Bullet stuck in lands of barrel - Federal GMM Factory New, what should I do?

Bmmechan

Bmmechan

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Hey all, I am looking for some advise on a commonly occurring issue I am having . . . When I go to eject a live round out of the chamber of my bolt action rifle, its lodged far enough into the lands of the barrel that when I pull the bolt back, the bullet is separated from the casing spilling power everywhere and then I have to dislodge the bullet from the barrel. I shoot factory new 168gr 308 Federal Gold Medal Match out of a savage 10fp, with about 300 rounds through it. I don't have this issue with other brands like hornady, but FGMM is slightly more accurate through my rifle. I have had it checked by a go and no-go gauge and it closes on the go, but not the no-go.

Like I said, this happens regularly and you can see the rifling marks on the round, a nice ring around it. So what are my options outside of reaming the throat? Can I use a single stage press and seat the factory rounds like a 1000th of an inch? Or should I have the barrel backed off? Or what else?

Thanks,
 
That's more than just a kiss on the lands. Sounds like you might have an out-of spec chamber if factory ammo doesn't fit. Have you researched to see if this is a common issue and have you called customer support?

To answer your question though, I would not re-seat factory rounds. I would verify the gun is correct or get it corrected, then I'd load my own for it.
 
if you can reload, make a dummy round and make it just short enough it doesn't jam 10/10 times, and see what length it is. then call the company with that number. I'm guessing your barrel isn't chambered right.
 
Bailey Boat said:
But he says it only does it with FGMM.

@Bmmechan, have you compared the OAL of the different rounds that cycle correctly?? Obviously the FGMM is longer if it sticks in the lands, but how much longer??
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Yes but those bullets avg 2.793 maybe a little more and if they are getting jammed enough to pull out the bullet that's not right. It has to be short to pull bullets out.
 
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Either quit shooting the Federal or get the throat reamed.... Most factory throats are long.... it doesn't sound right to me. With my factory .308 barrel..... I could load a 175 grain bullet almost .200 past the maximum OAL before the bullet would touch the lands. There's always a chance you have a slightly out of spec box of ammo..... unlikely but possible.

I don't know what type of gauge was used, but the headspace or chamber (not sure about the term) gauges I have seen don't look like they check anything that has to due with the length of the throat.

If the rifle ammo doesn't have any type of crimp on the bullet.... you probably could push the bullet in about .020 and be OK..... but I'd rather not. Be absolutely sure nothing touches the primer.

Give Savage a call and go from there.... if nothing else you could take the rifle and both types of ammo to a Gunsmith....
 
Bailey Boat said:
But he says it only does it with FGMM.

@Bmmechan, have you compared the OAL of the different rounds that cycle correctly?? Obviously the FGMM is longer if it sticks in the lands, but how much longer??
Click to expand...

More likely just the difference between secant or hybrid and tangent ogives.

Short/tight throats are rare these days, I'd roll my own or find something else, I wouldn't reseat, I don't think it's particularly dangerous but suspect the results would be mixed/unsatisfactory. Reaming would be my last move.
 
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thanks for the feedback so far. I have had the barrel recoil lug replaced by a gun smith so I don't know if that voids the warranty.

Also, I thought i heard that savage leaves their throats a little short because that can aide in accuracy (less bullet jump) but also the rifling closest to the throat is the first to wear down so by doing this the rifle will have a little more life in its accuracy. . . but this is just what I have heard and cannot validate of true or not.
 
Bailey Boat said:
But he says it only does it with FGMM.

@Bmmechan, have you compared the OAL of the different rounds that cycle correctly?? Obviously the FGMM is longer if it sticks in the lands, but how much longer??
Click to expand...


OAL isn't gonna do it. He needs to check against the ogive.
 
So i did that by testing Hornady match 168 ammo, which has a different ogive to base length than fgmm and the hornday hasn't given me any issues.

This might be a crazy question, but what I tried one of those lapping bullets, but didn't fire it. . .just load and eject it a couple or several times by rotating the bolt handle? Or is this nuts to even ask?
 
Bailey Boat said:
I agree but seriously doubt he has the equipment needed...... I could be wrong...
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The ogive is where it sticks and different bullets have different ogives when loaded to OAL. I had that problem before I figured out what the problem was and fixed it. Any good gunsmith should have the equipment needed to check that for the OP. It's really not all that expensive and you can order it online from Midway or Natchez or Brownell's
 
SSgt75 said:
The ogive is where it sticks and different bullets have different ogives when loaded to OAL. I had that problem before I figured out what the problem was and fixed it. Any good gunsmith should have the equipment needed to check that for the OP. It's really not all that expensive and you can order it online from Midway or Natchez or Brownell's
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So what did you do to fix it?
 
