distance off lands
 

How far do you load off of the lands and why? I used the carbon black (candle) method to find col 3.211 to the lands with the accubond 110gr in my 25-06. Nosler loads this combo to col 3.125. To me that seams a big difference. What do you think?

mello_collins

RE: distance off lands
 

I would like to be able to "load of the lands" but my Ruger 77-II 300 WM has a magazine that restricts the COL. I always measure using a StoneyPoint guage and check it against my magazine length. The magazine always wins. I envy those that can put their bullet near the lands.

RE: distance off lands
 

You have to let the gun tell you what it likes.I start at .015" off the lands and experiment to see where the accuracy is best.I have rifles that shoot best with the bullet seated very close to the lands,and others that like a little more bullet jump to the lands.

RE: distance off lands
 

Same exact thing stubble says. If you want optimal velocity, then you need to give the bullet some room. I never could figure out why the manuals pushed all this stuff so hard. It tripped me up when I started reloading. I found out, its sometimes best to even go deeper. My main concern is good reliable, easily feedable ammo that shoots a good consistent 1MOA. Clover leafs are great but under 600 yards won't mean much.

RE: distance off lands
 

Unless you have a match grade barrel with the bolt face squared to it, and the entire action squared and trued, you usually aren't going to get benifits from loading to the lands. I do what the previous posters do, but I start 0.020" back. If the rifle has a long throat, I seat the bullets 1 diameter back to get consistant neck tension.

RE: distance off lands
 

Same here. .015" - .020" off the lands, magazine length permitting. Barnes suggest loading their TSX bullets .050" off the lands as a starting point.

RE: distance off lands
 

Thank you everybody.

Mello

RE: distance off lands
 

:DIm usually about .02 off the lands also. My chamber in my browning 30-06 is only about 1/100th from where the stated COL in the manual is. Boy, they cut em close. The mag in the browning just barely clears with the bullet .015. Its perfect!

RE: distance off lands
 

Same here. If you want perfection (and you'll never get it) you have to find what your gun likes. Bullet choice has a big impact onthroat clearance also. I don't have a set distance for each chamber, but work with each bullet/powder/ seating depth combo to find what shoots best. Watch for signs of excess chamber pressure while you're working those loads up.

RE: distance off lands
 

ditto the .020.... The ogive of your bullet will make the jump and retain it's accurracy even further on back.

RE: distance off lands
 

You'll have to experiment some here, ( Isn't that part of the fun of reloading?...assuming you enjoy it) Anyway since all barrels are different you'll need to work up loads with different OAL and see what your rifle likes best. I start atthe factory setting and work up from there, you'll see a change in grouping as you go up and can judge from there which way to go for your gun and load. The powers that be say that the shorter the jump to the lands the less chance the bullet has to be off center of the bore, but I have found with my rifles anyway that the "rule dosen't always apply.Another reason to experiment with OAL is that you can find the sweet spot for your gun barrel by matching your load with the vibration pattern of your barrel.

RE: distance off lands
 

Rifles with a fairly large freebore allow for more room to fiddle....to a point! Anyone ever measure a Weatherby Mk 5? They are so long it's rediculous. My neibours jumps over a 1/10 of an inch. Of course, this is by design as this feature greatly reduces chamber pressure thereby allowing for Weatherby speeds. The furthest out I ever went was on a Tikka 7mag...it liked them 60 thousandths out. Most larger caliber hunting rifles like the bullets somewhere between 20 and 50 thousandths. I own a 17 Remington that likes them right up to the lands. The only way to fine tune your rifle is with the Stoney Point OAL gauge. Some rifles can really be picky, however, once you get them dialed in it sure is gratifying to know you have achieved what your rifle is capable of shooting. Regards, Rick.