Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Finding OAL with an TC Encore

Don't laugh, but came across a good deal on a 7mm/08 barrel and since I load a little, I figured I'd give it a shot. I have the Sinclair gage for my bolt guns and familiar with finding oal and ogive with it, but anyway in particular with singleshots that work well? I guess I could remove the stops off my Sinclair kit and hopefully they fit on one of my rods to take the measurements through the muzzle. Just measure to the breech face as opposed to a bolt face, allow for any play since its an Encore? I imagine it may be best to remove the extractor also? Is there a simpler way I'm not just not thinking about? Thanks for any help.

Matt

I don't use and never have the Sinclair tool or anything like it. Rather I use a cleaning rod. Close the action and insert the rod to the bolt face. Mark the rod at the muzzle. Open the action and drop a bullet into the lands. Hold it there with a pencil and stick the cleaning rod back in to the bullet tip. Mark the rod again at the muzzle. Measure the distance between the marks and that is OLL touching the lands. Only draw back is you'll need to set your seater die with a dummy load made with that same bullet.

I just use 3' dowels and a razor for my break action rifles. Insert bullet and hold in place with a short dowel. Slide the 3' dowel in the muzzle until it makes contact and slide the razor across the muzzle making a small cut. Remove bullet, close action, and slide the dowel in to the breech face and make another mark. You have to then subtract headspace because you don't want the bullet kissing and shoving the case back against the face. These rifles are not exactly like loading for bolt rifles, but quite simple when you get the hang of it. To simplify, I just don't load to kiss lands. Buy a set of shim gauges to check your headspace when FL sizing if you have enough barel to frame gap.

Read Mike Bellm's website to clarify some of the above.