Pressure Need Answer

If it's a new Viper and it's blanking primers, call Stiller. If it has a .062" firing pin hole and it's blanking primers, pressure is too high. You did the right thing by quitting shooting after it blanked the primer. I've had several Jewell triggers come into the shop that have failed from blanked primers. When the primer blanks, the gas is released inside the bolt forcing the firing pin back and then the firing pin spring drives the cocking piece against the top bar on the trigger. Similar to a small hammer hitting the trigger. BR case heads with small primers have been the worst of cartridges that I've seen with blanked primers. Jewell considers triggers that fail from blanked primers as being misuse and not covered under warranty. All the Vipers I've seen have had small firing pin holes. If it has a large hole it can be fixed, but with a new rifle, I'd contact Stiller first.
 
Just to make sure on the headspace, take a case you have resized and try chambering it with tape on the back...simple and quick.

Jim
 
George, MAN I havn't been talking to anyone... I already knew that heat is a major cause of short barrel life, but there lies a rub now doesn't it?

If you shoot a rifle in the heat ( kinda hard not to do that in the south in the summer time) you will in fact build barrel heat. If you don't shoot it because you don't want to damage the barrel, the rifle is then a "Club" and not even a good club at that. I already have enough clubs so I'm shooting.

Barrels are an expendable just like bullets, brass, powder and primers. Thats a fact of life, I hope this barrel last for awhile certainly longer than the 295 shots down it so far, but what will be will be.

I try to shoot practice just like a match will be, I started doing that when I started shooting Silhouette years ago. The match, and so far the only benchrest match I have seen or attended, that I went to last weekend the course of fire was as follows:

6 minutes to shoot unlimited sighters, my observation was that most shooters shot around 7 or 8 shighter shoots. The match winner shot 11.

10 minutes to shoot there first target of record, 5 shots.

There then was a break of about a minute before they recieved the commence fire to shoot there next string of sighters they had 2 minutes for those. Most of the shooters shot 4 sighter shots in that period, the match winner shot 8.

They then had 5 minutes to shoot there 5 shots of record.

So they minimum number of shots taken by a competitor in the first leg of that match was 21 shots. The maximum shots taken was 29 by the match winner.

That was all in 19 minutes if my math is correct. The temp was 95 or so degrees and the humidity was very high around 65%. While I didn't go over to any of the rifles and feel the barrels, I am quite confident that they were pretty dang hot, certainly as hot as my barrel was the other day when I had my pressure problems.

So George shooting a hot barrel is just going to "Have" to happen sometimes. Should it be kept to a minimum? Absolutly !!! Can it be avoided all together? Not any way I can see....

Roland
 
Roland,

If I read all this correctly, the Rel-15 loads seem to be behaving as expected. You didn't say whether or not (or I missed it) you had switched to CCI 450 primers, or were still using the Rem 7-1/2 primers.

You also didn't say if Stiller built the rifle, or someone else. If Stiller built it, Mike Bryant's comments make special sense (Mike is a very good gunsmith, BTW). If someone else built the rifle and they're close by, a trip to their shop might be in order. Alabama is blessed with having quite a few good Benchrest gunsmiths.

While it would be well to track down he source of the Benchmark/Remington primer oddity, if the other load -- R-15 & CCI 450s is preforming as expected, I wouldn't worry too much. Remember with the Reloader series of powders, you will almost certainly need to take notes on load versus temperature, both to avoid blanking primers, and for best accuracy.

Charles
 
Charles, I did in fact switch away from the Remington 7 1/2 and went to the CCI450 primers. In the testing of the two primers in my post above I did load the Benchmark loads with the 7 1/2 primers trying to duplicate the orginal pressure problem, I did that easy enough.

Today after reading and reading a lot of post not only on this thread but on the feeding of the 6mmBR, I went back and revisted my Varget loads. When I first shot Varget it was not very good for me, so I moved on to Benchmark. At the range today, once again very hot and muggy with temp over 95 and my shooting position still in the direct sunlight, That I fixed but I explan later. The Varget load as well as the RL15 loads both shot very well. The best Varget load shooting at 400 Yds was 1.03 Horz by .94 Vert, three other Varget groups shot very well indeed not quite that good but almost. There were "NO" pressure signs at all with Varget None. The RL15 also shot very well and also showed no pressure signs at all, and it was HOT.

The rifle was not smithed by Stiller, I have had sevreal conversations with Jerry Stiller though and some about this rifle. It is my understanding that Stiller is almost exclusively consentrating on there Gov't stuff today. I have heard that it could take as long as 2 years to get a new action from them, dont know if this is true or not but I have heard that. The Smith was a Alabama guy, however and without going into any of the details having him look at the rifle is not an option.

