Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Magazine length vs cartridge length

Lets say I have round that can be loaded to a maximum length of 2.94" in a particular rifle. However, the magazine length of that rifle is only 2.84". Is there a "general rule" of how much shorter then 2.84" the bullet should be seated in order for it to fit and function properly from the magazine ? Ben

No, because most individual bullets of a certain weight, type and brand vary slightly in overall length and shape. As a result, the only realistic way to find out is cut-and-try with a few dummy rounds--and avoid loads with very heavily compressed powder charges, because they may push the bullets back out slightly after seating. Don't ask me how I know.

BEN243;

One thing I did learn is that it's important to load even shorter than "just fits" in the magazine. In cold weather the magazine may shrink more than the loaded round and cause feeding to fail. This was the case on a cold October morning in a Tikka t3 in 308 loaded to 2.84" with an uncompressed charge (varget). The one in the chamber was fine, but the others would not come up because they were stuck against the front wall of the mag. (Berger vld's don't have any give like lead does).