Dirty gun = Pressure issues?

I agree you're correct about this situation likely not being a carbon ring or a dirty barrel issue, but.....


Oh. So it want the issue here? How many other instances do you suppose it also wasn’t the issue?


I'm so sick and tired of this. Seriously STFU, you are wrong. How many people have to shoot the same load and see a pressure spike with no velocity spike, then everything go back to normal after cleaning their barrel for you to see it's a factor?

How many people have to show up to a 5 day course in real weather and shoot 1,200+ rounds without cleaning their rifles, shoot and see shot the rifles with thousands and thousands of rounds (some 10,000 plus) that have never been cleaned, and yet- no issues. At all.


Last year it was over 40 shooters, and more than 50,000 rounds from 223, 22 UM, 243win, 6 CM, 6 UM, 6.5 Grendel, 6.5cm, 6.5 PRC, 6.5-7 PRC, 7PRC, 308win, 300 win mag, 300 PRC, 338L, and more I am forgetting. No cleaning, tons of dust, sand, snow, rain, and mud- and yet not a single issue.

If you're the only one saying this is non-existent,

I’m not the only one saying it, but even if I were- that doesn’t make it wrong. Why don’t you try it?

Again- the last 5 years should have been a flashing red light that maybe “experts” and “consensus” should be looked at deeply and with a jaundiced eye.



and everyone else who are experts in the industry say it is a thing how can you not see that you're wrong.

Because I am actually doing it daily?

What do you say to people who are seeing several hundred thousand rounds fired every single year with every combination that “experts” (who aren’t actually shooting or directly seeing guns shot) claim will cause issue- that has not once seen those same issues? It isn’t some little secret- 15-18 people at every S2H class now get to see it with their own eyes- and nothing happens. Rifles don’t have pressure issues, “carbon rings” don’t cause problems, and the guns shoot as good or better at round 1,000 as they do at round 10.

The only issues that have caused problems are hand loads doing the stated things- hot, in lands, neck sizing. Factory ammo- 0 issues.




I've never in all my years seen this level of hubris, and it's wildly off putting.

Because those people aren’t actually doing it. I don’t have to appeal to authority from people I don’t now- I can walk out and see for myself. So could you if you’d try.
I have shot at least 10 rifles from members that have reached out that had “carbon rings”, pressure problems, etc. And in every single case it was doing stupid things like- over pressure loads, loading into or on the lands, not full length sizing, tight chambers. In every single case, correcting those issues solved the problem, and they never had issues again not cleaning.


You may shoot more rounds than anyone else on this forum, and honestly it's kinda sad that is your only real claim to fame as far as I can tell


Only claim to fame? Or the only thing that’s relevant? How is anything other than shooting lots and lots of bullet from lots and lots barrels, from lots of different cartridges without cleaning, going to tell you anything about not cleaning?


but it's a weak attempt at appealing to authority.

Hmmm. I don’t think you understand what an appeal to authority fallacy is. Please find a single time where I have stated to do something “because I said so, and you should do it because I have ‘X’ title”.

You won’t. Because I have stated since my first posts here that the industry is a lie, and you need to experiment yourself.


Because like I said, it only holds on this form. Get outside of RS and there are people that shoot more rounds than you and have experienced and recognize that carbon rings are a thing.

Ah I can all but guarantee that there is no one alive who have seen more rounds shot from guns without cleaning barrels. The very few non DOD/DOJ places that see those rounds counts have never tried, and there are a tiny handful of people inside the DOD/DOJ that aren’t mandated to clean rifles constantly.
However, interestingly there is a relatively major organization that recently overhauled its marksmanship program, and the new handbook states that “guns do not need to be cleaned in general to function or maintain precision/accuracy. Cleaning is to remove debris such as sand and mud, when required for function”. Or so I’ve heard.



Tell you what- why don’t you come to a S2H class this summer, you can shoot our rifles and ammo, we’ll video it and if guns have problems from not cleaning S2H will pay all of your expenses. If on the other hand after 15,000-20,000 rounds that week, if no pressure issues or “carbon ring” problems show up- then you pay and come back here and let everyone know that maybe you are incorrect. @Ryan Avery @Megalodon would like to come show us how stupid we are. I believe the rental 6 CM and factory ammo should be the best case for him to show how wrong we are.
 
