I have had my 20" Shilen AA upper for over a year now. After experiencing all the new 6.5 Grendel problems I finally got it shooting well.The only thing I have ever shot has been the 123 A-Max....Factory and reloads..Hornady and AA brass..IMR8208XBR..CCI450.
The load I settled on was 28.4 gr 8208 and it has been consistently delivering sub MOA .
I always shoot in the early morning when the temperatures are in the 60-70's. Sorry for the lengthy lead-in.
I have started getting pressure signs such a flattened primers and stuck cases. I dropped my powder charge down to 27.4 grains and things seemed to get worse. I have had several
case head separations (on 2nd reload). I have a Wilson case gage and I use it on every single case. The loaded bullets will slide in and out of the chamber but many of the fired cases stick. If I drop the bolt on these I cannot get them loose unless I use a rubber mallet.
Now for the good part: Factory loads work without any problems at all(the primers are a little flat though). Last month I shot a 1000yd qualification course with Hornady 123 A-Max factory loads and it went without a hitch. This leads me to believe my reloads are somehow defective. I have Hornady dies and have used them on both a Rock Chucker and a Dillon 550.I have been weighing ALL powder drops.
I welcome any and all thoughts on the subject.
Dave
The load I settled on was 28.4 gr 8208 and it has been consistently delivering sub MOA .
I always shoot in the early morning when the temperatures are in the 60-70's. Sorry for the lengthy lead-in.
I have started getting pressure signs such a flattened primers and stuck cases. I dropped my powder charge down to 27.4 grains and things seemed to get worse. I have had several
case head separations (on 2nd reload). I have a Wilson case gage and I use it on every single case. The loaded bullets will slide in and out of the chamber but many of the fired cases stick. If I drop the bolt on these I cannot get them loose unless I use a rubber mallet.
Now for the good part: Factory loads work without any problems at all(the primers are a little flat though). Last month I shot a 1000yd qualification course with Hornady 123 A-Max factory loads and it went without a hitch. This leads me to believe my reloads are somehow defective. I have Hornady dies and have used them on both a Rock Chucker and a Dillon 550.I have been weighing ALL powder drops.
I welcome any and all thoughts on the subject.
Dave