case. It kind of sticks at this area in the chamber and will occur and pop almost when you stroke the bolt on the Primary Extraction function of the bolt. When you lift the bolt handle and stroke the bolt from right to left is when it will occur. It will NOT occur when you're pulling back on the bolt handle, only on the cross stroke. Some call it "clickers" but I refer to it as a "pop" release. Almost will feel like it's being held in by suction. Again, I found it present mostly on my WSM loads and my 65 PRC and 300 PRC loads. Since then I've had my chamber modified on my PRCs and it's no longer present. Sometimes it won't happen with softer brass MFGs. Good luck and hope this helps.

Thanks very helpful info!

 

[Culpeper]

Exactly, LOL….. he lists 4 rifles. 2 308's, 1 7-08, and a 6.5x55 of experiencing this issue. That's 4 rifles.

So are you saying there's no reason to fire his safety check rounds in the 308's? Just trying to understand the reasoning behind removing his "safety" check rounds and how it has anything to do with his question.

With Lapua brass in those rifles eliminate starting too low for so-called safety check. It is two combined factors in his normal routine process that may be causing a problem. I've never had a problem with Lapua and I don't load caps in a real rifle.

 

[Sdvldog1371]

I put 60 rds of Berger 245 EOL through one of my 300 PRC this year to use the brass for reloading and to gather initial data. Every piece had ejector marks, swipe, and was fully formed to the chamber on the first firing. Not even crappy hornady brass had that issue.

I also fire formed 300 lapua 6.5x55 swede 139 scenar factory ammo in my 6.5 Addiction stainless barrel. I followed the same procedure as the carbon barrel. More than half of the rounds were bulged above the web, they had ejector slot marks on maybe 1/4 of the cases, some of those were bulged and others not.

I've been so thoroughly unimpressed with the last 260 rem brass, 6.5x55 swede and 300 PRC brass that I have gone away from Lapua altogether. The inconsistency in their virgin brass case lengths, the headspace of virgin brass, the fact that some primer pockets uniform with very little clean out, Some don't even touch and others take repeated cuts because of how much gets munched out.....I don't have any of those issues with the over 8k pieces of Alpha or the 300 pieces of ADG I've gone through.

I just bought a bunch of peterson 300 PRC to replace the virign Lapua I was going to use. I have never used peterson before, so time will tell if it's as disappointing as Lapua has been.

So, a Long winded complaint to say, yes...I have noticed lapua cases are soft lately...too soft, especially at the web on that one lot.