Ability to load 160gr AB or 175gr ABLR in .284Win, w/ OAL?

[PipesMac]

I recently read somewhere that stuffing a 175gr ABLR into a .284Win case might be a problem as the long ogive may not allow bullet to be gripped correctly while still keeping it short enough OALwise to fit in the magazine. I'm worried as I just bought both 160grAB and 175grABLR, before I read or considered this.

Does anyone have any loading results with larger bullets in .284 win, keeping it able to fit in a magazine?

I've never loaded above 150 gr for my .284Win, but have had no issues loading 140gr and 150gr Ballistic Tip and still getting a cartridge that will fit in my magazine. The official OAL is 2.8", but that is really only a limit for fitting inside the magazine. I've been loading to 2.83" OAL, and today I received in the mail some 7WSM magazines that Browning told me were the "same" as the .284Win Abolt mags they no longer carry, which will allow 2.89" OAL. I'm not sure what the chamber OAL could be, fitting the bullets out to engage the lands-- I've got it recorded somewhere in my notes from 15 years ago and it was plenty long, but I didn't want the rifle (Browning A Bolt) to be a single-shot, so just loaded up to fit in the mag.

I bought the extra mags to allow me to maybe shave off the OAL spacer in there, allowing longer bullet loads. My original .284Win A bolt mags had a good sized aluminum front spacer, but these 7mmWSM Browning told me to use have a thinner spacer. If completely shaved away, I could put 2.96" OAL in there, giving me a .13" increase... not sure if that would be enough to allow ogive engagement on these long ABLR bullets though? Any info from folks on what OAL they've been able to get would be useful.

 

[DrMike]

Whichever is the shorter of the two--magazine depth or distance to the lands--is the determinate of maximum OAL. Measure to the lands to determine if you will have a greater OAL. The easiest way is to use an OAL gauge. Hornady sells what is arguably the finest OAL gauge on the market today; it is the old Stony Point OAL gauge. You will need to buy the gauge and a modified case if you are not handy with making your own. Alternatively, you can measure the OAL via the method outlined on page 67 of the Nosler Reloading Guide No. 7. If the magazine depth is less than the distance to the lands, then that will be your maximum OAL. If the distance to the lands is less than magazine depth, then that will be your maximum OAL. If you can load longer than 2.800, you may very well be able to load the 175 grain bullets in the .284.

 

[PipesMac]

Doh... I was hoping you'd already done it with your 284 and could tell me the case hit the bullet just fine on the ogive at 2.83 OAL
My 175 ABLRs are on backorder with Cabelas still, and the rifle is in another state, or I'd be loading it up myself to check. I'm hoping someone out there has a .284Win and has tried 160gr AB or something larger and might comment on how they fit, with these new long ogives.

It might have been the Nosler reloading manual that mentioned the challenge would be anchoring the longer bullets into the case within OAL... if not Nosler, then Speer maybe, as I was re-reading them last week. Wish I'd read it and tested before I ordered the bullets, but there you go--I got excited

 

[DrMike]

The neck is somewhat short on the .284 case. However, so long as you have sufficient neck tension, the 175 grain bullet will work just fine. The problem becomes when the OAL is restricted and the bullet intrudes into the powder column. You won't have problems with the 175 in most instances, however.