Thread: First time reloading 270win

Originally Posted by Sidetrack

Apologies, should have made myself clearer. This is my first time reloading ever. I had test chambered some rounds that had been reloaded for me for original barrel and found that the bolt wouldn’t close on the round so my assumption was a tighter chamber. Is that correct?

sort of...either cases are too big or projectiles are sticking out too far....
my old .270 had a chamber cut on the piss...so it WOULDNT chamber neck sized brass worth a damn.... partial length resized for 30 years without issues.

and if at any point you are unsure...ASK...we are all happy to help.

Originally Posted by Husky1600

Each rifle is different, tighter is probably the easiest way to describe it. Shouldn't affect pressure, but it does mean that your die has to be set to that rifle/chamber. Easy to follow instructions in the first part of your reloading manual. If you want to load for several rifles or just go back to basic's, put your shell holder in to the press and then push the handle down which should put your ram to the top. Then screw your reloading die down until it contacts the shell holder. Pull the lever up, which drops the ram and screw in your die another 1/8 of a turn. Usually pays to lock your lock ring on the die at this point. Then push the handle back down and your ram/shell holder will come up to contact the bottom of the die and need just a slight "cam over" on your handle to be at the full length resizing setting.
Try a couple of cartridges to make sure its all good, and then try to chamber them in the rifle. I find it easier to fit a projectile in the EMPTY case to make it feed properly. If it feeds nice and chamber doesnt feel "tight" then you're all good to go.
Once you get yourself all good and deep down the proverbial rabbit hole of reloading you might want to play with that resizing depth for the minimal resizing depth so that it doesnt resize the case as much. But a FL resize doesnt have that much to do with the overall accuracy of your cartridges at this point.
The 270 is very tolerant to reload and you shouldn't have much problem finding a load to suit. If the 130's dont do what you expect then change to 140's and see if they are better.

Great, thanks for the reassurance. I’m trying not to over think it initially while still making sure I develop a deeper understanding of the process. I chose my 270 to start with as I have been shooting one for 45+ years, it’s only the second one I’ve owned so I’m very comfortable with it. As soon as the first SS Mountain rifle came on the market I traded out my Ruger M77 for one. I was hunting a lot in Fiordland by then so it made perfect sense.
It’s a fascinating process and I’d planned from the get go to take it up after I retired so as keep my brain stimulated. It certainly has done that!!

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

right..FWIW here is my advice..... start at your lower weight.... manual has 53.5grns of winchester 760 for 3000 as maximum
51----54.3 of AR 2209
so I WOULD drop that to maybe 50grns,load two rounds and another 2 at 50.5 2 at 51 2 at 51.5 2 at 52 2 at 52.5 2 at 53

seat them using a factory round in seating die to give depth.... and go shoot them to check for pressure....and while doing so take note of what pokes the 2 closest together..2 rather than 3 cause Im a cheap hua and components arent cheap any more. THESE 10 ROUNDS HAVE YOUR POWDER LEVEL SORTED...
when you get pressure signs DO NOT try any hotter loads,drop back to load before the hot one .PULL ANY LEFT OVER ROUNDS and load up say 6 rounds at your one level below pressure level and do two x 3 shot groups at that...if you under inch...go hunting.... and write that load data on wall with a vivid and stick to it.....
your once fired brass...... when you resize it..do not screw sizing die right in hard,back it off a full turn and see if it will easily chamber,if not,screw in another 1/4 turn untill it will...then set lock ring and leave it at that...what this does is partial length resize EG only move brass back a little bit at shoulder and will resize MOST but not all of the neck...will/should make brass last longer as getting moved around less.
once you have powder level sorted then MAYBE tweak seating depth..to be completely honest here,if it fits in magazine and chambers fine I leave it alone and dont touch it..from memory 99% of my .270 loads are 1mm shorter than the magazine box.

"when you resize it..do not screw sizing die right in hard,back it off a full turn and see if it will easily chamber,if not,screw in another 1/4 turn untill it will...then set lock ring and leave it at that...what this does is partial length resize EG only move brass back a little bit at shoulder and will resize MOST but not all of the neck...will/should make brass last longer as getting moved around less."

The above is what I do too, and the reason I do it that way rather than the accepted and recommended full length size is that I have found that rifle chambers vary so much in length, brass can be sized too short very easily and end up with head separations in reloads. Standard length factory loads dont suffer this problem when fired in a longer than standard chamber because they are new and havent been worked with firing and sizing. If you follow the above it will result in a better and safer load if your chamber is a little off speck - and they all seem to be !

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

right..FWIW here is my advice..... start at your lower weight.... manual has 53.5grns of winchester 760 for 3000 as maximum
51----54.3 of AR 2209
so I WOULD drop that to maybe 50grns,load two rounds and another 2 at 50.5 2 at 51 2 at 51.5 2 at 52 2 at 52.5 2 at 53

seat them using a factory round in seating die to give depth.... and go shoot them to check for pressure....and while doing so take note of what pokes the 2 closest together..2 rather than 3 cause Im a cheap hua and components arent cheap any more. THESE 10 ROUNDS HAVE YOUR POWDER LEVEL SORTED...
when you get pressure signs DO NOT try any hotter loads,drop back to load before the hot one .PULL ANY LEFT OVER ROUNDS and load up say 6 rounds at your one level below pressure level and do two x 3 shot groups at that...if you under inch...go hunting.... and write that load data on wall with a vivid and stick to it.....
your once fired brass...... when you resize it..do not screw sizing die right in hard,back it off a full turn and see if it will easily chamber,if not,screw in another 1/4 turn untill it will...then set lock ring and leave it at that...what this does is partial length resize EG only move brass back a little bit at shoulder and will resize MOST but not all of the neck...will/should make brass last longer as getting moved around less.
once you have powder level sorted then MAYBE tweak seating depth..to be completely honest here,if it fits in magazine and chambers fine I leave it alone and dont touch it..from memory 99% of my .270 loads are 1mm shorter than the magazine box.

