Pressure issue, but it goes away!!

S

skeetlee

Active member
Over the last two days i have been shooting my switch barrel 22 br. The barrel is new so i have been looking for a good load.I have used three different powders and all three are shooting really well. The problem is that when i switch from one powder to the another, i clean the barrel really well, and when i go to shoot the first 4 or five rounds show big signs of pressure. After about four rounds it goes completely away! All my loads are what i would consider safe, but like i said the first four at least show pressure, hard to open bolt and ejector marks on the brass. Then it stops and everything works as it should. The rifle seems to be shooting really well even with the pressure? I am to new to all this to know what to look for here. Do any of you gentlemen have any ideas? I noticed this for the first time yesterday and after about three rounds it went away and i gave no more mind to it, but since it happened again twice today it has me a little concerned. What could the reason be. I shoot this action for my 30BR as well and i have never encountered this experience while shooting the 30BR. Im going to take the barrel off and clean and look around a bit, but this just seems strange. Thanks Lee
 
I would say that you are right at the brink of being to hot. The barrel is cold and constricted, you shoot several times and it warms up and does not constrict anymore. I would go down a half click to see if it will remedy the situation and still maintain accuracy.
 
I thought about that as well. does 28gr of 8208 sound like a lot in a 22BR with 63gr bullets? That seems pretty safe to me?? No much data on this but i figured this was pretty conservative?? 28 and 29gr of benchmark also felt this way with 63gr bullets. That may be on the higher side but it should still be pretty safe in a custom action, well maybe! I had good to great accuracy with both of these Loads. Hard to decide were to go from here really. I will drop a grain and see what happens.
 
I know what your problem is. A friend had the same one with a BR. When you clean, you are not getting the chamber dry, and the lubrication causes the case to come back on the bolt face hard enough to create the pressure signs you are seeing for the first few shots. Use alcohol on a fresh .30 caliber patch to degrease the chamber, and then dry with a couple more. With a bone dry chamber, your problem should disappear. The BRs are particularly vulnerable because they have a short body relative to their head diameter, and if the gunsmith likes to polish his chambers, it increases the probability of this phenomenon.
 
That makes since fellas!! I really apreciate the info. Yesterday when i first experienced the issue i had to clean my barrel with out a bore guide, as i forgot it at home. I am more than sure my chamber was a little wet!! LOL!! Even today i had to use a 6br bore guide as my new 22br bore guide hasnt come in the mail yet. It seemed to work ok but maybe a little kroil got around the seal? Thanks again fellas!!!! Lee
 
It would have to seal at the front of the neck to keep solvent out of the chamber. You need to dry your chamber even if you have an O ring guide that is the right one for the caliber that you are using.
 
You should *always* swab out the chamber. This falls under "Better Safe Than Sorry".

I use a little brake cleaner on a large patch over a chamber mop. Follow with a clean, dry patch.

FWIW,

Greg J.
 
wet chamber

Lee: Boyd and others are right on. I had the same problem with my 1-8 6BR. First 2 or 3 rounds fired from a clean barrel had very hard bolt lift, then all was normal for the rest of the firings. Talked to the 'smith who built the rifle and that was the first thing he said, " chamber is wet with solvent". Checked it with the "Hawkeye" after the next cleaning, after I was sure it was dry, and it was still wet. if the cleaning patch is small enough to go down the 6mm bore, it is much too small to wipe out the much larger diameter chamber. Now use an oversize patch on a non-rotating pistol cleaning rod to dry out the chamber-- end of problem.
 
I use a Parker Hale .410 shotgun jag (split brass one) with flannel on a pistol rod to dry chambers, but it might be a tad snug for a PPC. The split is just about right to let the jag form a case body taper.
 
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