I had the chamber cast done and it was 8x56 as I had assumed .. since my last posting I had done some shooting down at the range and now am getting case separations ... The gunsmith has my rifle and all of my reloading accessories and will try to figure out the problem ... I am about ready to turn that rifle into a lamp .. or to save myself further aggravation I just might throw it into the Old Man River and let it sleep with the fishes ...