Overall Length

SWAMPFOX

Senior Member
I have been doing a lot of reading and research on overall length of a round and what I've found is that the common approach is to have the bullet just barely a smidgen off the lands for better accuracy.

However, what I've also found is that sometimes I am unable to do that because the length of that round is too long to feed through the rifle's magazine. Anyone else ever encountered that?

Thanks.
 

rayjay

Senior Member
You just have to experiment but be careful when you get real close or even in contact with the lands the pressure goes way up. For your typical shooter it's probably not going to make much difference in the accuracy of the rifle but only shooting will tell you this.BR reloading case gauge and jam finder.JPG
 

killerv

Senior Member
The most important thing is that the rifle magazine feeds properly, that is way more important in the stand than a super tight group.

You'll find oal all over the place on your rifles. I have a m77 that the round can be no longer than saami spec to feed. I recently developed a load for my model 7 708 and started with a .010 jump, had to go all the way back to 0.40 to reliable feed with 120bts. It's still quite the shooter though. Measuring to the ogive is optimal if you have comparators.
 

Jester896

Senior Clown
I think the main reason you load out is to increase your powder capacity or velocity.

You just have to experiment but be careful when you get real close or even in contact with the lands the pressure goes way up. For your typical shooter it's probably not going to make much difference in the accuracy of the rifle but only shooting will tell you this.

pay close attention to rayjays post about increases in pressure. I feel a little differently than he does on accuracy...varying may increase it some.

By increasing the powder capacity you may get better downrange results and by that I mean 500-1000 yards. Most of the longer boat tail bullets you might want to do this with may not be as stable inside of 400 yards. If you are dong this for deer hunting I feel like you may be wasting time...but it is your time to waste.
 

rayjay

Senior Member
I feel a little differently than he does on accuracy...varying may increase it some.
.
What I was really talking about but not saying outright is that I have seen a LOT of shooters doing load development when there is a 1/2" or more of wind on the range. IMO and IME, if you don't use several wind indicators of some sort when doing accuracy testing you are totally wasting your time and money.

I don't know how many times I have been getting my junk cleaned and loaded up after a BR match and have "serious" accuracy shooters show up and start banging away at 100 and/or 200 yds with no wind indicators. I have just spent 4 to 8 hours watching the flags and shooting for score on that range and know the wind is playing havoc out there. If the wind is blowing enough to move the bullet 1/4" left and you shoot and then the wind switches 180 and now is 1/4" right and you keep shooting into your "group" guess what ? Your 1/4" to 1/2" capable load is now shooting 3/4" to 1" + and you think the load sucks. But I know from many years experience that most shooters think the wind's effect is zero or negligible.
 

Jester896

Senior Clown
I agree..where I see that the most is the few .22LR matches I have been to.

There is a very small difference in not your statement of "make much difference", and mine of "may increase it some." just a little more hope in mine :)
 

BriarPatch99

Senior Member
If your magazine limits the OAL and you plan to use the magazine ... you can only load as long as it allows ....

You can load your desired OAL .... as a single shot ....

if you are lucky and your magazine is longer than what your "off the lands" length ....then you can experiment and find what shoots best ....

the magazine is usually the limiting factor nowdays....
 

SWAMPFOX

Senior Member
What I've found is that my limitation is the length of the magazine. I'm working with a Ruger American Youth/Compact rifle. The magazine is plastic of all things. I contacted Wyatt's about a replacement mag and they don't offer one. The magazine length is 2.8045 inches. A Hornady Custom Lite factory round with the 120 gr. bullet measures 2.750 inches so I don't have much to work with.
 

Jester896

Senior Clown
WoW! that's short! That is about book max on a .308 for 168-175 gr loads. My AI mag will let me go out to 2.859 I think and cycle reliably.

What Caliber are you running?
 

Buckstop

Senior Member
You might try a couple different bullets and weights. Some bullets tolerate jump better than others. Hornady’s eld’s seems to like more jump than most. They shoot best at .030 to .050 off the lands in a couple of my rifles and still fit a short action mag.
 

Big7

The Oracle
What I've found is that my limitation is the length of the magazine. I'm working with a Ruger American Youth/Compact rifle. The magazine is plastic of all things. I contacted Wyatt's about a replacement mag and they don't offer one. The magazine length is 2.8045 inches. A Hornady Custom Lite factory round with the 120 gr. bullet measures 2.750 inches so I don't have much to work with.

Nothing wrong with plastic.
 

tigerfan

Senior Member
I have been doing a lot of reading and research on overall length of a round and what I've found is that the common approach is to have the bullet just barely a smidgen off the lands for better accuracy.

However, what I've also found is that sometimes I am unable to do that because the length of that round is too long to feed through the rifle's magazine. Anyone else ever encountered that?

Thanks.

Really depends. My Savage loves the longer bullet, but my Remington 700s prefer the jump (shorter bullet).
 

DeweyDuck

Senior Member
The most important thing is that the rifle magazine feeds properly, that is way more important in the stand than a super tight group.

You'll find oal all over the place on your rifles. I have a m77 that the round can be no longer than saami spec to feed. I recently developed a load for my model 7 708 and started with a .010 jump, had to go all the way back to 0.40 to reliable feed with 120bts. It's still quite the shooter though. Measuring to the ogive is optimal if you have comparators.
My Berger 168 VLD's seated to just kiss the lands are way too long for the magazine. But I just put in shorter ones for follow up shots. Don't need but one shot anyway, even out to 400 yards.
 
Top