Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Throating Question

I am getting all ready for my next custom rifle. Have a Mike Rock heavy barrel, and McMillan M40A1 on the way. If I have the chamber cut for the 168 Seirra Match king bullet seated just off the lands, what options will I have for 150/165 grain hunting bullets purchased over the counter for hunting?


I like to handload for targets and use factory ammo for hunting


Rd

Doing likewise,as you know.

Am gonna send a dummy round and have mine throated to kiss a 175SMK at 2.750" with a snuggish chamber. Hopes are that it also responds well to the 155 Scenar.

Am thinking I'll Hunt with a Ti 7-08..................(grin)

Lots to cover here, first get some of those box of over the counter ammo, and get some new empty brass, and bullets of your liking, then make some dumby rounds to your liking, and compare these with the over the counter ammo. This will give you all your answers, and leave no dought were you need the throught cut.

all in all, its best to cut the throught for the heaviest bullets you will use, and get the correct twist rate barrel for that same load.

have the gun plumber take a short section of a barrel (couple inches is enough) and make a bullet seat gauge: Run the reamer up in the barrel section to the shoulder.

THEN take your dummy rounds, put some Dykem or black marker on the bullet, and stick the dummy round up in the above mentioned gauge. Spin the case. If the bullet is touching the lands, you will have a shiny band on the bullet.

This instantly tells you if the reamer is throated correctly. You may have to fudge around with a long seated bullet, and bump it back a few thou until the bullet is in the lands and the case shoulder touches the chamber shoulder.

The bullet seat gauge is handy later on for use in setting up the loading dies. And as a "Throat Master" from which you may compare the actual chamber throat for erosion. Use it like a Stoney gauge, with a dial or digital caliper. Just be sure the ends of the gauge are faced true to the bore.

This gauge also is handy for comparing different bullets to see if the bullet will touch the lands when seated in a case.

John Ricks, I have had those gages too. I was told to place empty case in gage measure the empty case and gage together, place bullet in case and move till it is long, subtract this from empty case and you have a great reference point to alter seating, long is "into" the lands and accurately back off to be "off" the lands, Tim