Thanks for this advice. Makes sense, and being new I wasnt really confident on what I was seeing in terms of pressure signs.

Assuming I back off a 1/2 to 1 grain, would you recommend throwing the shells that blew primers out, or can I reload?

And in your experience does seating depth affect pressure, knowing I wasn't jamming lands?

The brass that blew out the primers will most likely have an enlarged primer pocket and there is not recovering from that. Just throw them out or add to a display case.

Absolutely seating depth can change pressure, especially when you approach the lands. It is one of the reasons I do my load development at SAMMI length and call it good for all my hunting loads. I can always find a good load. In my target rifles, I will play with seating depth to tweak an already good load though.

Reloading is a learning curve. There is a lot of bad information out there too. Folks will brag how they get 200fps over published loads, use 2-5 more grains of powder than max published because "lawyers write the manuals now" or some other junk. With modern ballistic calculators, range finders and bullets, a few extra fps adds nothing significant to on-game performance. Develop a load that is accurate and safe then go hunting. If in doubt about a load back off a 1/2 to 1 grain. The speed difference is negligible.
 
I'm gonna piggyback on this and ask a somewhat related question. Tikka 6.5cm factory super lite barrel. 130tmk loaded to book COAL with H4350. Worked up a load back in March, mid 30's-40's temps. No pressure signs at book max. Tested one at .5 over max and slight ejector mark. Loaded 10 at max and the accuracy was great. Loaded up the rest of the components I had at max. Everything good shooting until yesterday. 60ish degrees. Shot 9 total rounds. 7 handloads, 2 factory 147eldm rounds. Handloads first then factory shot relatively quick. 30ish seconds to 1 minute in between. Had ejector marks on 6 of the handloads and both of the factory rounds. Barrel hasn't been cleaned since I got it cut down last spring. Temp related issue?
 
I'm gonna piggyback on this and ask a somewhat related question. Tikka 6.5cm factory super lite barrel. 130tmk loaded to book COAL with H4350. Worked up a load back in March, mid 30's-40's temps. No pressure signs at book max. Tested one at .5 over max and slight ejector mark. Loaded 10 at max and the accuracy was great. Loaded up the rest of the components I had at max. Everything good shooting until yesterday. 60ish degrees. Shot 9 total rounds. 7 handloads, 2 factory 147eldm rounds. Handloads first then factory shot relatively quick. 30ish seconds to 1 minute in between. Had ejector marks on 6 of the handloads and both of the factory rounds. Barrel hasn't been cleaned since I got it cut down last spring. Temp related issue?

How much 4350 did you end up with? And what COAL?

I’m running all the same as you (full length barrel though) at 43.5 grs and this thread kinda has me thinking about backing down to 43. Some of my brass shows slight ejector marks, ave velocity is around 2890.

Also @Formidilosus I need to look back over the painless loading thread, but are you full length sizing back to SAMMI? You’re not just bumping the shoulder back .002? Doesn’t that decrease brass life considerably?

So much information out there on things and I just want to shoot safely with relative accuracy.
 
Do you have pictures of the primers and ejector marks?

I think everyone would agree that dirty barrels create increased pressure. If you’re on the edge then it’ll have issues, if you’re not on the edge, it’ll probably be fine, but that does NOT mean a dirty barrel isn’t increase pressure, it just means your barrel is still in the “safe” zone.
 
How much 4350 did you end up with? And what COAL?

I’m running all the same as you (full length barrel though) at 43.5 grs and this thread kinda has me thinking about backing down to 43. Some of my brass shows slight ejector marks, ave velocity is around 2890.

Also @Formidilosus I need to look back over the painless loading thread, but are you full length sizing back to SAMMI? You’re not just bumping the shoulder back .002? Doesn’t that decrease brass life considerably?

So much information out there on things and I just want to shoot safely with relative accuracy.

43gr at 2.810 COAL. Sierra data. Hornady once fired brass from factory loads. BR2 primers. Primer and powder from the same lots.

