Dumb 30-06 OAL Question

Wondermutt · Nov 2, 2012

I am fairly certain I know the answer to this question but I need to ask. It is actually two questions:

1) With your bolt action 30-06's, what is the typical OAL? I have two rifles. Both Rem 700's and one likes 3.25" and the other like's 3.340" or the MAX COAL. Which leads me to the next question.

2) The rifle I am considering purchasing tomorrow has been shot very little. However, the owner claims that the cartridge length he uses is 3.42". He states he got to this length but taking a cartridge, seating a bullet slightly in the case and closing the bolt on it. While I have never done it this way, have you and how accurate is this method?

Thanks in advance

WM

FOTIS · Nov 2, 2012

I load my Tikka to 3.330"

165 Partitions AT 2820 FPS WITH h4350

That is an accepted method to see how far (pending on rifle's throat) you can seat the bullet out. Once you jam it in the lands I go .005" in at a time till it shoots well.

DrMike · Nov 2, 2012

Apparently, assuming the measurement is correct, he has a long throat. The method has been used for many years to gauge overall length of the cartridge.

Wondermutt · Nov 3, 2012

Thanks for the input guys. I never heard of measuring this way, so I was a little concerned. Going to look at the rifle this morning.

Have a great day!

WM

CatskillCrawler · Nov 3, 2012

Before I bought a means to to measure actual max OAL I would take a fired cartridge and make two slits down the neck to lessen neck tension. Take a magic marker and color a bullet's shank and partially seat it. Then chamber and close the bolt slowly. I would measure the OAL and repeat 3 or 4 times. Take the average for the max OAL for THAT bullet in THAT rifle. Sometimes the bullet will get disturbed during the extraction/ejection phase and move inside the neck. This is why you color the bullet with the magic marker as you can see how far the bullet was pushed in before it was knocked askew from hitting the camber wall during ejection. This doesn't always happen but if your chamber is on the long side, it probably will.

Guest · Nov 4, 2012

My 30-06 load shoots identical to the one Fotis submitted, same powder, only I use 165 BT. I seated the bullet just the length of the neck, then went deeper during load development to 3.790 off the ojive.

My load travels 2830 fps. Any 165 Nosler bullet in the 30-06 is deadly medicine.

Don

JD338 · Nov 4, 2012

Wondermutt

Every rifle is different. You have to find what your rifle likes.
Some have more freebore than others too.

JD338

Guest · Nov 5, 2012

Yep, + 1 on what JD stated.

Don

Wondermutt · Nov 5, 2012

Thanks all for the input.
He had already sold it at the gun show before I got a chance to look at it.

I do agree,every rifle is different, but I only load to the max SAMMI COAL. I was just taken away that he loads it over .12" over that.

On a side note, I measured my chamber length using my Hornady setup and the method the seller used. They are real close, within .008". My chamber measures out to 3.421" but it likes the max COAL length. :mrgreen:

nosler06 · Dec 7, 2012

FOTIS":3s0pm0h7 said:
I load my Tikka to 3.330"

165 Partitions AT 2820 FPS WITH h4350

That is an accepted method to see how far (pending on rifle's throat) you can seat the bullet out. Once you jam it in the lands I go .005" in at a time till it shoots well.

I believe that my Win Mod 70 30-06 are at 3.310". I came about this by having a dummy round with a loosened neck. I set the bullet at the max length 3.340" and then fed it into the chanber. With this gun it hit the lands and pushed the bullet in further as the bolt was closed. I then backed it off 0.005". I am going to the range to test it again as I have changed the powder from IMR4350 to H4350, but it seems to love this length and has extremely tight groups.