Bolt failing to go into battery....HELPPP!!!!!

[grayfox]

...But what are the chances this guy gets stuck cases AND both his gauges are faulty?

...and wasn't the PTG issue related to reamers, specifically the lack of a compound throat. Surely their headspace gauges will be within spec.

True enough.
Not to sidetrack but I confess I am a bit stumped, just trying to see if any other explanations are feasible.
And maybe PTG were/are good gauges, I just think I remembered some talk on them...

[grayfox]

Genuinely curious here - have you seen a neck separate from the shoulder/body? For a while I neck turned in 6.5x47 [bolt gun] to a smaller neck diameter than SAAMI. It was sold on the promise it would be more accurate, but required all cases to be neck turned. I worried at the time about neck splitting or separation. Never happened however and for all that effort it was a less accurate than a normal ream. Probably the quality of the barrel swamped any efforts with the tight neck.

I had a few 6.5 CM cases separate at the neck. But as you say the next round was far and away NOT going into battery.
It was pretty obvious.
'Course this was also a bolt action, but as to neck splitting away, well, I've got the T-shirt...

[Klem]

I had a few 6.5 CM cases separate at the neck. But as you say the next round was far and away NOT going into battery.
It was pretty obvious.
'Course this was also a bolt action, but as to neck splitting away, well, I've got the T-shirt...

Cool - never seen a neck separate and that's good info, thanks.

Montana's technique with manual loading and simulating the bolt by pressing lightly with the finger is a good check. I do that with 9mm handgun; take the barrel out and use it as a rifle gauge with the thumb. The deal being that the Glock chamber is a bigger than 9mm SAAMI so you can load prouder ammo than off-the-shelf case gauges. I admit though, I have not been doing that with Grendel and I should.

[jasper2408]

Genuinely curious here - have you seen a neck separate from the shoulder/body?

Why yes I have.

I used to go out to our local range and watch the city police qualify with their pistols and AR rifles so I could get free once fired Lake City brass. They let me pick it all up and take it home. Always got around 400 pieces of brass free. Anyway, one of the officers had a jam in his rifle where the armorer had to beat the bolt group back to get the next round out because it was jammed. Come to find out a neck had come off the previous fired round. This was new Lake City cartridges. The armorer said he like to never got the broken neck out. Had to use a tap to get it out. I have also seen new loaded retail cartridges with the neck rolled over and the bullet inserted with the double lip. This was on a Remington round. Wouldn't have wanted to fire that round. Luckily it was for a bolt gun so it was caught before being loaded.

Plus, just do a search on the Interweb and there are quite a few cases of just the neck breaking off from new retail ammo on bolt guns and auto rifles.

[Klem]

You learn something everyday - thanks.

[Mad Charlie]

Over the years, I have had numerous case neck separations, right at the neck/shoulder junction. I have never needed anything more than a bore brush to get them out, but it would have been impossible to have chambered another round until the broken neck was removed.