I just purchased a hornady OAL Gauge for my 30-06. I followed the instructions.The bullet seemed to stick out much further from the cannelure than I expected. I'm using a 150 grain hornady soft point. I measured an OAL of 3.374. The Sierra manaul shows an OAL of 3.225. My rifle is a Savage 110 thats about 15 years old, purchased new by me with less than 500 rounds in it. Does this OAL of 3.374 appear to be correct or am I doing something wrong? I also bought the hornady comparator but I haven't used it yet. Thanks!

Is your OAL measurement of 3.374 where the bullet touches the lands, or a specific distance from the lands?

3.374 is touching the lands. I'm a bit concerned because there is less than a quarter of an inch (.220) of bullet that sits inside the case at this point.

Freebore is not a bad thing. I have tried loading with bullets seated at various lengths from the lands, and have found that I get best results when sticking to the Max OAL in field rifles. Pressures are more predictable, and accuracy superb.

My 25-06 is the only exception to the rule, and that load is still about .03 off the lands.

For the 30-06, the Max OAL is 3.34 using most brands of bullets. That would put you a little over 3 hundredths of an inch from the lands.

So basically you are saying to try loading these at the max of 3.34 right?

quote:

Originally posted by bigred6695:
So basically you are saying to try loading these at the max of 3.34 right?

Yes, I would start load development there, and give it an honest chance.

If accuracy is not sufficient, you can start easing the bullet closer to the lands about two thousandths at a time... watching very closely for high pressure signs.

Also keep in mind that bullets from the same box can vary as much as 3-5 thousands in OAL length when loaded to the same seating depth.

Thanks for all the help! One last question. Since bullets from the same box can vary, do people normally adjust the seating die for each round? I also have a bullet comparator that I"ll be using.

Glad to help!!

I usually load 20 rifle rounds at a time. I will seat the first bullet to my desired max OAL. I then check each one with the veneer caliper, finding the longest one from the bunch. I then seat that one to the Max OAL, and give the rest the final seat. All bullets will be seated at, or less than OAL. Results have been very satisfactory using this method.

You will also notice less difference in OAL with ballistic tip bullets, as opposed to spire points, which tend to have some deformities in the lead tips that may account for the larger variations.

bigred
Be sure to check your magazine box and determine the longest overall it will handle. You may be wasting a lot of time if you are playing with seating depths that are longer than you magazine can handle.
Just a tip I've learned the hard way several times.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm using my rifle as a dual purpose until I have the funds to buy another. It is my hunting rifle and has been since I was 16. Last year I decided I wanted to try something new so I decided i want to try long range shooting. I'll be using 165 grains for big game (as you know from my other thread) and I'm going to use 190 grain SMK's for my long range shooting. I will for sure load the SMK's using my OAL/Bullet Comparator, but not sure if I will use it for my hunting rounds.