TODAY'S GUN TIME

   / TODAY'S GUN TIME #8,291  
If your recipe specs 2.100" COL and no factories shoot well either, consider that you might have a 'long throat/leade'. Anything we buy is made to fit the shortest likely chamber & throat. Any gun will like certain ammo over others, and we can/do load our best for each gun. I suggest seating longer in increments up to what fits the mag and for starters will cycle manually.

Set a bullet into a fired case (slightly ovalled if need be) for a light slip fit. Chamber it and get an idea how far that bullet travels to contact the lands. Alt, see H'dy COL tools, ogive (.. and case bushings, shoulder length/setback when sizing, verify with head-space gauges if you have 'em) They're 'comparators' and a fired case is the easy chamber gauge vs casting one. (Just for COL this time if at all)

I do a lot of workups from a 'mid' charge (~5%,max) of a recipe because I'll tweak COL early-on and typically seat farther out. That drops pressure, and not all powders 'reduce' well. (If you seek reduced-recoil loads/powders see Lee's 2nd ed or revised (4198 y'know) for those that will and OR recent Speer manuals w/5744) Only ever had to seat deeper to fit a mag or to cycle but not with any of my own few dozen rifles/calibers.

A nice thing about ARs is that barrels aren't too pricey and swaps aren't rocket science. If a guy no DIY, .. who doesn't know someone who'll hook them up just to prove they can do it. (Dare 'em to do it right, for the best rate. ;)
So, Book length is either 2.245" or 2.260" depending on source, but those lengths jam the bullet Hard into lands. As in, beat the bolt closed, and the bullet stays in barrel, to be beat out with a cleaning rod, kinda jam. 2.100" is out of lands by approx 0.050". What your describing, with a long throat, is absolutely the case with my .270Win.

I dont have a bore scope, but I do have an endoscope, with a 9mm'ish camera. I probably should look at chamber, and see if there is a nasty burr or something, or if the chamber really does require some bullets to be seated 0.150" shorter. Don't know why I haven't tried that yet.
 
   / TODAY'S GUN TIME #8,292  
I would try a new scope (Simmons ?) and mounts before I tried a new barrel.

What kind of rest are you shooting off of? Front rest and rear bag? Front rest and no bag? Bag only in front? Or bipod front, with or without a rear bag?

That "1.25" group may actually be a "sub-moa" group with a proper bench rest.
 
   / TODAY'S GUN TIME #8,293  
So, Book length is either 2.245" or 2.260" depending on source, but those lengths jam the bullet Hard into lands. As in, beat the bolt closed, and the bullet stays in barrel, to be beat out with a cleaning rod, kinda jam. 2.100" is out of lands by approx 0.050". What your describing, with a long throat, is absolutely the case with my .270Win.

I dont have a bore scope, but I do have an endoscope, with a 9mm'ish camera. I probably should look at chamber, and see if there is a nasty burr or something, or if the chamber really does require some bullets to be seated 0.150" shorter. Don't know why I haven't tried that yet.
More than a 1/10” of an inch is a very significant amount on a bullet that short. Something doesn’t seem right in the chamber spec. One reason I don’t go cheapest, usually the second cheapest doesn’t give those types of problems :LOL:
 
   / TODAY'S GUN TIME #8,294  
Probably off that exit that has like a DQ with a gas station on one side and the trucker gas station on the other side. Seems about right 🤣

Need to elaborate... it's about 40 minutes south of the NC border where it seems to become no mans land, not a lot of exits, and pretty boring.
Look on the map, I'm out in the country close to Kershaw SC... and YAY for pretty boring, thats how I like it these days.

Several different ways to get here from 77.. mostly back roads out here.
 
   / TODAY'S GUN TIME #8,295  
Look on the map, I'm out in the country close to Kershaw SC... and YAY for pretty boring, thats how I like it these days.
My only point is driving 5 hours on I-81 seems to go quicker for me just for the hills in Virginia.

That stretch from Rock Hill down to Columbia seems to take forever.

I looked at the map. Seems quicker to take something off 485 around Charlotte and bypass 77 to get down that way, which I guess makes sense.

Guess when I'm in Idaho, Montana or Utah, driving never seems to get old due to the scenery 🤣

That said, you have a much nicer laid out gun range than myself, you'd probably be dissapointed up here;)
 
   / TODAY'S GUN TIME #8,296  
I took delivery last week of the Tikka T3X laminate .260Rem and scoped it for my daughter. What a beautiful gun. The dark laminate is very nice, probably one of the nicest looking rifles I've seen with very sleek lines and contrast between the dark laminate and stainless action/barrel. I scoped it with a Zeiss HD-5 in 2.5-10 x 44 using a picatinny rail and some Leupold Back country cross slot rings. It's a really nice balancing rifle. If it shoots as well as my other T3X, we'll have a winner!
 
   / TODAY'S GUN TIME #8,298  
So, Book length is either 2.245" or 2.260" depending on source, ... 2.100" is out of lands by approx 0.050". What your describing, with a long throat, is absolutely the case with my .270Win.

I don't have a bore scope, but I do have an endoscope, with a 9mm'ish camera. I probably should look at chamber, and see if there is a nasty burr or something, or if the chamber really does require some bullets to be seated 0.150" shorter. Don't know why I haven't tried that yet.
No reason to be beholden to any COL but what suits a particular chamber. Seems you have a short throat vs a long one. I Rarely seat closer to lands than .020"-.030". Not much room to seat longer but .050" jump is quite a bit for many conventional pills in small calibers and IMO there's room to experiment. (.010" increments)

Having Hawkeye, Lyman, and Teslong cams, (recommend the latter two) I also use them to inspect case flash holes to de-burr as needed, throats for erosion, etc. Another thing to look at is the barrel's crown and IMO the best view is from the bore with the cam drawn to position as the bullet travels vs from the end.


As for chamber fit, be sure you're not bumping shoulders back too far. (compare fired to sized) and don't count on 'die touching the shell-holder' when sizing to provide ideal head-space. Tolerances can 'stack' against us and often do so. Also be sure your seater fits each bullet's ogive to a tee. I load RNSPs a lot and what comes with a die set doesn't always start a bullet concentrically vs PSPs. (tools to check runout once loaded) Be sure all cases are trimmed uniformly and after sizing to maintain a uniform crimp if/as applied.
 
   / TODAY'S GUN TIME #8,299  
You make a comment like that on a gun thread and don't post pictures? ;)
You're right. I was completely derelict in my responsibilities and provided an unnecessary tease. :D
This picture doesn't do it justice, but it's all I have at the moment. I'll see if I can take a better one outside.
Tikka  Laminate.jpg
 
   / TODAY'S GUN TIME #8,300  
You're right. I was completely derelict in my responsibilities and provided an unnecessary tease. :D
This picture doesn't do it justice, but it's all I have at the moment.
Thank you!

That is a GREAT looking rifle (y)

Have you gotten the bug big enough where you might see if you have a local smith who might be able to thread the end of that barrel for you? 😁
 
 
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