I actually just found the 43.5gr case and it has no pressure signs.

Left is 43gr from earlier, right is the 43.5
IMG_8234.jpeg

Four of the 43.0gr from yesterday.
IMG_8236.jpeg

Factory ammo from yesterday
IMG_8237.jpeg
 
43gr at 2.810 COAL. Sierra data. Hornady once fired brass from factory loads. BR2 primers. Primer and powder from the same lots.

I actually just found the 43.5gr case and it has no pressure signs.


Curious what the more experienced guys will say
 
How much 4350 did you end up with? And what COAL?

I’m running all the same as you (full length barrel though) at 43.5 grs and this thread kinda has me thinking about backing down to 43. Some of my brass shows slight ejector marks, ave velocity is around 2890.


130gr or 140gr bullet?


Also @Formidilosus I need to look back over the painless loading thread, but are you full length sizing back to SAMMI? You’re not just bumping the shoulder back .002? Doesn’t that decrease brass life considerably?


Yes- full length resize everything, every time. I do not care whether my brass lasts for 8 firings instead of 9- I care greatly that the gun goes bang when it is supposed to, hits what it is supposed to, and functions correctly. Full length size everything.
 
130gr or 140gr bullet?





Yes- full length resize everything, every time. I do not care whether my brass lasts for 8 firings instead of 9- I care greatly that the gun goes bang when it is supposed to, hits what it is supposed to, and functions correctly. Full length size everything.
What do you think of using an FL die, but rather than setting it to camover, backing off until the shoulder datum is on the upper end if spec?

2-5 out of 100 pieces of 223 brass come out slightly shorter than spec on my RCBS FL die, with CCI 450 primers I get ignition failures on these, don't get it with Fed 205s, presumably because of the thinner and softer cup. The die sets everything else to the minimum length.

I'm pretty sure this is a stupid question. So sorry in advance.
 
What do you think of using an FL die, but rather than setting it to camover, backing off until the shoulder datum is on the upper end if spec?

2-5 out of 100 pieces of 223 brass come out slightly shorter than spec on my RCBS FL die, with CCI 450 primers I get ignition failures on these, don't get it with Fed 205s, presumably because of the thinner and softer cup. The die sets everything else to the minimum length.

I'm pretty sure this is a stupid question. So sorry in advance.
On 1st or 2nd firing you’re unlikely to need to bump the shoulder as it’ll take a couple firings for the shoulder to grow the full length of your chamber. If you’re bumping before it grows to the chamber, you won’t know how much you’re actually bumping back.

If the rounds are for target I’m ok with very little bumps but for hunting I want to confirm they’re bumped at least .002”. No reason to get cute and then get some water or carbon in the chamber and have rounds that won’t chamber.
 
What do you think of using an FL die, but rather than setting it to camover, backing off until the shoulder datum is on the upper end if spec?

2-5 out of 100 pieces of 223 brass come out slightly shorter than spec on my RCBS FL die, with CCI 450 primers I get ignition failures on these, don't get it with Fed 205s, presumably because of the thinner and softer cup. The die sets everything else to the minimum length.

I'm pretty sure this is a stupid question. So sorry in advance.

That’s sounds like it would be fine. Haven’t tried it, but don’t know why it wouldn’t work.
 
Thanks to all for the good advice and discussion. Today I fired three shells just to see if all was really good.

Zero pressure signs. Ive attached three shells from today versus 3 from the blown primer day.

Today was hottest day of the range days this year at 66. So im ruling out temperature as a factor. That pretty much leaves 3 potential factors, maybe playing in unison.

1- dirty vs clean, Im actually leaning away from this since I didnt clean aggressively enough to remove any serious carbon ring. And the guns at 600 rounds total…. But the gunky, oily looking chamber still seemed odd and suspicious. My intent is to get better at cleaning grit and crap out of the chamber and throat area.

