Hello, new guy on the forum here, hoping someone can help me with a problem I have run into. I have a CZ 550 fullstock in 9.3 x 62 mm with which I have had great hunting success using Norma factory loads. I wanted to develop a load using the Barnes 250-gr TSX. Using my Hornady OAL gauge to find the cartridge length to the lands leaves the bullet so far out, that even seating it .050” off the lands will leave less than a caliber’s length of bullet in the case. The round would be nearly half an inch longer than the Norma factory round. I’m sure not comfortable with that, and I’m sure the round would not fit in the magazine. I know this happens sometimes with some rifles. I have loaded a lot of rifle rounds but this is the first time I’ve seen this. Can anyone give me an idea of a way to come up with a seating depth? I could try to seat the TSX to the same OAL as the Norma round, but the ogives and tips are so different it would be apples and oranges, and not much better than a guess. Does anyone have any experience with this? Any advice appreciated, thanks for reading.

MMM, it is not uncommon (in particular for European calibers) to run into chambers, which are throated so long that you can't realisticly reach the lands with a seated bullet.

Despair not, often even a largish jump does not seem to have a negative effect on accuracy - or at least you can get decent results even with a long jump. In fact, your Norma factory ammo will also work with a considerable bullet jump, and as you mention this still seems to produce good accuracy.

If it was me, I'd load 1) to an OACL my magazine would accept, 2) to an OACL which will give me secure seating (I often seat such that the base of the bullet is about at the case neck junction) and 3) if I know I'll be loading well off the lands, I often seat TSX bullets to have one of the "rings" of the bullets positioned right under the case mouth (stops grime from getting into the ammo).

- mike

Darn, beat to the post.

I shoot the TSX in a 300 Weatherby with no hope of reaching the rifling. I load to just under mag length in my gun.

The TSX can be a bit fussy.

You say that you can load to mag length. I would start there. Load to just under mag length, shoot a group or two and go from there.

Hopefully you have loading manuals or something that will give you SAAMI cartridge overall lengths. If not, you can buy a Hodgdon Annual in magazine form at Barnes and Noble for $8 or $9. It will give you OAL's for the different bullets they load. I most production rifles you will be hard pressed to load "off the lands". Don't worry, you can get plenty good accuracy loading to SAAMI overall length. Chances are you are not shooting bench rest matches, or 1000 yds with a manlicher stocked CZ in 9.3 x 62. Two inch groups at 100 yds will suffice for about anything you shoot out to, say 300 yds. Remember this is for fun.

FWIW Barnes manual #4 shows the 250 gr. TSX at 3.205" OAL.
The 250 gr. TSX loads I developed for my CZ 9.3 x 62 were 3.285" OAL. Eighty thousandths over book. Short enough to fit in the magazine, not too long to be concentric. Plenty of bullet in the case to get a good "pull"

More important to have concentric rounds that will load in the magazine and on which the bolt will close than to frustrate yourself by trying to get the bullet .015", .030" or .050 off the lands of a commercial chamber.
GWB

Worry more about how they hit what you are shooting at than how far before they hit the lands. 250gr X bullets shot great the CZ 9,3x62 I had.
Load em magazine length and see how they shoot, you probably won't have much to worry about................DJ

9.3X62's seem to be very unfussy about loading details. My CZ doesn't seem to notice bullet sitting depth at all. If you are not utterly commited to Barnes bullets try Hornady 286 SP's or Nosler 286 Partitions; my rifle loves both of them loaded to 3.29" OAL with RL15.

I have a CZ 550 American in 9.3X62. With the Barnes bullets I set them to just caliber in the case. Don't worry they will be just fine. With Varget mine shoot at or just below 1" at 100 yards. Fit the magazine and feed just fine. They do look funny with three bands showing. Does not effect function however.

Seating the bullet very close to or into the lands is something which you can do in under sized benchrest chambers with good success. For factory chambers a reasonal jump is usually the better recipe. And when I say jump, I'm talking about .08" to .10".

Non-lead bullets often require even more of a jump than that in order to give maximum precision.

This seems to be caused by the greater resistance they offer when being forced into the rifling. Pressure build-up is obviously more consistent when the bullets already have a certain velocity when they hit the rifling. The penetration resistance is then more easily overcome with less variation from bullet to bullet.

Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate the responses and the advice. These Accurate Reloading forums are the best. Since I found it, this is about the only site I keep up with regularly. I am using a Barnes manual and was prepared to seat at the SAAMI length, but I wanted to see what others had to say. My loads for my 6.5 x 55 came out kind of long with the 130-gr TSX at 0.050" off the lands, but they had plenty of bullet seated in the case, they fit the magazine, and they shoot 5 shots touching each other at 100 yds out of my CZ FS. This situation with the 9.3 kind of threw me. Thanks again, MMM.