08-02-2011, 03:26 AM
Well, I've already had the barrel shortened and the diameter turned down from the gas block forward, so I probably already do own the problem regardless. It started life as a 28" barrel and .875" under the gas block. It was all I could find at the post-election time. In retrospect, I should have waited, but too late for that.
I have never fired a round of factory Grendel ammo, but I DO have a Wilson case gauge (it's what I used to help me measure length of the fired cases). I have tried Lapua cases and fireformed Winchester. My rounds chamber fine in two Shaw barrels (assuming I use the right bullet and seat it deep enough). If this was my only barrel, I would set the shoulder back some more. I would still definitely cut some more freebore. This barrel has NONE. But I load for 3 different chambers, this one and 2 real Grendels. Since I'm not a bench shooter, I'm not willing to keep brass separate. So I would be severely overworking cases if I sized them to fit the CSS chamber and fired them in the Grendel chamber. Not to mention the excessive headspace they would have in the Grendel.
Oh yeah, I stopped using Lee dies before I even got this barrel. I use standard Redding dies now.
Unfortunately, I'm not the first to deal with this. I can even remember reading about others with the same issues on the old forum.
Thanks for the info on the steel. I'll definitely consider that. Since this may be one of only 2 chambers that I cut with this reamer, I'll probably cut the other one first, then deal with this one in case the LW barrel dulls the reamer.
I appreciate the advice, but after getting another round stuck in the chamber, I'm over it. The case was sized at or even slightly below the minimum in my case gauge. Plus there is still the issue with bullets getting stuck in the lands. I was very serious when I said that there are rifling marks all the way back to the case mouth in extracted rounds. While that may be fine in a bench rifle, that's not what I'm looking for.
I actually wasn't totally correct when I said that rounds would chamber. They will ALMOST chamber. Sometimes even enough for the hammer to fall, but not hit the firing pin. So I have to shove it on in with the forward assist, pull the takedown pin so I can reset the hammer, reassemble and fire. This is not a safe situation.
And yes, I did try to sell the barrel before I cut and contoured it. No luck.
Thanks,
Will
I have never fired a round of factory Grendel ammo, but I DO have a Wilson case gauge (it's what I used to help me measure length of the fired cases). I have tried Lapua cases and fireformed Winchester. My rounds chamber fine in two Shaw barrels (assuming I use the right bullet and seat it deep enough). If this was my only barrel, I would set the shoulder back some more. I would still definitely cut some more freebore. This barrel has NONE. But I load for 3 different chambers, this one and 2 real Grendels. Since I'm not a bench shooter, I'm not willing to keep brass separate. So I would be severely overworking cases if I sized them to fit the CSS chamber and fired them in the Grendel chamber. Not to mention the excessive headspace they would have in the Grendel.
Oh yeah, I stopped using Lee dies before I even got this barrel. I use standard Redding dies now.
Unfortunately, I'm not the first to deal with this. I can even remember reading about others with the same issues on the old forum.
Thanks for the info on the steel. I'll definitely consider that. Since this may be one of only 2 chambers that I cut with this reamer, I'll probably cut the other one first, then deal with this one in case the LW barrel dulls the reamer.
I appreciate the advice, but after getting another round stuck in the chamber, I'm over it. The case was sized at or even slightly below the minimum in my case gauge. Plus there is still the issue with bullets getting stuck in the lands. I was very serious when I said that there are rifling marks all the way back to the case mouth in extracted rounds. While that may be fine in a bench rifle, that's not what I'm looking for.
I actually wasn't totally correct when I said that rounds would chamber. They will ALMOST chamber. Sometimes even enough for the hammer to fall, but not hit the firing pin. So I have to shove it on in with the forward assist, pull the takedown pin so I can reset the hammer, reassemble and fire. This is not a safe situation.
And yes, I did try to sell the barrel before I cut and contoured it. No luck.
Thanks,
Will