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300blk load help
- Thread starter pistolpat
- Start date
"I have been shooting with the 45 endcap"
Any chance you are using a piston in your suppressor on the rifle?
Have you shot any supersonic / full power ammo? How does it do?
"I’m willing to try anything at this point I’m so discouraged that I spent all this money to get set up to load and can’t get decent groups"
I know it is frustrating. There is a lot of good advice in this thread. Odds are pretty good this is something very simple and when you figure out what it is, you are going to kick yourself pretty hard in the ar$e. It is just a matter of drilling it down and eliminating all the things it can be to determine what it actually is. But once you get there . . .it will have been worth it.
Any chance you are using a piston in your suppressor on the rifle?
Have you shot any supersonic / full power ammo? How does it do?
"I’m willing to try anything at this point I’m so discouraged that I spent all this money to get set up to load and can’t get decent groups"
I know it is frustrating. There is a lot of good advice in this thread. Odds are pretty good this is something very simple and when you figure out what it is, you are going to kick yourself pretty hard in the ar$e. It is just a matter of drilling it down and eliminating all the things it can be to determine what it actually is. But once you get there . . .it will have been worth it.
I had to ask. Stranger things have happened.So, based on everything we know so far I would make the following suggestions to you:
1. Test all of your loads first without your suppressor. Even if there is not enough back pressure to cycle the action. Just hand cycle if necessary. If this eliminates the problem then suspect your ASR mount and your suppressor as a possible cause.
2. Make sure you are using enough powder. Not enough powder can cause issues just like too much powder. Make sure your case mouths are expanding and creating a good gas seal in your chamber. If this is not happening see #5.
3. Test all your loads using the same brass manufacturer. Until you figure out this issue, I would not use any cases you have converted from 223/556 cases. Use once fired blackout brass that you have fired in your barrel from new factory ammo to reload with unless you are using the small base dies.
4. Get yourself a cartridge gauge for 300 blackout. They are cheap and eliminate guessing.
5. Eliminate trying to crimp with your sizing die. Get yourself a Lee factory crimp die for 300 blackout. These are well worth the money. Then crimp in a separate step using the factory crimp die. The Lee die will prevent you from over crimping. Over crimping can cause several problems, all of which affect accuracy. Make sure you are crimping your bullet in the AR platform even if it does not have a crimp cannelure.
6. Clean and visually inspect your barrel with a good bore light. Make sure there is no leading or defects. Inspect the muzzle crown.
7. Take a good look and inspect your feed ramps. Chamber a round and pull it out and inspect the cartridge for any damage. Sometimes, feed ramps if not cut correctly, can damage a round as it is being chambered by scoring the bullet on one side. Make sure that the bullets when chambered are not being pushed or set back into the case mouths.
8. Try loading some different bullets and testing them. It could be you have a batch that is out of spec or not exactly the correct diameter. Or maybe, your barrel just does not like them for some reason. Weigh your bullets to see if there are any big variations in weight between them.
9. Try some different factory ammo just to see if you get good tight groups with it or if it is doing the same thing. Try someone else's subsonic reloads to see if you still have the same issue.
10. Check your reloads by rolling them across a piece of glass and visually inspecting the bullet tip. Is the point of the bullet turning dead center or is there a wobble to it? Something in your die setup could be out of alignment if there is a wobble. Your bullet may be seating incorrectly into the case mouth or a defective die.
The crimp was going to be my next question I was using the hornady seating die to crimp at the same time but I do have a Lee factory crimp die. Would it be worth while to try with and without crimp? Just a side note I really appreciate your time and advice given to me it gives me hope and a light at the end of this dark tunnel lol
So, based on everything we know so far I would make the following suggestions to you:
1. Test all of your loads first without your suppressor. Even if there is not enough back pressure to cycle the action. Just hand cycle if necessary. If this eliminates the problem then suspect your ASR mount and your suppressor as a possible cause.
2. Make sure you are using enough powder. Not enough powder can cause issues just like too much powder. Make sure your case mouths are expanding and creating a good gas seal in your chamber. If this is not happening see #5.
3. Test all your loads using the same brass manufacturer. Until you figure out this issue, I would not use any cases you have converted from 223/556 cases. Use once fired blackout brass that you have fired in your barrel from new factory ammo to reload with unless you are using the small base dies.
4. Get yourself a cartridge gauge for 300 blackout. They are cheap and eliminate guessing.
5. Eliminate trying to crimp with your sizing die. Get yourself a Lee factory crimp die for 300 blackout. These are well worth the money. Then crimp in a separate step using the factory crimp die. The Lee die will prevent you from over crimping. Over crimping can cause several problems, all of which affect accuracy. Make sure you are crimping your bullet in the AR platform even if it does not have a crimp cannelure.
6. Clean and visually inspect your barrel with a good bore light. Make sure there is no leading or defects. Inspect the muzzle crown.
7. Take a good look and inspect your feed ramps. Chamber a round and pull it out and inspect the cartridge for any damage. Sometimes, feed ramps if not cut correctly, can damage a round as it is being chambered by scoring the bullet on one side. Make sure that the bullets when chambered are not being pushed or set back into the case mouths.
8. Try loading some different bullets and testing them. It could be you have a batch that is out of spec or not exactly the correct diameter. Or maybe, your barrel just does not like them for some reason. Weigh your bullets to see if there are any big variations in weight between them.
9. Try some different factory ammo just to see if you get good tight groups with it or if it is doing the same thing. Try someone else's subsonic reloads to see if you still have the same issue.
10. Check your reloads by rolling them across a piece of glass and visually inspecting the bullet tip. Is the point of the bullet turning dead center or is there a wobble to it? Something in your die setup could be out of alignment if there is a wobble. Your bullet may be seating incorrectly into the case mouth or a defective die.
This is likely to cause a Chevy vs Ford type of argument here, but my recommendation on the 300 blackout with subs to always crimp. The key is not to over crimp which is a real possibility if using the sizing die. Most sizing dies are sensitive to the amount of crimp based on the length of the cartridge case. So if one piece of brass is a little longer than the previous, you will get a slightly different crimp in my opinion. If this was a bolt action and you were single feeding the rounds in by hand then it might be different. But this is an AR platform and I just don't like the possibility that a bullet could be pushed back into the cartridge case as it is being slammed into the chamber by the bolt. The 300 blackout already has a short neck and to me, the neck tension alone is just not enough. I also think that by crimping you get a better pressure curve as the powder starts burning. It holds the bullet in place a little longer before the bullet starts to travel forward and builds the pressure forcing the case to expand slightly and fit to the chamber walls. If this was a competition bolt action rifle in 308, then I would be saying yes no crimp will give you better accuracy. But in an AR with an 8" barrel, with subs, my recommendation is to crimp always with the lee crimp die. Others will probably have a different opinion.
While we are on the subject of crimping and the reason I suggested you use all the same brass in your testing: Different neck thicknesses caused by using different headstamps when reforming brass to 300 blackout can cause additional problems when using a sizing die to crimp with. Yet another reason to crimp in a separate step with the Lee factory crimp die. For more insight into these issues when making your own blackout brass read this:
http://www.300blktalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=85393
With the Berry Bullet: I would use the Lee Factory Crimp or crimp them seperatly from the seating process. The bullet plating can be damaged while crimping if the bullet is moving/seating deeper while the crimp is applied. This is more likely if the bullet does not have a crimp groove.
With an FMJ you can go either way without concern.
With an FMJ you can go either way without concern.