Thanks MD, Husky, and others for laying it out clearly and concisely. When you’re new to something this is exactly what’s needed from experienced hands and taking the time to write it out is appreciated. After all the reading and research, it starts to come together.
I like the idea of starting at lower charge weights, rather have accuracy than chasing the last 50-100fps, which I think for general hunting purposes is a road to nowhere. Also, my rifle is on the lightish side so want to retain its manners.
Thanks again for the feedback and help, the weather is shite again, another hunting trip postponed so taking a heater out to the man cave for an early spring clean and setup for a reloading session. Will update in the future on progress.
Cheers, Sidetrack

My first new centrefire was Ruger M77 in 270. I used 130gr Nosler bases and H4831 powder. Really accurate

Well Houston, we have problem. Running through the resizing process as instructed and I find that I’m bottomed out on the die with no change in the shoulder bump. Having checked my measurements and test chambering against the last handful of reloads and fired cases I have left, it seems I still have .005” to go but the die won’t give me more. It’s an old die RCBS die set but in new condition.
Your thoughts please.

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

My first new centrefire was Ruger M77 in 270. I used 130gr Nosler bases and H4831 powder. Really accurate

I loved my M77 as well. Paid $475.00 for it back in the day and it was a much nicer rifle than the Remington but it was heavier and the stock was suffering with getting wet constantly. I try not to regret swapping it out but the Rem. was a much more practical rifle for the environment.

Originally Posted by Sidetrack

Well Houston, we have problem. Running through the resizing process as instructed and I find that I’m bottomed out on the die with no change in the shoulder bump. Having checked my measurements and test chambering against the last handful of reloads and fired cases I have left, it seems I still have .005” to go but the die won’t give me more. It’s an old die RCBS die set but in new condition.
Your thoughts please.

if the resized round chambers....NO PROBLEM......

the die can ONLY go down till it hits the base plate...one assumes you are hitting base plate???? so the case WILL NOW BE within saami spec....

if you have backed the die out as suggested ,you are deliberately NOT bumping shoulder back any more than absolutely necessary..so the brass doesnt have to be shrunk in dies,blown out when fired,shrunk in dies,blown out when fired etc etc etc
you are trying to leave case in semi blown out state EG as large as possible whilst still chambering easily.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

if you have backed the die out as suggested ,you are deliberately NOT bumping shoulder back any more than absolutely necessary..so the brass doesnt have to be shrunk in dies,blown out when fired,shrunk in dies,blown out when fired etc etc etc
you are trying to leave case in semi blown out state EG as large as possible whilst still chambering easily.

I setup the die as suggested and incrementally screwed it down, check measuring and chamber testing at each step but die is now contacting the base and no change to dimension. It hasn’t bumped the shoulder at all. It will chamber but the bolt will only close with some pressure. I didn’t run it to full close, just enough to pick up the case and extract.
If I chamber a fired case which is 2-3thou. less it chambers easier but still firm. A handload which measures 5 thou. less chambers perfectly.
Using a Hornady headspace comparator tool on my verniers I get the following for your reference:
Once fired Norma brass (not in this chamber) - 4.045”
Brass fired in this chamber - 4.042-3”
Handload - 4.040”

I once had a similar problem, no matter how hard I cranked that die down it wouldn't chamber nicely. One issue was I was using a Hornady shell holder with RCBS dies or maybe and RCBS shell holder with Hornady dies. Its a long way to gun shop for me, and it was a weekend. So I fitted the shell holder to the drill press, turned it on and lowered it on to an oilstone and removed a few thou, the only way I knew how with limited facilities. It worked.

So maybe your shell holder is not the correct one for your case, or its not the same manufacturer as your dies, or maybe its just a bit too high for your chamber. If you can find another shell holder that would be the first place Id start looking.

And dont incrementally screw it down, screw it down to the max right at the start until your reloading handle is "camming over" when you bring the ram up to the die. Then once you have it doing that, check your cases for chambering. After that and you have made some reloads, then start to play with not sizing it as much.

These are the shell holders needed for the 270 -

when you have it as hard down as it will go...is there any gap still between the die and base plate???? if so turn die down a bit more to take any slack out of arm/hinge etc
I have had same issue with hornady new dimension dies and a BLR .308..nearly went bauld pulling my hair out trying to get cases small enough to fit nicely in chamber....I suspect the dies are on generous size fatness wise...in the end I ran the cases through an old lyman .30/06 FLR with guts removed and it made 50-50% of them able to fit easily and the others with a bit of force...and yes Ive put my shell holder on a oil stone too,trying to fix this.
my .270 dies are earlier models and no such issue.

your once fired brass.norma not fired in this gun is LONGER so I suspect its the fatness not the length... get them there measureing sticks back out and check the web area please.