Thread: 7mm-08 reloads extraction issue - thoughts please

The rifle had about 30 factory rds thru it before we started reloading for it. Finished the second box off so 40 total. Total round count is still under 100. To all intents and purposes the rifle is new. I am unaware of the problem happening with the factory ammo but it may have. Need to check with owner. One of the current marked problem cases is reloaded factory brass, PPU.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings @Jhon and all,
I am with @No.3 with the need to have brass with the same headstamp and round count, preferably of the same batch. From my notes the Sako brass is about 10 grains heavier than the Winchester so should develop a little more velocity and pressure. The Hornady brass was about the same weight as Win. Another thing to include in your next range session would be to chronograph your test loads which would give you a better understanding of how pressure is related to the problem.
The interesting thing with handloading is that you more you learn the more profound your ignorance seems to become, at least it was that way for me. It is now over 50 years since I loaded my first cartridge and I am still learning. Stick with it.
Regards Grandpamac.
PS. Almost 50 years ago I almost tossed my handloading kit out of the cot. I was having endless problems loading for the .303. After I got my first .308 I vowed never to load another .303 round in my life. Today there are .303 rifles in the cabinet and I loads for them happily. Perhaps I have learned something in the years between.

Haha, thks @grandpamac for the encouragement, yes, there are times when I just have to go do something else to let the steam evaporate. I think there's more art than science in reloading for sure. We will run the current batch of reloads thru and see if we learn something. After that we will separate his factory brass and stick with that for a while. The used stuff I gave him we can sort and maybe take a 20-30 count out of the mix with the same headstamp. Any brass that sticks we can just drop. At this stage it's probably less than 15 %. At some point he can go buy a bag of new brass from what's available. Even a bag of 50 will last him a while at current rate of use with 5 or 6 reloads, as noted by someone above.

Yep, you'll get there. A possibility to keep in the back of your mind, if in fact it turns out that the rifle has a slightly short chamber and that is causing the issue (i.e. not being able to resize the case shoulder back enough) is getting a couple of thou quietly trimmed off the back of a full length die (the opposite of what competition shellholders that are stepped up in 2thou length increments do).

This is different to the small based die which squeezes the case head in more down by the rim.

If you have to go down this track, make a point of removing the caliber ID off the die and replacing it with the rifle's serial number so it doesn't cause anyone else an issue!