Problem with collett pulled bullets - The Firearms Forum

Grandpa1948 · 02-03-2011, 09:10 PM

I hope one of you more advanced reloaders can help me with my problem. Some time ago I bought a large quantity of 30 cal fmj bullets over the internet. I have several 30-06 rifles, and a DPMS LR-308, and antipicated going thru a lot of bullets.

Well, I loaded some '06 rounds to correct COL, and found that when chambering a round, the bullet hit the riflings, and was sticking, or pushing deeper into the case.

The problem is the bullets are out of round, some pretty bad. I have read of pulled bullets being sized, and wonder if that is what I need to do. I have sizing dies for cast bullets, in this case, .308. Is this the proper way to salvage the bullets, do I need a special die for jacketed bullets, or do I just throw them in the scrap pile and go buy decent bullets.

I'm sure some of you guys have experience in this area, and can take the time to reply. Thanks in advance!!

muddober · 02-03-2011, 10:39 PM

I have ran some jacketed pistol bullet through luber sizing dies with limited success and they are very thin skinned compared to your rifle bullets. You might give a try and load some but I think your trash can will eventually see them.

Ron

woolleyworm · 02-04-2011, 01:31 AM

Do you have any pics of the bullets and of the finished cartridge? What was your final OAL for the load?

I'm having a problem trying to figure out how to explain this clearly, but if your bullet is touching the rifling, then it isn't seated to the correct depth for that type of bullet and your gun. Even if the bullet was smashed down fairly well at the ogive, it shouldn't be Increasing in length. Now, if it is just sticking in the leade area of the chamber, then I could see how an out of round bullet could do that. Some pics and measurements should help get to the bottom of this problem for ya.

Grandpa1948 · 02-04-2011, 01:27 PM

I knew I should have had all my ducks in a row before posing this question. My reloading room is shut down, between moves, and I can't seem to find all my data. What I can tell you is: my bullet is a military 175 gr, fmjbt, with extremely small hollow point.

My beginning COL was 3.30". When that failed to chamber properly, I purchased a Hornady Lock & Load OL gauge, and bullet comparator. Using these tools to measure my reloads, I found the length to vary up to 1/10".
No adjustments had been made to the seating die, all 20 rounds were loaded in identical fashion.

That is when I checked the bullets with a micrometer. The diameter below the old case neck mark is a consistent .308. The diameter in front of this mark (worst case bullet) will vary from .303 to .311 as I rotate the bullet.

I made a very amaturish error when I stated the bullets were engaging the riflings. I smoked the bullet (actually I used a filt tip marker), chambered the round, extracted it, and found linear contact marks on the bullet. To properly restate this, the bullet is encountering resistance in the front of the chamber.

Sorry about not providing pictures, I haven't yet mastered the art of getting the picture from the camera to the computer.

Thanks for the quick reply, & I hope this gives you enough data to form a conclusion.

medalguy · 02-04-2011, 08:25 PM

Sounds like out of round to me. That happens. You can use a bullet resizer to correct this, yes. Just curious, where did you buy the bullets? I also use a lot of pulled bullets and rarely have any problems.

One other problem you mention is with different OAL. This happens because the bullets are from different lots of ammo. I have also has this happen to me. One way to work around this problem is to "long seat" the bullets, that is, seat them about .015 too long. Don't crimp. Then, using your seater die, remove the usual seater plug and insert a piece of threaded rod with the end ground flat, and simply thread the rod down to where it will seat the bullet to the desired depth. The problem is with the seater plug. It contacts the bullet at a specific point on the ogive (the curved part of the bullet) and this diameter varies with different lots of bullets. Look up into the seater die and you will see the plug which is drilled out to accomodate the bullet tip. Seating by my method properly seats the bullet, but doesn't depend on the diameter of the ogive to determine the exact seating point. Once determined, you can seat any 308 bullet to the exact same OAL.

Grandpa1948 · 02-05-2011, 06:49 PM

I like your innovative solution to the seating depth problem. I will try that.
As to the source of the bullets, I purchased them on Auction Arms some time back, got a "great" deal on 1000 of them.

As soon as I can find my bullet sizer, I will run a batch through and see if they look good enough to load.

Thanks for your assistance, and keep on loading!

