Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What causes bolt get stuck

You might want to give serious consideration to factory ammo.

Not only not experienced, you haven't displayed the ability to follow the absolute basic step of using published loads. What you did was akin to driving a windy road in the dark without headlights.

Just unbelievable...

Listen to the other posters. You’re lucky that a stuck bolt handle is all that happened.

Proves Darwin.

This. Foolhardy to the extreme.

Even experienced reloaders can make mistakes but why did you load a powder that you couldn’t find any data for? Do not shoot any more of those loads. You say “you are not experienced but learning.” Im not trying to be an ahole here but before loading anymore please learn what you are doing so your family doesn’t learn of your death or permanent disability from blowing yourself up.

Just a side note:

Besides what everybody else has already said, you should be using a chronograph.

If you had been, and saw the velocity of your first shot, you would have expected the bolt to be hard to operate before you even touched it, and you would have known exactly why.

Now you will get some experience using a bullet puller. I recommend the collet type that screws into your press.

you can use 260 Rem data, and reduce by 15%, or 10%...either will work...

actually nice to hear the Howa action will hold up to that kind of pressure and still
not hurt the shooter...

Addendum...

had time to look up the load data for the 260 using 3031 with a 140 grain bullet
max load was listed at 32.5 grains... which has a little greater powder capacity
than a Creedmoor.

This really shows something about 3031, I learned a long time ago...

when it reaches an overpressure situation, the peak pressure plateaus instead of spiking...

Persian.... you were very lucky you were using that powder, instead of another...

your load was over by 20% of book max....

if you were doing that with another powder like H 414, which pressure spikes badly...

you'd have been going to the hospital's ER... or potentially to the Morgue...

and your action, stock and scope would have been going to the junk pile, after they picked
up all the pieces....

I've seen what happens when someone had H 414 over book max by about 15%....

The action was destroyed....as was the stock and the Scope on top...

The shooter was lucky...

Personally I am glad you are safe... but you need a mentor... or need to get some
reload info... guessing will get you messed up.

You need to google what happens when you blow up an action due to over pressure before you make your next batch of reloads. You are literally playing with fire, best get educated in reloading before you wind up dead.

I'm wondering how many 74,000 psi loads can be fired in a rifle before it is no longer safe with any load.

Thanks for coffee on the keyboard, Bob.

Persiandog,

I am glad you are OK and your rifle was not damaged. Here is some data from Quickload. This is not load data tested with pressure equipment so start low and work up. I would take Seafire's advice and start somewhere around 32.5 grains.

Cartridge : 6.5 Creedmoor Hornady
Bullet : .264, 140, Remington PSP CoreLokt
Useable Case Capaci: 48.790 grain H2O = 3.168 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 2.800 inch = 71.12 mm
Barrel Length : 22.0 inch = 558.8 mm
Powder : IMR 3031

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 2.0% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Pmuz Prop.Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms

-20.0 67 28.00 2158 1448 30091 7827 99.9 1.579
-18.0 68 28.70 2202 1507 31833 7961 100.0 1.546
-16.0 70 29.40 2244 1566 33659 8087 100.0 1.513
-14.0 72 30.10 2287 1625 35572 8211 100.0 1.482
-12.0 73 30.80 2328 1685 37574 8333 100.0 1.447
-10.0 75 31.50 2369 1745 39670 8455 100.0 1.411
-08.0 77 32.20 2409 1805 41862 8574 100.0 1.376
-06.0 78 32.90 2449 1865 44156 8693 100.0 1.342
-04.0 80 33.60 2489 1926 46555 8810 100.0 1.309
-02.0 82 34.30 2528 1987 49064 8925 100.0 1.278
+00.0 83 35.00 2567 2048 51687 9039 100.0 1.248 ! Near Maximum !
+02.0 85 35.70 2605 2110 54430 9151 100.0 1.219 ! Near Maximum !
+04.0 87 36.40 2643 2172 57299 9261 100.0 1.192 ! Near Maximum !
+06.0 88 37.10 2681 2234 60299 9370 100.0 1.165 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+08.0 90 37.80 2718 2297 63437 9477 100.0 1.139 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+10.0 92 38.50 2756 2360 66720 9582 100.0 1.114 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Results caused by ± 10% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 10% relative to nominal value:
+Ba 83 35.00 2632 2153 60574 8785 100.0 1.170 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
Data for burning rate decreased by 10% relative to nominal value:
-Ba 83 35.00 2469 1895 42645 9410 100.0 1.355

I bet he feels better about himself now.

thanks very much for all suggestions , I will load 20 rounds and test it next week.

Howa Tough!

Also, you need to learn to work up your loads rather than starting at the top end. Then you would have noticed that the bolt was getting sticky sooner than you did.

yes I do , I take the Darwin award but slowly learning :-)

Exactly!
It would be highly advisable to have a reputable gunsmith check for lug setback/head space. The 74,000 psi is an estimate. It could have been higher, and more than once. If the rifle chamber checks out it might also be a good idea to have the head space checked again after more rounds are fired. Once steel has been stressed beyond its working range its hard to predict when catastrophic failure will occur.

By all means step back and rethink your attitude about this stuff. Top loads are just that, not to be exceeded because beyond that point erratic results can be expected including big jumps in pressure. Changing components can add to the uncertainty.

You were lucky. Don't push your luck again if you're even mildly satisfied with your current appearance.

We once again prove that there are two kinds of people in the world, those who go to boat ramps to scoff and jeer, and those who go to help others learn.