I was just wondering if any of you reload ammo for your model 8s and 81s. I originally thought my 150 grain load (40 gr. IMR-4064) for my .300 savage was to light to properly work the action of my 81 because the ejector plunger seems like it still has alot of pressure and the extractor looks like new, but sometimes the spent cases don't clear the action and almost get pushed back into the chamber but they always hang up in one of the locking lug grooves of the barrel extension and ruin the case mouths. Sometimes I find that the two fingers directly below the bolt face that are supposed to strip off the top cartridge in the magazine actually dig into the body of the top cartridge in the magazine and cause a jam. Maybe the bolt isn't coming back far enough to actually get behind the magazine?
I was out of 150s so I loaded up some 180 grain bullets and tried them, adding one grain of powder at a time till I reached max but I had to stop before I got there because it just got worse. So now I'm out of bullets and wondering if I need to run a min. charge behind the 150s or if I should try going down to a 130 grain bullet. Wadaya think?
.300 loads for the 81
Re: .300 loads for the 81
Check your magazine spring and make sure it's pointing to the rear, they get switched and then your get the feed problem you have. Check your chamber and make sure it isn't pitted or dirty as 150 factory rounds should fly clear easy. I shoot 170 gr cast with w/w 748 and get good functioning even with loads in the 2000 fps range.