2-variance in powder measured. While Id swear I was meticulous in my measuring, and did weigh and trickle every powder throw, maybe I was drunk or stupid or distracted and threw the wrong amount for a few shells in a row, causing the primers to blow. Next loading session I intend to write the desired charge weight on a sticky note and post it next to the scale just to help prevent this. “Now was that 43.4 or 44.3??” Also will just not push quite so close to the “hot” end of things. Is backing off a full grain from initial pressure signs a good rule of thumb for .224 to .308 calibers?

3-variance in seating depth causing bullets to be deep in the lands… this seems like the least likely cuprit honestly since all shells cycle through my magazine. But unlike the .300 win mag I loaded for recently, which had a damn mile of slop between magazine depth and distance to the lands, maybe the more modern 6.5 creedmore with the “custom” defiance action has less distance between max magazine depth and “in the lands” depth. And I will again admit that I struggled a bit to maintain consistent OALs in this first effort of reloading. People talk a lot about adjusting your OAL in 2 and 3 thousanths increments and I was varying in the 10 thou range.

In any event, thanks again for the feedback. Rokslide has been an incredible and appreciated resource for me.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_8479.jpeg
    IMG_8479.jpeg
    453.9 KB · Views: 32
  • IMG_8478.jpeg
    IMG_8478.jpeg
    515.6 KB · Views: 33
. And in every single case it was doing stupid things like- over pressure loads, loading into or on the lands, not full length sizing, tight chambers. In every single case, correcting those issues solved the problem, and they never had issues again not cleaning.
Form, I only quoted this part of your post cuz I have a specific question.

I’ve been reloading for about three years. I’m still learning, so I want to understand something. If I’m reading it right, You mentioned twice in this thread that “not full length sizing” is one of the things that can contribute to overpressure. Can you explain why that is ( or anyone else who understands why)
 
While we’re talking about things that might cause over pressure…. Thoughts on cold welding? Especially with new brass.

The reason I’m throwing this out there is I have 7 boxes of hand loads for my 7-08. When I first started with this load I wasn’t getting hard bolt lift. Now Getting hard bolt lift. These were loaded about six months ago and have been sitting in my garage. Temps between 40 and 70F, humidity generally low (I live near Reno) no corrosive atmosphere. I worked up the load using what I think are good practices. (Test ladder, backed off 1 grain from first encounter with hard bolt lift, load and velocity are below listed book max). They shoot accurately, and I’m happy with them, but when I grab a box of this ammo now I’m getting hard lift on every single shot. I also noticed the bolt closed hard on Hornady factory Whitetail 139 g, but opened easy. Closed easy on my hand loads but opened hard.

Someone’s going to ask so here’s the load for a Tikka T3x 22.5” barrel
PPU new brass FL sized
Hornady 150 ELDX
47.5 g Staball 6.5
CCI 200 primer
COL 2.790”
Avg velocity 2790. ES 36. SD 11

Edit: I am actually .6 g over Hornady book load… and well over their book velocity ….maybe that’s my problem. Derp. I’m going to do some homework and see if it’s just Hornady or other sources that I’m exceeding.
 
Let us know what you find on your research re; other max loads listed by others. It aeems to me that Hornady is usually quite low as compared to others like Hodgdon, Barnes and Nosler.

Also, just curious if youve cleaned the rifle the bolt lift issue started?

And what IS “cold weld?”
 
Cold welding is caused by electrolysis, when certain dissimilar metals are placed in contact. Like a copper bullet jacket and a brass casing. Corrosion sets in and the resulting oxidation film will stick the components together somewhat. An atmosphere containing an electrolyte promotes cold welding…(salt, bleach, acids, or alkalines) like ocean air. It’s common to find it in really old ammo, or ammo that sits around in humid environments. It’s easier for it to happen with new unoxidized brass, and apparently the carbon in the neck of previously fired brass acts similar to graphite powder, in that it sort of “lubes” the bullet/case neck contact area.

I cleaned the throat with a carbon dissolver that i let soak for 24 hours, then cleaned the chamber, throat and bore as normal. Finished by running a patch with a drop of oil down the barrel only, and a tiny dab of grease on the locking edges of the lugs.

I haven’t yet found other people’s max loads with the 150 ELDX. Been at my grandsons birthday party most of the day.
 
Back
Top