Help me rescope and reload for Christensen Arms Summit Ti.

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robby denning

robby denning

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OK guys, that’s what I needed to know and that’s what I’ll do. I’ll start fresh.

Sometimes I’m kind a lazy and I just hope for the best. What was I thinking stuffing shells from “another rifle” into this rifle and thinking it would all be the same? Ha ha. What a dope.

Thanks again. I’ll start working on this and update soon.

Oh and Stid, the rough cycling comment, was related more to the 270 WSM caliber, they just feed a little bit rougher. However I will try lubing thatt bolt the way you suggested. I’ve honestly never done it other than just in a normal cleaning. Thanks!

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204guy

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Robby, take a sharpie and color about half way around 1 of your loaded rounds from tip to rim. Chamber it up and extract it. It'll tell you were you're to tight in the chamber. Or if you're jamming. If its tight at the base you'll likely need new brass as it's tough to resize without moving the shoulder way back, if it will at all.

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robby denning

robby denning

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Robby, take a sharpie and color about half way around 1 of your loaded rounds from tip to rim. Chamber it up and extract it. It'll tell you were you're to tight in the chamber. Or if you're jamming. If its tight at the base you'll likely need new brass as it's tough to resize without moving the shoulder way back, if it will at all.

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I’ll do that too. Thanks


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As always there's some good solid advice from previous posters above me. If CA would've been able to cut down your previous barrel then your load data would've stayed the same and you would've suffered only the fps lost (possibly POI change as well). But with any new barrel, especially with production rifles the chamber headspace will likely be off a few thousandths. Since you're able to still forcibly chamber a case from your old barrel, you're likely within .003" of your previous headspace number (measurement of a fired case of the base to the shoulder using the hornady "headspace" gauge).

I would pull your firing pin from your bolt (super easy, you can use a boot lace to hold the cocking piece back while you unscrew the shroud from the bolt body) and resize your brass, bumping the shoulder back .002" at a time (measuring with the hornady headspace gauge), testing for easy chambering after each sizing step. Soon as a sized piece of brass chambers easily you know you're there. This will help you setup your sizing die up for this chamber.

Do NOT resize your COAL gauge I made you. it'll resize the neck and you won't be able to slide a bullet in the neck any more. ;) Just use it as is.

Measure your length to the lands using whatever bullet you're going to be shooting. Depending on how many rounds were through your old barrel, you may have a significantly different CBTO (cartridge base to ogive) measurement. Use that new number to "jump" your bullets the same amount you had on your last chamber.

Back off 1.6 grains in powder charge from your previous loads, and load 8 rounds in .2 grain increments up to said previous charge weight. The brass is showing pressure but it's not terrible. It may still be okay with properly sized brass. See where the velocity flattens out between these charge weights and you should be in business.

Hope this helps!

Mike
 
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robby denning

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Beyond helps!. Thank you Mike. I’ll keep everybody posted on this. It’s hard to get anything done with archery season open


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pods8 (Rugged Stitching)

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I doubt this is your issue but if you were loading fresh rounds and potentially messed with your dies make sure you have your seating die body backed off. I had some hard to chamber rounds recently and thought I wasn't bumping the shoulder back enough, etc. then the light bulb went off, I had the damn seating die set a tad too low and it was trying to crimp the edge of the brass into a solid bullet but since it couldn't it was bulging the bottom of the shoulder out a tad. Yeah... I felt like a moron, must have been in a rush the first time or set it off a rather short piece of brass. Anyways I backed the die out a turn and locked the ring down there, adjusted the seating stem and good to go on chamber rounds now.
 
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robby denning

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Hahahaha. pods8, you’re not the only moron. I got set up on the bench to follow what Hells Canyon said above. I figured I better check my seating die like you said and mine was set too high, meaning I wasn’t sizing all the way down the case. I was about 1.5 turns too high.

I screwed it down, resized, reloaded a 66gr R26 Berger HC 140, fed it in the gun (yes it was pointed into the egressed basement window) and sure enough, it chambered fine.

This is the setting the die was at before the barrel swap but the chamber dimensions then must have been more forgiving with that barrel.