Bought the Hornady Lock-n-Load comparator kit, https://www.natchezss.com/hornady-lock-n-load-bullet-comparator-basic-set-body-6-inserts.html
The O.A.L. Gauge https://www.natchezss.com/hornady-lock-n-load-o-a-l-gauge-overall-length-curved.html
And the modified case for a .308 https://www.natchezss.com/hornady-lock-n-load-modified-case-a-series.html
I already had an electronic caliper to measure with.
Then I can just use the different bullets that I'm loading whether Hornady, Sierra, Winchester or whatever and know that I'm seating them back off the lands of THAT rifle. Each rifle is different, so measurements have to be made for each rifle you're loading for. The actual OAL will be different, depending on the bullet and the rifle.
 
I am willing to bet that your problem is not headspace or throat length but you have a carbon ring built up inside the throat. How many rounds have been fired through the barrel?

"you can see the rifling marks on the round, a nice ring around it"
Can you see a ring or rifling marks? If you are seeing a ring, then its a carbon ring. Riflings do not make a ring on the bullet.
 
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Bmmechan said:
Hey all, I am looking for some advise on a commonly occurring issue I am having . . . When I go to eject a live round out of the chamber of my bolt action rifle, its lodged far enough into the lands of the barrel that when I pull the bolt back, the bullet is separated from the casing spilling power everywhere and then I have to dislodge the bullet from the barrel. I shoot factory new 168gr 308 Federal Gold Medal Match out of a savage 10fp, with about 300 rounds through it. I don't have this issue with other brands like hornady, but FGMM is slightly more accurate through my rifle. I have had it checked by a go and no-go gauge and it closes on the go, but not the no-go.

Like I said, this happens regularly and you can see the rifling marks on the round, a nice ring around it. So what are my options outside of reaming the throat? Can I use a single stage press and seat the factory rounds like a 1000th of an inch? Or should I have the barrel backed off? Or what else?

Thanks,
Click to expand...


I may have missed it, but what brand rifle is it?
I know GAP and several other makers will short chamber if requested. You may have one that is set short so the owner could load mag length and still not have a big jump to the lands.
 
Slacker said:
I may have missed it, but what brand rifle is it?
I know GAP and several other makers will short chamber if requested. You may have one that is set short so the owner could load mag length and still not have a big jump to the lands.
Click to expand...

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, its a savage 10, 4.4 short action, medium contour barrel, center feed, only a few years old.
 
So going on the thinking that its carbon buildup. I have shot maybe 150-200 rounds through it since its last cleaning, so I decided to clean it, normally with a nylon barrel brush but this time with a brass one instead. I pushed it through maybe 5-8 times in one direction. I let the cleaner soak, nothing harsh, just hoppes cleaner. So I was able to chamber and eject live rounds easily, but here are the pictures of the marks the lands leave on the projectile. The interesting thing is, I have seen marks that go all the way around the projectile, but this time its only a portion. I "boxed" the marks to make it easier to see. I attached a couple pictures.
This is an unchambered with a chambered roundLands2.jpg
Here is comparison of both
Lands3.jpg

And here is a shot to show is partial, maybe half way or less around the projectile
Lands1.jpg
 
If the problem goes away when you clean it with a bronze brush, I say just keep doing that. The nylon brush may not be aggressive enough to remove the harder deposits.
 
RedneckFur said:
If the problem goes away when you clean it with a bronze brush, I say just keep doing that. The nylon brush may not be aggressive enough to remove the harder deposits.
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Yeah, but its uncomfortable not knowing the round count at which point my rounds start to get stuck. It could also be a safety issue if there is a cease fire and or the rifle is out of commission because a round is lodged. Either way, not a good situation to be in.
 
You mentioned that you had the recoil lug replaced. Were you able to shoot FGMM prior to the replacement? I know that it passes with "go" and "no go" gauges, but there is some room for play in that space and perhaps the barrel was locked in a little to close (0.001") when the barrel nut was tightened.

It is an entry level LE precision rifle, so not too surprised that the throat may be short, just wondering what the range is between the "go" and "no go" gauges and if the solution to your problem may lie there.
 
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