The only two rifles I've dealt with that had extremely long throats, where no matter what, you couldn't get close to the lands are my model 70 .300 win mag and my buddy's Weatherby Vanguard .300 wtby mag. His rifle shot lights out 3/4" groups all day long. No exaggeration on that at all. My model 70 will only do 1" and then with fliers an 1 1/2" at best.
I was commenting based on my endless reading of what others have found in long throated magnums. It is common. The longer throats and freebore are made that way to reduce pressure in stout loads and allow for any factory loads to never hit the lands no matter what the COAL is. There are exceptions though. Rifles are different.
Fish head, your absolutely corect. My 300wby was made on the 1917 enfield action and it was like most true weatherby magnums: It had the throat of linda lovelace but boy could she shoot!! I know on some of my loads I was about .060-.100" off the lands, but with that heavy barrel and those loads stoked up it would shoot like your budies. I remember shooting some 1/4 inch groups and consistantly shooting 3/4 inch groups, one right after the other!!! Why did I get rid of that thing. Oh well live and learn.
