Upcoming Range Report: Remington Accutips

[Hoot]

A philanthropic member sent me a box of those Remington 260gr Accutips to experiment with and characterize. Having recorded all the dimensional characteristics, I will try to hit the range one afternoon this week before I pick Julie up at the park-n-ride. I will do at least one water shot at close range and if the accuracy yields tight groups, perhaps a water shot at 100 yards, besides bullseye accuracy testing over a chrony.

A couple of interesting initial observations. The cases are sized to yield a rather narrow case just above the web of .493 as opposed to the Hornady cases being right at, or close to .500. That's going to be a rather loose fit in the chamber. Also, the necks are taper crimped to .473-.474. A little smaller than we typically use. If their lawyers feel that is a safe diameter for the mouth, we all can taper crimp a little tighter than we have been doing. Could help with slower powders using lighter bullets. Food for thought.

Watch for a range report in the next few days, depending upon weather and how crowded the range is after work. The tear down and rebuild date is Aug 13th-22nd, so there will be a dead spot in my activity during that time frame. As the Rifle Range Coordinator, I have to be there with my hat and whistle

Hoot

EDIT: I spoke too soon. They apparently don't use any crimp at the mouth. Mic'ing under the stereo microscope, the mouths are all over the place varying from .473-.480.

[commander faschisto]

If its anything like the range I go to, you'll more likely need a chair and a whip!

BTW I'm just now getting to shooting some Remy 260s myself. I'll send you the fired cases to fiddle with. Might be several days, since today's forecast is for 113F, heat index 118F. Takes some of the charm out of my range time at that level.

[Cely1932]

Last night while working up some loads, I decided to gage pin my chamber. The throat measured .4535". Seems to me you could have a pretty tight taper crimp and still headspace correctly. Just an observation.
Craig

[Hoot]

Last night while working up some loads, I decided to gage pin my chamber. The throat measured .4535". Seems to me you could have a pretty tight taper crimp and still headspace correctly. Just an observation.
Craig

Yeah, I never understood the .478 specification either. Over time, a lot of folks have gone down to .475, but that's about as low as I recall. Maybe .474...

That's a nice set of pin gauges.

Hoot

[Cely1932]

I crimped mine last night to .470" because the 300gr XTP MAG's kept moving forward .012" from inertia @ the .475" crimp. This is why I measured the throat. Hope I'm not venturing down a bad road here.
Craig

[Siringo]

The crimp depth is not necessarily deeper on Remingtons. If I recall my measures correctly, the bullets measure .450 to .451. They are the same bullets used in their 20 gauge shot shell sabots.

Regarding bullet jump -- I minized the amount I was having with the 250's by half when I starting using the heavy buffer system. Somewhere in the neighborhoon of .003 inches versus .006.

[Cely1932]

I hope the buffer helps, I just ordered a colt h2 carbine buffer from brownells. Do any of you guys run a heavier spring also?
Craig

[Hoot]

I just got up after having slept a few hours, since I have to go in on Dog Watch to baby sit a critical piece of equipment that crashed about the time I got home this afternoon. That sometimes happens when you work in Public Safety.

Priorities being what they are, using the taper crimp, I adjusted it way down until it yielded a piece of brass with the mouth at .460, checking every .010 in reduction and at .460, it still catches the chamber lip with the utmost authority. No surprise considering what the throat would have to be for a .452 bullet. Is it my recollection, or why didn't this occur to anyone else before now? I realize as I said earlier, that you obviously can only crimp down a certain amount without damaging the bullet. When I think about all the times I could have laid a deeper crimp into a cannelure (not driving band groove) at the mouth, but stopped at .475 for no other reason than it being conventional wisdom...

I may yet be able to gain more complete combustion from Lil Gun with light bullets. This revelation has actually made my day, or night.

Got a bag of goodies loaded to take in with me to pass the time. BCGs that need the carbon carefully scraped. Brass that needs their flash holes normalized. Mouths that get the #0000 steel wool spin cycle. A range report that needs images digitized for the .300 OSSM, y'know, busy work. But then again, this electronic monster at the 911 Dispatch Center that I'm baby sitting might wake up crabby and occupy the entire night.

At worst, I get off a few hours before the local range opens, with the day off, on a cool morning and the dew point fell like 20+ degrees today. It's supposed to be lower again tomorrow morning. So it won't be terribly muggy and if I'm not draggin' butt, I'll come home, change, load the jugs and equipment and have it all to myself test these Remmy's.

Gotta hit the shower...

Hoot

[commander faschisto]

You might want to review the information in the "Hoot's CCWS" thread for another method (that works great) for slowing down the recoil impulse.

[randyf]

I hope the buffer helps, I just ordered a colt h2 carbine buffer from brownells. Do any of you guys run a heavier spring also?
Craig

I ran a Spike's heavy buffer when I used a 6 position stock.

I switched over to a regular rifle buttstock and buffer and now use a heavy duty spring.