I went ahead and loaded the 66 gr, 66.5 gr and 67 gr RL26 (last year’s load) and headed to the range. Season opens in a few days, so I needed it to happen on one range session. I went with 2-shot groups

66gr:
16cc10df44a8aefd25c244741b78a298.jpg


66.5 gr
04d4e3a3d5da1ffb67a0b3afd934913b.jpg


67 gr:
9bb6cfcab47efea4536ce3583200791e.jpg

This was the charge I’d chrono’d last session and when the bolt wasn’t tight, I decided to do my hash mark check with this load

Had some gusty winds to maybe 10mph left to right

200 yards (center dot in the Vortex G4)
3d6179a90921201c94fa55c3e30bacad.jpg


300yards (top of the post)
254e5c6f92be5ad81088c3b5a8629f88.jpg


400 yards (3rd hash)
0a1b17dfb0eaf5a6410c70627effa4c9.jpg


According to the LRBC, that should have been 420 yards for that hash, and looking at the POI, I’d say I’m on.

This range only goes to 450 yards so I couldn’t test my last two hash marks (550 and 680) but with 200-300-420 dead on (Vortex CS said two hash marks tested will predict the rest) I’m gonna go deer hunting.

Looks like at least to 420 yards, trimming that barrel two inches didn’t significantly impact my trajectory.

Big storm is coming and I’m leaving in the morning.

Thanks for the tips everyone

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robby denning

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I think this is buck #5 with this Summit Ti in 270wsm . As I've told Ryan, they can have it back when they pry it from my cold dead hands, to quote a meme I saw. Shot was 130 yards in scattered to thick timber...


15e3e6b58d121eb4f475ba29776c1310.jpg

ee915b961d216a7e3093720f8e5df96c.jpg

55fdf3fcaa224cbbb4d99ae83b72ed1c.jpg

c959cdea29b84a1653502020215c6fcb.jpg

9a428fe8683c44a22011c97cc1154954.jpg


I photographed his track after I took care of the buck, so for you with keen eyes, it is a couple hours old. Pretty good track. Not a giant track but definitely from a big buck. There's a $1000 tip for you right there

and yes, these are the pics that were on the First Lite review thread.
 

Steve O

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Dang. It’s like you wrote a book about hunting big mule deer...:D

Congratulations on another slobber knocker!
 
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I love the kickers and the forked eye guard, not to mention how heavy he is up high. Damn good Robby, a mule deer hunters dream!
 
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robby denning

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Yes, those are what make him “big” to me. Thanks Muley Buck!


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Blaw

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While I don't reload for the 270wsm, a customer is pushing 212 ELD-X out of a 26" 300WSM at 2875 with 4831SC. It's also my go to powder for my 280Ackley. Is very temp stable and is readily available at most places. I would also try RL26. I've seen some darn impressive numbers with it in various calibers from 243's to 300 Win mags. I think Alliant is onto something special with that powder.

If you want to send me a resized piece of brass I'd be happy to make you a COAL gauge for use with the hornady headspace gauge. It's a quality tool for load development.

My load development regardless of caliber goes like this and I can usually get the load dialed in with 2-3 short trips to the range.

First find out where your lands are using the hornady OAL gauge. I usually start the Berger's .030" off the lands for all initial testing. Let's say your lands measure 2.750" using the hornady gauge. We'll load everything at 2.720" to start out with.
Pick a charge weight in the mid range according to any reloading manual. Load 2 rounds per charge weight and go up in .5 grain increments until you hit pressure. Common signs of pressure are flattened primers, cratered firing pin strikes, ejector marks on case head, and stiff bolt lift or hard extraction. To do this properly you really need to be shooting over a chrono. I'll assume you have one. What you're looking for here is a charge weight that has consistent velocity. Often times you'll see velocity jump 20-30fps from one charge weight to the next, then all the sudden you'll have a full grain of powder range where velocity stays pretty consistent. That's what we're looking for. Keep in mind most calibers shoot best at higher pressures but not over pressured.
Once you find your appropriate charge weight. Now it's time to tune seating depth.
Load 3 rounds at .005, .010, .020, .030, .040 off the lands (commonly referred to as jump). I'll often load more at .060, .080, 100, .120" off the lands as well. Some bullets like a lot of jump.

The above steps will often net you a really accurate load. If you want to take it a step further, load in .2 grain increments above and below your charge weight and check speeds. Also load .005" above and below your final seating depth to see if you can't squeeze out even more accuracy.

