wwillson Posted November 6, 2009 Report Share Posted November 6, 2009 I shoot at a club that only allows steel shot. I have been reloading steel for about a year with no problems. I just cleaned my barrel (870 Remington) for the first time in about a month. I was shocked to see some pretty major scratches from the forcing cone to about 3" past the forcing cone. There is also minor forcing cone erosion. These scratches are new in the last month. I'm wondering if I loaded some loads in the last month with the shot over the wad peddles? I use the VP-51, which is made for steel. Is there a rule of thumb for the level of shot in the shot cup?Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsoup Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Are you sure theat it is scratched and not just burnished? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwillson Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Are you sure theat it is scratched and not just burnished? I'm not sure I know the difference? Can you describe each?Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsoup Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Now remember, I don't reload for shotguns so shot cups are foreign to me. but I do work in an industry that uses a lot of metal working processes. So...A scratch physically removes or drastically displaces meterial. When you burnish something you smooth out (push) the high spots into the low spots in the finish. Burnishing is not like polishing. Polishing removes material by making progressivly finer "scratches" in the material. Tumbling reloading brass in a vibratory bowl is actually a burnishing process. Unless you add an abrasive to the mix. the media is just moving a few molecules around until they are aligned just right.It might be that the shot simply slid over the surface and left you some skid marks. Can you feel them or just see them? I would think if the shot cup was over filled, the marks would continue down the length of the barrel. Since there is no room in the shot cup, where could the extra shot go? There is also the possibility of some foreign material being imbedded in surface of the shot cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwillson Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Woodsoup,Ok - they are definitely scratches as you can feel them with a pencil and can see that there is barrel steel removed. I believe the shot was over the peddles and worked their way between the peddles and the barrel as the crimp was being pushed open. It is interesting that you can see where the highest outward pressure is as the scratches are only about 2-3" long and then completely disappear. Which makes sense that the highest pressure would be in the chamber area and the pressure would rapidly decrease as the wad and shot travel down the barrel.Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsoup Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Just a thought, Get some shot that ain't so sharp Or polish the shot you have. I hear Mothers Wheel Polish works good for that. LOL just a ton of elbow grease per 1 1/8 oz load ought to keep you out of trouble till after the holidays at least.Sorry no more ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwillson Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I do use wads for steel shot which have very thick peddles, so if the shot is at or below the top of the peddles all should be fine. I really think the trouble was with some loads that had some spill-over above the peddles. This is kind of an expensive lesson learned.Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moe Posted November 27, 2009 Report Share Posted November 27, 2009 You could have Briley extend the forcing cone to get rid of the scratches and lower the recoil at the same time. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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