The shooting position thing. Here in North East Alabama the Tornados of a few weeks ago really hit us hard. The level of destruction in some areas is very sad. At my home we lost 48 old growth trees, and I only have 8 arces. My closest neighbor who has 18 acres lost 150 trees. At the range I shoot at the storm ripped the roof off of the shooting postition. It is elevated and has 14 steps to get up to the shooting platform, I cuss every one of those steps every time I go. Trying to manuver steps two canes, rifle, scope stand and all of the other stuff we all seemed to need is a full days work for my old shot up and broke down butt. I usually am there by myself, thats good for me and they do furnish a Golf Cart to run down and change targets. The lady that owns the range just lost her Husband about 6 months ago to cancer, and she is having a pretty rough time. The missing roof is a problem in this Alabama summer. So today on the way home from the range I stopped at a local roofing company and contracted for them to run out there and install a new roof, Man gave me a very fair price after hearing the story.

That cost me a few dollars, but guys trust me on this after spending 30 years in the Marine Corps I learned long ago that of the things we all deal with on a daily basis money is the least important. Next time I will be in the shade......

Thanks Guys as Always Roland
 
Which reminds me . . . There are no steps at the Camp Butner range, but the shooting benches are not covered, except when someone brings a tent or clamp-on beach umbrella. At our board meeting this past winter, we voted to get pop-tops for all the benches, but the willing horse got flogged too much, so that hasn't been done yet. There is a stand of pine trees all along the south side of the firing line, so we can set up our loading/cleaning/sitting area in shade, but many guys also bring a pop-up top for there, too. If you're able to come, there will likely be one you can set up under.

There are rest facilities, but you have to bring food and water, so a cooler is probably in order. Town is only 10-15 minutes away. Any trash must be carried away by the individuals who made it -- no servants, and no trash cans at the range.

Shooters are nominally required to pull pit duty, but there are enough "standbys" to cover for anyone who physically can't work the pits, those of us pulling RO duty, etc.

If you can come, I think you'd have a good time, and get to see a broad range of equipment, and meet shooters with 15+ years of 1,000 yard benchrest experience.

* * *

Gossip wise: Alabama benchrest gunsmiths I know of are Col. Billy Stevens (Brundidge, Alabama), and Mickey Coleman (Greenville Alabama). Both are primarily short-range smiths. Col. Billy is a world-class shooter, and Mickey has a range (Rachel's Glen) as a part of his property. The 200 yard Southeastern regional will be held at Mickey's in October.

Edit:

BTW, While Billy was a colonel, he worked for a living . . .

* * *

Nice work on getting the widow's range covered. Consider any favors I've done you more than repaid -- I & some others now owe you a couple.
 
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I have been fighting the same exact problem in a 6BRX and have been using RL15 the whole time with Federal and CCI primers.And what I found out along the way is this.I noticed that there was pressure when shutting the bolt on a empty chamber.And the front base screw was too long putting downward pressure on my bolt and keeping it locked in place off center just a touch.Then thought my firing pin was a bit long so addressed that.Then thought maybe I bumped the shooulders back to much so I light loaded and blowed all cases back out.And bumped shoulders back .001-.0015 went Thursday to the range shot 47 times cleaning after 15-20 and when I got to the last 5-10 started piercing primers again.This is using 31.8gr of RL15.I came back home that night and pulled the rest of the bullets I had and done the normal shoulder bump and all that is required and loaded back with 30.5gr of RL15 went to the 600yd shoot and it starts again.I sighted in piercing 1 primer went to record target piercing 2 out of five and having to recock twice to get two to go off.Then went to sight in again before other record target having one not fire and getting extremely aggravated went to other record target pierced one more then had enough primer parts lodged in bolt no more fire.I just quit because this was the second match I had to throw the towel in and I was not happy so I feel your pain.I don`t know what to do at this point.There is guys shooting 33gr in a brx and I can`t shoot 30.5 it is really disheartening.So any suggestions would help here as well.It is a 700 action though.
 
Agree with George, the BRX's and Dashers need an .062" firing pin tip. Otherwise you'll be piercing primers. It happens too quickly and too often with these stretched BR cases.
 
I believe Jerry Stiller of Viper Actions was the pioneer in the use of the .062 diameter firing pin, & IIRC, that's what is used in the Viper.

The original poster is using a Viper . . .
 
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