primers backing out???

Canuck44 · #1 04-10-2010, 10:50 PM

I tried out a load in a savage 99 today (300 savage) with 38 grains of varget and a 150 grain partition. My book call this the starting load. I am getting the primers backing out between .007" and .020". There is no noticable soot around the primer. There is a bit of soot at the neck of the cartridge. The case is a win and I am using a win LR primer. I beleive that the brass has been fired twice previously and it was full length sized and trimmed to the speced length. I shot some factory remington loads out of the gun with no problems.

Looking on the interent and reading my reloading books has not given me anything conclusive as to what the problem is, everything from to high of pressure to to low of pressure to headspace issues or who knows what else.

Any ideas of how I can go about determining what the actual problem is?

brianscott · #2 04-10-2010, 10:53 PM

possible your pockets are stretched from previous reloadingand the primers are backing out somewhat

noneck180 · #3 04-10-2010, 10:55 PM

did you get the brass new? or already fired? do they feel snug when you seat the primer? It is probably loose primer pockets,google "brass loose primer pockets". Throw them out and get new brass, you can wreck a bolt in a hurry,, or worse blow a primer pocket, and have chuncks of brass blow in face.

220swifty · #4 04-11-2010, 01:07 AM

Go see a gunsmith with a set of go/ no-go headspace guages. I bet you have slightly excessive headspace.

I have an inherited 1895 winchester with the same issue. It backs primers out on factory loads. Lever actions are different than bolt actions, due to the way they lock up. This makes it easier for them to come out of spec.

Dean2 · #5 04-11-2010, 07:35 AM

220 is right, first thing to check is the headspace, though the fact factory ammo shoots fine is a very good sign. A gunsmith can check that pretty fast. If the headspace is good then it will most likely be the brass having loose pockets, and the factory ammo working good would make one lean to this, though I did one time see a case of defective undersized primers. You may want to try reloading the new factory brass and see what you get. For it to be pressure, a load has to be quite a bit low or high to back out primers and the load you are using should not be causing either.

Dean2 · #6 04-11-2010, 08:13 AM

Meant to also say, Brownell's sells no gos for $26 per. They are handy when looking at used guns to buy, though 300 Savage is not real common any more. Also, if you want to measure the primers to make sure they are the right size, Rem are the smallest at .2100, CCI .2112 or 3, Win .2114 to largest is Fed at .2120. If you are using Rem primers even slightly loose pockets could be a problem. Good luck.

flint · #7 04-11-2010, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canuck44

I tried out a load in a savage 99 today (300 savage) with 38 grains of varget and a 150 grain partition. My book call this the starting load. I am getting the primers backing out between .007" and .020". There is no noticable soot around the primer. There is a bit of soot at the neck of the cartridge. The case is a win and I am using a win LR primer. I beleive that the brass has been fired twice previously and it was full length sized and trimmed to the speced length. I shot some factory remington loads out of the gun with no problems.

Looking on the interent and reading my reloading books has not given me anything conclusive as to what the problem is, everything from to high of pressure to to low of pressure to headspace issues or who knows what else.

Any ideas of how I can go about determining what the actual problem is?

Sounds like a headspace problem. If so, a quick fix will be to only neck size our brass. If that dosen't work I would send it to a gunsmith to have it checked with a guage. Good Luck! GO HABS GO!!!!!!

Dick284 · #8 04-11-2010, 09:07 AM

What do factory load primers look like?

If they show none of the above signs.

Try increasing your powder charge by about 2 to 2.5 grains, set your dies so that the shoulder on the case is just bumped enough to facilitate easy chambering.

Your likely creating the excessive headspace with your die setting, and on top of that, light loads sometimes result in backed out primers.

Canuck44 · #9 04-11-2010, 12:02 PM

here are a few pictures of the brass

this is one of the factory remington brass that i fired, primers are not pushed out at all

here is one of the handloads in question

Here is one of two of the above cases that have the primer backed out

Think I will try it with the once fired rem brass and see how it works.

Anyone know where I can get a neck sizing die for a 300 savage?

Dean2 · #10 04-11-2010, 01:48 PM

You can order them direct from Redding or, just back your FL sizing die out two turns from snug to the shell holder. This should have it sizing about 3/4s of the neck, keep screwing it in, closer to shell holder, until it is sizing just to where the shoulder starts oon you once fired cases. Unless your chamber is way over size it should not be sizing the body at all set like this.