As for your accuracy question, my rifle shoots descent 3 shots approx. 1 1/2"@100 yds with the long freebore. It maintains the same cold clean barrel zero every time, which is more important to me in a hunting rifle.

Thanks!!!

I would approach load development with caution, not assuming a heavy charge is appropraite based merely on the fact that the chember has a lot of freebore. The model 70 action is nowhere nearly as strong as the Mark V.

I have never had a problem making rifles with a lot of freebore shoot, including Weatherby's. I just pick a random OAL and go with it, I have found the Wby cartridges shoot better hot as well.

Here is a group from my factory Accumark in 340 Wby,it does this all day long with the bullet nowhere close to the lands.

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www.rifleshooter.com

Save a plant, shoot a deer!

What is freebore?
How does it affect velocity and accuracy?
What do you different, if anything when reloading?

Thanks

quote:

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Originally posted by Bill:
Shark Bait

I would approach load development with caution, not assuming a heavy charge is appropraite based merely on the fact that the chember has a lot of freebore. The model 70 action is nowhere nearly as strong as the Mark V.

I have never had a problem making rifles with a lot of freebore shoot, including Weatherby's. I just pick a random OAL and go with it, I have found the Wby cartridges shoot better hot as well.

Here is a group from my factory Accumark in 340 Wby,it does this all day long with the bullet nowhere close to the lands.

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Bill, Thanks for the feeback. I plan on working up from well below max. If I can get groups like yours I will be very, very satisfied. My next rifle is going to be a .257 Weatherby, unless I can swing a 257 caliber Wildcat. Thanks again!

The danger in a short freebore (Freebore is the gap between the end of the brass and the start of the rifling.) is NOT the bullet being pushed into the lands. The danger is having a stretched neck pushed into the lands and then being pinched so it cannot release the bullet. BOOM! Over-pressure.

I have a Rem. 700 PSS in .223 Rem. with a lot of freebore. To get bullets to the lands, I had to use 69 gr. bullets. Then I was trimming brass to 1.760" -- max case OAL, rather than the spec. 1.750". The loads would not fit in the magazine and needed to be loaded singly. Also, the ammo would not fit in a standard plastic ammo box.

BUT -- groups went from circa .8 MOA to .3x MOA, low 3's actually. "Standard" offset from the lands to the brass for a factory rifle is recommended at around 0.005". And lots of varmint/bench shooters sneak up even closer. Varmint Al runs tighter if he can:

http://www.cctrap.com/~varmint/arelo.htm#Chamber_Length

My solution to "accurizing" a $1,500 "sniper" rifle has been to get a smith to set back the barrel, remove the freebore and then rechamber to .223 Ackley Improved.

It's in the shop being done as we speak. My hope is that I can then shoot 40 gr. Nosler BT's and get them up to the lands.

Sinclair sells all sorts of measuring devices for ogive and chamber length. This dimension seems critical to accuracy, more so than load weight/bullet choice.

www.sinclairintl.com

BTW, my PSS came with a 6 - 7 lb trigger and a big warning from Remington "Do NOT adjust the trigger!" Well . . . it backs off easily to 2 lb. When it's out of the shop, we're going to see if it backs off to 8 - 12 oz. If not, we're going to Jewell Comp. Seems absurd to build "world's most accurate out of the box rifle" and then stick it with a sloppy chamber and an overburdened trigger. I'd be willing to sign a liability release upon purchase/transfer and get a tight bore gun with a real trigger. The attorneys need to get out of the way! Firearms are inherently dangerous. I don't need "parental controls" for shooting one.

MOA groups are fine for big game hunting. (1.0 MOA @ 100 yds is about 1.0") But we're hoping to shoot hen's eggs at 350 metres. It's not about taking game at all. Accuracy IS the game!

[This message has been edited by Genghis (edited 01-18-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Bill T (edited 01-18-2002).]