Ed, you're correct that as long as you have
any clearance, the bullet will release.
The problem is that for this to work and the gun to shoot well, the case has to fit the chamber
perfectly....there can be no excessive sizing done to the shoulder, the back of the case or how much the shoulder is pushed back. If the case is loose or wiggles in the chamber at all and you're running 'fitted neck' type clearances (under .001), one side of the neck will be resting against the chamber neck(unless the bullet is seated firmly into the lands...unlikely in a huntin' rig). When the case fires, the bullet is pushed off center as the case and neck expand to fill the chamber. And a bullet that starts up the barrel crooked will give poor accuracy (even hunting accuracy).
I've worked with a couple of huntin' rigs that had these same issues. In every case, opening up the neck clearance ( going to .008 clearance on one 300WSM) resulted in much improved accuracy.
Just what I've found in my tinkering, FWIW.
Good shootin'.
-Al
