300 Weatherby Loading Issues

[F. Guffey]

No i just have plain old dies and lock rings.

Jambuster, Is this what you have

https://lewilson.com/adjustable-case-gage/

For the most part 'plain-o' dies are my favorite except when forming cases; when forming cases my favorite dies are short firming dies.

Old-Roper was asking about your head space gage, L.E. Wilson makes case length gages. The unique thing about their belted case gage is it's ability to be adjusted for the case length from the shoulder to the case head.

A good habit to get into is measuring before and again after. That would be measure before firing and again after firing; and measuring before sizing and again after firing. I measure the length of the chamber from the shoulder to the bolt face, when I fire a case I know the length of the case from the shoulder to the case head before extracting the case. That does not mean I measure the length of the chamber before firing 'everyday'; I am talking about measuring before I fire a rifle that is new to me.

F. Guffey

 

[603Country]

That’s good advice on using Nosler. The BT is a very accurate bullet (I use it exclusively) for load workup, and then swap out to the Accubond for that Weatherby. And surprisingly, I have found that the accuracy loads recommended in the Nosler book are in most cases the same loads I use in my rifles. I had the loads worked up before I bought the new Nosler book.

 

[F. Guffey]

I don't know if the gauge I bought is correctly called a " Head Space Gauge " but that is what they call them. These gauges provide a datum on the shoulder that can be measured on a sized case or a fired case to compare one to the other . In my case there is about a .006" difference . I know I could adjust my FL die till I get the .002" set back I am looking for but I thought the competition shell holders might make it easier.

If you are comparing case length you have a comparator. Many reloaders have purchased comparators believing/thinking they were getting a head space gage; there were thousands of reloaders that purchased dial indicator stands that were advertised as 'head space gages'.

Events: There is a step sequence of events that happen between pulling the trigger and the bullet leaving the barrel; the same goes for sizing a case. The one event I find that is impossibility is moving the shoulder back. For a brief moment I considered that I was purchasing dies that were not designed to 'bump' because I find it impossible to bump a shoulder back with a die that has full case body support.

I have one set of Redding Competition shell holders; I paid $5.00 for the set of 5 shell holders. I would not have purchased the #6 set without the deep discount because! anything I can do with the competition shell holder set I can do with a feeler gage; all I need to know is the length of the chamber from the shoulder/datum to the bolt face. Again: I can determine the length of the chamber from the shoulder to the bolt shoulder of the chamber to the bolt face before firing and or by fire forming.

I have more options when using a feeler gage than when using the Redding competition shell holders. And then there are short chambers. A short chamber is shorter than a go-gage length chamber.

I am beginning to believe I am the only reloader that has dies that are designed to size a case to minimum length; that would be .005" shorter from the shoulder to the case to the case head that the distance from the shoulder of a go-gage to the head of the gage (30/06 chamber, die and gage). That would make me the only reloaders that uses shell holders that have a deck height of .125".

There are times the shell holder does not make it to the bottom of the die because the case has more resistance to sizing than the press can overcome. Failure is built into the philosophy of reloading when a reloader believes he must fire the case 5 times to assure a good fit. If a reloader wants to increase the cases ability to resist sizing fire 5 times. AND! If a reloader want to be kind to their cases load them up on the low side. If I want to transfer the dimensions of the chamber to the case I load them up on the higher side.

F. Guffey

 

[old roper]

Jambuster, The 300 Wby I load had 26" barrel. Powder I used was IMR-7828 with 180gr Partition,Fed 215 primer,Wby case. Load came from Nosler manual and Wby factory ammo used same bullet.

I use IMR-7828ssc in the 270Wby. When I moved to Co I shot 7mag and I ordered 7 Wby from the custom shop. I didn't load for it but shot factory Hornaday 154gr Interlock.


If you had Rem loaded rd from ones you had good luck and could measure case base to ojive, do same with Wby ammo, there may be enough difference that it effect accuracy. You have .361" free bore. You could load Rem bullet to 3.560" then measure to ogive.

 

[F. Guffey]

there may be enough difference that it effect accuracy.

With most reloaders factors do not exist but if there was such things as factors what factors would effect accuracy?

I understand some reloaders believe most of my efforts are wasted. I have wasted my time measuring the length of factory cases from the datum to the case head for comparison purposes. After measuring cases for comparison I have been impressed, without changing the ammo I have had accuracy improvements by working on the rifle, mounts and scope.

Somewhere back in the early twenties a man shows up for a shooting contest. He did not bring a rifle, the host was kind enough to loan him one and then another; finally, they took him to an arsenal for the purpose if picking a rifle from a rack. I know, you are wondering what the old man hoped to accomplish, through out the day he never asked for 'different ammo' and the host did not add daylight to his shooting time. If he did not win it was because he ran out of daylight.

F. Guffey

 

[Jambuster]

Just another data point . I loaded 10 rounds last night and checked the bullet run-out on all . They were all .003"-.004" . If you will recall the run-out on the brass was less than .001" . I am using a standard RCBS Seating die.

 

[F. Guffey]

With most reloaders factors do not exist but if there was such things as factors what factors would effect accuracy?

Again: I have an Elmer Keith rifle, the length of the chamber is .016" longer from the datum/shoulder to the bolt face than a minimum length/full length sized cases when measured from the datum/shoulder to the case head. I was told not to shoot the rifle because there was a chance I could die etc. If I fire factory/minimum length/full length sized cases in the field reject length chamber + .002" the necks shorten big time and the case lengthens from the shoulder to the case head .016". Now that is a long way around getting formed cases. I have found it is better to form first and then fire because I am the fan of clearance; I am not the fan of .016" clearance when there is something I can do about it..

F. Guffey