Reloader's...Help !

[Mountain Guy]

Now I'm confused.
I'm trying to find the max. length for my cartridge for my 300wsm Sako Finnlight.
I did the wood dowel method 1st :
1) measure the dowel from muzzle to closed bolt face
2) push a bullet into the breech as far as it would go and measure from muzzle to tip of bullet
The measurement between the marks come in at 3.100 ''

I then tried doing the method that was suggested by some members on this board.
I put a bullet into a fired , dented case , marked it up with ink and chambered it. I couldn't extract it because it was too long ?? Probably over 3''

The books say the max. C.O.L. for a 300wsm is 2.860''.

My magazine is only 2.942''.
There appears to be a huge difference between the max. length allowed and the length to the lands in my gun.
Is this a Sako thing maybe?
Am I doing something wrong ??
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.
M.G.

[jasonburrows]

you just have to go with what functions smoothly through youre mag, thats why I prefer hinged floorplate, I just went through this with my Sako 270wsm.
there is a big diff in COL with say an Accubond vs. a partition, the "pointy" bullets can be seated much longer.

[Mountain Guy]

So you had the same issue with the accubonds ?
That's what I was trying to work with.
Wondering if I should then just go with the max. allowable length listed or go with the slightly longer length that will fit into my mag.

I can't believe the discrepancy between what my gun will accept verse's what the book says is the max. length.

Thanks Jason....

[Donny Bear]

I have the same issues with the Tikka I can seat Berger VLD 155s to the full length of the clip and be a good 70 thou of the lands the spent 300 wsm cartridges out of the tika are way to big to fit in the Win 300wsm seem to be very different chambers for the same cartridge.:huh:

[jasonburrows]

Always full length resize mag rounds.

[bighorn1]

I am seating the accubonds at 2.90 in my Sako greywolf no issue's here and always a full length resize.

[Pinhead]

SAMMI specs for a 300WSM may be 2.860, but that does not matter because first off your rifle's mag will accept loaded rounds to 2.942 less 20 or 30 thou so you are not slamming the tips against the mag. AND your MOAL for your gun is 3.100. That means technically you could load a round to that max length (usually less 10-50 thou so the bullet is not right against the lands) in YOUR gun, but you could only do that once, because your mag will not accept rounds that long, SO what you probably will have to do is load them to fit your magazine, unless you want a single shot Sako Finnlight

HTH

Dan

[Bobby B.]

What Pinhead states is true except you might not end up with a single shot, you might have a double. Due to the feeding ramp, there's probably enough space for one 'longer than magazine' round in additional to the chambered round. This is the present condition for my Nifty 260 and was the condition for my 240 Gordy.

As for the safety aspect of exceeding SAAMI COAL, my first 240 Gordy loaded with 70 gr NBT just kissing the lands, these bullets were seated so short into the case that you could pry the bullet out of the case mouth with your fingers. The rifle had well over a thousand rounds through it.

Bobby B.

[Mountain Guy]

Thanks guys...
I would think that the long throat of the Sako would have been addressed by their engineer's if it was an issue ( hopefully :rolleye2: )
Don't know if I want to seat rounds different so as to have the chambered round just off the lands. Besides that measurement is 1/5 th of an inch beyond said max ! Although I hear ya Bobby B.
I guess I'll load to 2.9 as mentioned , so they'll fit the mag , and go shoot and see what happens.
Maybe it's a mute point if it shoots ok.
Just seems strange that you don't have the COL to work with on these guns to deal with a know accuracy variable. At least with accubonds.

M.G.

[Bobby B.]

MG,

Safety comes first in reloading. Most reloaders seat somewhere between 10-15 thousands off the lands to 10-15 thousands into the lands. That's most shooters most of the time. You'll be 200 thousands off the lands. You won't be the first to do this nor the last. Everything should work out just fine.

My 240 Gordy cartridge was a unique design, the product of a starving university student with no money yet a strong desire to own a hot 6mm. Because I couldn't afford a custom reamer and custom dies, I developed a hybrid case based on the marriage of the .243 winchester and 6mm remington. I had a local gunsmith approve my proposal before proceeding. The gunsmith simply pushed his .243 winchester reamer further into the barrel than SAAMI specs, cutting a chamber as far as SAAMI specs dictated for the 6mm remington. Utilizing 7x57 brass, I established a secondary shoulder and fireformed the cases charged with Blue Dot and filled with cornstarch. Depending how you looked at it, the end result was either a lengthened .243 or a fattened 6mm. Dick284 was interested in the idea and with is help, I chronographed loads in excess of 4000 fps with 70 grainers. My pet load was a the 70 NBT at 3950-60, it grouped 1.5" at 300 yds. A very effective coyote whacker for certain. It also proved exceptionally deadly on deer, killing quicker than a 7mm 150 grain NBT at 3150 fps. It also penetrated steel MUCH better than any other cartridge/bullet/load tested. No doubt some of today combos, like the 338 Lapua would penetrate steel better, but at the time it was pretty impressive.