02-03-2011, 09:10 PM	#1
Grandpa1948 Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: San Angelo, Texas Posts: 24	Problem with collett pulled bullets I hope one of you more advanced reloaders can help me with my problem. Some time ago I bought a large quantity of 30 cal fmj bullets over the internet. I have several 30-06 rifles, and a DPMS LR-308, and antipicated going thru a lot of bullets. Well, I loaded some '06 rounds to correct COL, and found that when chambering a round, the bullet hit the riflings, and was sticking, or pushing deeper into the case. The problem is the bullets are out of round, some pretty bad. I have read of pulled bullets being sized, and wonder if that is what I need to do. I have sizing dies for cast bullets, in this case, .308. Is this the proper way to salvage the bullets, do I need a special die for jacketed bullets, or do I just throw them in the scrap pile and go buy decent bullets. I'm sure some of you guys have experience in this area, and can take the time to reply. Thanks in advance!! -->

02-03-2011, 10:39 PM	#2
muddober Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,436	Re: Problem with collett pulled bullets I have ran some jacketed pistol bullet through luber sizing dies with limited success and they are very thin skinned compared to your rifle bullets. You might give a try and load some but I think your trash can will eventually see them. Ron Last edited by muddober; 02-03-2011 at 10:40 PM..

02-04-2011, 01:31 AM	#3
woolleyworm TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: SW Fort Worth Contributor Posts: 4,883	Re: Problem with collett pulled bullets Do you have any pics of the bullets and of the finished cartridge? What was your final OAL for the load? I'm having a problem trying to figure out how to explain this clearly, but if your bullet is touching the rifling, then it isn't seated to the correct depth for that type of bullet and your gun. Even if the bullet was smashed down fairly well at the ogive, it shouldn't be Increasing in length. Now, if it is just sticking in the leade area of the chamber, then I could see how an out of round bullet could do that. Some pics and measurements should help get to the bottom of this problem for ya. __________________ . What are you gonna do, talk the alien to death? -- (on Sigourney Weaver's worry about Guns in Aliens) "Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands." "I carry a small gun to compensate for my huge Blue press." .

02-04-2011, 01:27 PM	#4
Grandpa1948 Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: San Angelo, Texas Posts: 24	Re: Problem with collett pulled bullets I knew I should have had all my ducks in a row before posing this question. My reloading room is shut down, between moves, and I can't seem to find all my data. What I can tell you is: my bullet is a military 175 gr, fmjbt, with extremely small hollow point. My beginning COL was 3.30". When that failed to chamber properly, I purchased a Hornady Lock & Load OL gauge, and bullet comparator. Using these tools to measure my reloads, I found the length to vary up to 1/10". No adjustments had been made to the seating die, all 20 rounds were loaded in identical fashion. That is when I checked the bullets with a micrometer. The diameter below the old case neck mark is a consistent .308. The diameter in front of this mark (worst case bullet) will vary from .303 to .311 as I rotate the bullet. I made a very amaturish error when I stated the bullets were engaging the riflings. I smoked the bullet (actually I used a filt tip marker), chambered the round, extracted it, and found linear contact marks on the bullet. To properly restate this, the bullet is encountering resistance in the front of the chamber. Sorry about not providing pictures, I haven't yet mastered the art of getting the picture from the camera to the computer. Thanks for the quick reply, & I hope this gives you enough data to form a conclusion.

02-04-2011, 08:25 PM	#5
medalguy Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 585	Re: Problem with collett pulled bullets Sounds like out of round to me. That happens. You can use a bullet resizer to correct this, yes. Just curious, where did you buy the bullets? I also use a lot of pulled bullets and rarely have any problems. One other problem you mention is with different OAL. This happens because the bullets are from different lots of ammo. I have also has this happen to me. One way to work around this problem is to "long seat" the bullets, that is, seat them about .015 too long. Don't crimp. Then, using your seater die, remove the usual seater plug and insert a piece of threaded rod with the end ground flat, and simply thread the rod down to where it will seat the bullet to the desired depth. The problem is with the seater plug. It contacts the bullet at a specific point on the ogive (the curved part of the bullet) and this diameter varies with different lots of bullets. Look up into the seater die and you will see the plug which is drilled out to accomodate the bullet tip. Seating by my method properly seats the bullet, but doesn't depend on the diameter of the ogive to determine the exact seating point. Once determined, you can seat any 308 bullet to the exact same OAL.

02-05-2011, 06:49 PM	#6
Grandpa1948 Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: San Angelo, Texas Posts: 24	Re: Problem with collett pulled bullets I like your innovative solution to the seating depth problem. I will try that. As to the source of the bullets, I purchased them on Auction Arms some time back, got a "great" deal on 1000 of them. As soon as I can find my bullet sizer, I will run a batch through and see if they look good enough to load. Thanks for your assistance, and keep on loading!