I've also heard that switching primers can help shrink your velocity extreme spread but haven't verified it myself.

Hope this helps!


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such great info! I have always done three of each load and just shot for groups..smallest group was what I went with....big variable is how consistent of a shooter I am to rely upon that....I am not consistent at all lol

this really makes it easier to eliminate variables.
less ES, probably go for the faster load....give it a try and good to go!

THX!
 
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robby denning

robby denning

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such great info! I have always done three of each load and just shot for groups..smallest group was what I went with....big variable is how consistent of a shooter I am to rely upon that....I am not consistent at all lol

this really makes it easier to eliminate variables.
less ES, probably go for the faster load....give it a try and good to go!

THX!

Mike knows his stuff.

If you wanna see this method in action, I’m working with Unknown Munitions on another thread, along with some of Rokslides very knowledgeable shooters:



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Blaw

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While I don't reload for the 270wsm, a customer is pushing 212 ELD-X out of a 26" 300WSM at 2875 with 4831SC. It's also my go to powder for my 280Ackley. Is very temp stable and is readily available at most places. I would also try RL26. I've seen some darn impressive numbers with it in various calibers from 243's to 300 Win mags. I think Alliant is onto something special with that powder.

If you want to send me a resized piece of brass I'd be happy to make you a COAL gauge for use with the hornady headspace gauge. It's a quality tool for load development.

My load development regardless of caliber goes like this and I can usually get the load dialed in with 2-3 short trips to the range.

First find out where your lands are using the hornady OAL gauge. I usually start the Berger's .030" off the lands for all initial testing. Let's say your lands measure 2.750" using the hornady gauge. We'll load everything at 2.720" to start out with.
Pick a charge weight in the mid range according to any reloading manual. Load 2 rounds per charge weight and go up in .5 grain increments until you hit pressure. Common signs of pressure are flattened primers, cratered firing pin strikes, ejector marks on case head, and stiff bolt lift or hard extraction. To do this properly you really need to be shooting over a chrono. I'll assume you have one. What you're looking for here is a charge weight that has consistent velocity. Often times you'll see velocity jump 20-30fps from one charge weight to the next, then all the sudden you'll have a full grain of powder range where velocity stays pretty consistent. That's what we're looking for. Keep in mind most calibers shoot best at higher pressures but not over pressured.
Once you find your appropriate charge weight. Now it's time to tune seating depth.
Load 3 rounds at .005, .010, .020, .030, .040 off the lands (commonly referred to as jump). I'll often load more at .060, .080, 100, .120" off the lands as well. Some bullets like a lot of jump.

The above steps will often net you a really accurate load. If you want to take it a step further, load in .2 grain increments above and below your charge weight and check speeds. Also load .005" above and below your final seating depth to see if you can't squeeze out even more accuracy.

I've also heard that switching primers can help shrink your velocity extreme spread but haven't verified it myself.

Hope this helps!


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just going off your advice here, I chrono'd a bunch of loads, got some down to single digit ES. Got the Ogive OAL tool from hornady. so now will do my "off the lands" measurement.
I also picked up some magnum primers to try.

Would you get the OAL length figured first, then do a comparison between large rifle and magnum primers?
its for a 300WM

And what is your take if my rounds will be longer than my magazine? just single feed them or go max length according to mag length?

thx in advance :)
 
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just going off your advice here, I chrono'd a bunch of loads, got some down to single digit ES. Got the Ogive OAL tool from hornady. so now will do my "off the lands" measurement.
I also picked up some magnum primers to try.

Would you get the OAL length figured first, then do a comparison between large rifle and magnum primers?
its for a 300WM

And what is your take if my rounds will be longer than my magazine? just single feed them or go max length according to mag length?

thx in advance :)

I would definitely nail down your seating depth with the primer you ladder tested first. Often times primers will bump you out of your fps node.

I’d run 0/.10/.20/.30/.50/.60/.80/.100” off the lands and see what shows promise. You’ll often find a sweet spot from .080-.120” off as well as a small window between .0 and .050” off. If the only OAL that shoots good is too long, is single feed it. No sense in missing faster with a repeater setup ;) Good luck!

Mike


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