Anyway, please excuse my long winded spiel, the point I'm illustarting by this example is simply that every cartridge currently available once was nothing greater than a concept in someone's imagination, a concept which was developed carefully and safely through the prudent use of logic and commonsense. We need to be careful, but no need to be afraid.

Bobby B.

[Pinhead]

Wow Bobby B that sounds like a real 6mm! Do you have any throat erosion problems with the speed ? I know I try to keep my 22-250 below that magic 4000 just to be a little easier on my throat, not that it matters, I probably won't shoot it enough to be a problem.

You are right about the safety, when in doubt just stay with SAMMI specs and you should be fine.

I know when I started reloading at first since it is new that it was a little scary but the more I read the more at ease I became. A good reloader's manual, like Nosler's, Speer, etc. go a long way to dispelling any untruths and showing and guiding you in the safe and right way to reload. I enjoy the act of deciding what bullet to use for each hunt and then working up that load and having the satisfaction of using ammunition that was made by me. Reloading is as much a hobby as hunting for me.

Sorry for the blab, but that is my 2 cents.

[Bobby B.]

Pinhead,

Not sure about the throat erosion, I never owned a borescope. I was always very conscious about barrel heat and never overheated the barrel.

Yesterday, I took my new 6/284 out to SGGC to test some loads. The best load was 57 grains of IMR4831 pushing a 70 grain NBT; three shots into .52" at 200 yds. Conditions were perfect, slightly overcast and calm. Rifle is a Sako 579 action, 26" #4 Hart barrel, Harry Lawson Cochise stock and 6-18 Swarovski. It's my 240 Gordy replacement.

Bobby B.

[Bobby B.]

Pinhead,

Not sure about the throat erosion, I never owned a borescope. I was always very conscious about barrel heat and never overheated the barrel.

Yesterday, I took my new 6/284 out to SGGC to test some loads. The best load was 57 grains of IMR4831 pushing a 70 grain NBT; three shots into .52" at 200 yds. Conditions were perfect, slightly overcast and calm. Rifle is a Sako 579 action, 26" #4 Hart barrel, Harry Lawson Cochise stock and 6-18 Swarovski. It's my 240 Gordy replacement.

Bobby B.

[laker]

What the?
M.G. do you think the deer your gonna miss really cares how many thous.off the lands your bullet is? If you're worried about it.I'll let you use mine....I'm not really sure what lands are....are they those shiny swirls in the barrel???

[laker]

Oh ya....forgot to mention.When you come out bring something that'll cause some throat erosion!Comes in bottles!

[gitrdun]

No matter what the book says, the one thing that will always determine maximum cartridge overall lenght (COL) is the magazine. Unless you want a single shot bolt action rifle, check your max. COL first using the dowel method if you like (works for me), deduct 0.032" (32 thou) then make 3 blank round seated to whatever depth you came up with. Feed them in the mag and cycle them thru. That's what I do now ever since I made my .375 H&H a single shot rifle using Barnes 300gr TSX's in hasty preparation for a Yukon trip.:o

In your big game hunting caliber, I wouldn't worry about getting too close to the lands of the mag doesn't permit it. For example, Weatherbies have so much free bore that they're a bunch more than you'll ever be off the lands.

[Pathfinder76]

you just have to go with what functions smoothly through youre mag, thats why I prefer hinged floorplate, I just went through this with my Sako 270wsm.
there is a big diff in COL with say an Accubond vs. a partition, the "pointy" bullets can be seated much longer.

What does a hinged floor plate have to do with magazine length?

[Mountain Guy]

What does a hinged floor plate have to do with magazine length?

Probably can go with a little longer cartridge length with a hinged floor plate.

[jasonburrows]

usually more room than a clip can go longer

[LuckySeven]

Shorter or longer........It really doesn't matter, it's what works in YOUR gun and gives the most accurate and consistent shot placement !!!