Broke a bolt n the 243 lbc this evening!

204 AR

204 AR

Well-known member
Well I've read about it and now it happened. It was a Radical Arms (cheap) bolt, it lasted around 1400 or more rounds. Sheared a lug next to the extractor. The load was 87 gr vmax seated to the lands over 28.6 gr 8208. After seeing a crappy group I decided it was time to clean. That's when I noticed the bolt, and luckily I had bought a spare from Surplus Arms this summer. Plugged the new bolt in, ran a few patches through with Hoppes #9 and after 3 foulers shot this nice 5 shot group at 200 yds. I did seat the bullets 10 thou deeper to lower pressures some.

I think this load will work well to quite a distance:



Amazing how much difference a bolt with all it's lugs can make lol.
 
The RA stuff is pretty problematic when it comes to life expectancy. The bolts break in a large number of applications I have heard of. The load you are shooting is right with the one I shoot. Brass life is excellent and the accuracy seems good across the board. Good shooting.

Greg
 
By seating your bullets deeper into the cartridge, you have increased chamber pressure. Seat them out farther to decrease chamber pressure.
 
Originally Posted By: MGYSGTBy seating your bullets deeper into the cartridge, you have increased chamber pressure. Seat them out farther to decrease chamber pressure.

This is a structural problem not a pressure problem. IMHO

Since he was at the lands and backed off his pressures probably dropped. It's a reverse bell curve on seating depth. Too deep pressures go up. As you seat further out they drop. As you approach the lands they rise again. The sweet spot for the mildest pressure is somewhere in between based on powder and bullet shape/weight.

We have done pressure testing on the load he is shooting right up on the lands and found it to be reasonable in that area.

Greg
 
Originally Posted By: GLShooter
We have done pressure testing on the load he is shooting right up on the lands and found it to be reasonable in that area.

Greg

That's good to know. I thought it should be decent as I recall seeing your notes with that charge weight under the 95 smk.
 
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