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Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: duckmen1 on April 24, 2017, 11:57:35 AM


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Title: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: duckmen1 on April 24, 2017, 11:57:35 AM
I have a 3006 im trying to develop loads for in the ruger american. Loading 180 grain partitions. Had some good groups then some groups with a flyer. Loaded by noslers specs with a max oal with 3.34".Started thinking id try changing seating depths and come to find out im hitting the lands at 3.316". Put some factory loads in the gun and even they are all longer than that and sitting into the lands. I guess i will have to really shorten up my personnel OAL, but has anybody ever heard of a gun having a length being that much shorter than the book?
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: Yondering on April 24, 2017, 12:13:03 PM
That doesn't sound right. No offense intended, but are you sure you're measuring distance to the lands correctly?

If your ammo and the factory loads are all seated into the lands that much, they'd be very hard to close the bolt on without hammering it shut. They'd also be difficult to extract. Is that the case? .024" crush fit on normal thick necks is a lot to overcome, unless your sizing setup is giving low neck tension as well.
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: duckmen1 on April 24, 2017, 12:17:02 PM
The bolt is stiff to close and it is acually pushing the factory loaded bullets back into the case and in some instinces sticking and pulling them slightly further out. I thought i must be doing somethirng wrong too. But did the same way i have done all my other rifles for years. So gave the gun to another reloader that has been reloading for 15 plus years and he had the same outcome.

Hitting the lands with the Oal being 3.316
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: bobcat on April 24, 2017, 12:18:47 PM
Contact Ruger, send the gun back and let them fix it.
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: Biggerhammer on April 24, 2017, 12:50:41 PM
The rifles barrel throat is out of spec from what you describe with factory ammo issues.

Send it back to Ruger. I have had exellent customer service from Ruger with handguns going back for repair.
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: Magnum_Willys on April 24, 2017, 12:51:10 PM
Shoot some at .002 , .010 and .020 off the lands and see what she does. You mite have gotten lucky! Usually you cant reach the lands at mag length.

Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: duckmen1 on April 24, 2017, 12:56:50 PM
Thats what i was thinking to try. At lands im at oal of 3.316 i loaded up a few of loads at 3.30, 3.31, 3.315. We will see how it goes.
My other rifles are exactly what your saying to hit lands its way to long for my magazines. So this is something off the wall to me.
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: duckmen1 on April 24, 2017, 12:58:01 PM
Im thinking about sending it back but i want to try a few things first.
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: Magnum_Willys on April 24, 2017, 01:00:30 PM
What powder you trying?
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: bobcat on April 24, 2017, 01:05:52 PM
I only hunt with cartridges that I have handloaded, but I would not be happy with a 30/06 that I could not safely shoot factory ammo. 
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: duckmen1 on April 24, 2017, 01:08:58 PM
Same with me. I only hunt with my handloads. But ran into the issue so checked some factory loads as a comparison.

Using winchester 760 powder. Also tried Reloader 22.
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: Yondering on April 24, 2017, 01:45:05 PM
The bolt is stiff to close and it is acually pushing the factory loaded bullets back into the case and in some instinces sticking and pulling them slightly further out. I thought i must be doing somethirng wrong too. But did the same way i have done all my other rifles for years. So gave the gun to another reloader that has been reloading for 15 plus years and he had the same outcome.

Hitting the lands with the Oal being 3.316

Yeah, that's definitely not the way Ruger intended it to leave the factory. The "new" Ruger seems to be pretty good about taking care of problems like that though.

A short throat can be a good thing, as mentioned, but if you haven't done so it would be good to look in the chamber to make sure there is actually a tapered transition into the rifling, and not just and abrupt edge. It's possible the reamer was damaged; if it's not cut cleanly it may never shoot very well until it's fixed.
Title: Re: Bullet to lands shorter than max Oal????
Post by: JDHasty on April 24, 2017, 02:47:13 PM
I have a 3006 im trying to develop loads for in the ruger american. Loading 180 grain partitions. Had some good groups then some groups with a flyer. Loaded by noslers specs with a max oal with 3.34".Started thinking id try changing seating depths and come to find out im hitting the lands at 3.316". Put some factory loads in the gun and even they are all longer than that and sitting into the lands. I guess i will have to really shorten up my personnel OAL, but has anybody ever heard of a gun having a length being that much shorter than the book?

Depending on the ogive of the bullet being used... I have seen it where lands hit the bullet well before the the "max OAL" was reached.  IIRC, it was with Hornady Spire Points or maybe it was a Speer bullet.  It has been a long while since I have seen it.  That particular rifle had very sharp lead on the lands but other than that everything was spec.  If you do a chamber cast you will know for sure.     
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