Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles .270 COAL...should I be worried?

I've been messing around with 140 ABs and H4350 in my .270 Ti of late, and I've run into a bit of a "snag"...or not...and thus my question.

The SAMMI COAL is 3.340 of course, and while I've loaded them out as long as 3.375 to date, it would appear I am still a LONG way from the lands and the current accuracy is not up to par (1.3ish MOA).

I tried the "smoked" bullet deal to measure my distance with the bullet in question, but that was a bit imprecise with my sausage-like fingers and gorilla dexterity as the likely culprit. Anyway, as best I can tell 3.610 SEEMS to be where I have contact...though I wouldn't wager a large sum of money on it and that seems proposterously far out.

I ended up loading my rounds at 3.475 as I just couldn't make myself go any longer than that. I guess my question is should I be concerned about anything with my rounds loaded out that far? They chamber just fine and there is still plenty of room in the magazine box, so I can't see where there would be a problem but I thought I better ask before I go back to the range and lose a finger or an eye.

What say you campfire?

How much bullet is in the neck?

Good question. I don't have any in front of me, but more than a quarter inch anyway.

Dave

That's plenty. The 300 Savage and 300 Win. mag. do quite well with less than that.

You're still well off the lands, so you're probably not going to jack up the pressure.

I have the exact same rifle and had the same issue with the exact same bullet. The figures are at home, but the oal to the lands was way above the industry standard. Ended up seating them .020" off the lands, look goofy as hell but they fit in the mag box. Mine likes a max charge of H4831sc, and how you hold the forend has more to do with how it shoots than the charge of powder in my case. Mine will hold them into 3/4" if I do my part, but it took me a long time to get there.

As a general rule is there a safe minimum amount of the bullet that should remain in the neck? I had a similar issue with a 7x57 that I recently got and realized the lands were way out there. I shoot TTSXs so the bullets are plenty long, but how much should at least be in the neck if I try and stretch it out.

I am not experienced in any way, and have no idea how far from the lands I am. Since I reload for a hunting rifle I started work up with bullets seat at magazine length, now I will start seating deeper and see if it improves or not, but here somewhere I read that at least a bullet's diameter should be in the neck, not sure of it.
JR - I know a guy with your same name...

Diameter in the neck, that sounds familiar now that I think about it.

Same name huh? Is he strikingly handsome and an all-around great guy as well?

That has been around for a long time, but it isn't necessary.

Although it's a bit imprecise in my experience, I think I might try the cartridge lengthg gauge now made by Hornady (I think). Useta be made by Stoney Point. In my .270 Win., I seat my bullets to -0.020" from the lands as measured to the ogive. But I use 150 gr. bullets. You don't mention your powder charge so I don't know if you're near ther top end or not.
You might also try the old "cleaning rod trick" by measuring/marking a cleaning rod to the bolt face. Insert a bullet to just touch the lands, then mark the cleaning rod again, thus giving you tha OAL. It's not that accurate but close enough. Just some ideas. Good luck.
Bear in Fairbanks

iddave,
You magazine OAL may be the limiting factor as you alluded to earlier. I have to say my Stoneypoint tool with a modified case is something I could not be without. For any cartridge and rifle you can line up the bullets you want to test and run them into your chamber to measure where they touch. That gives you a real world number and starting point for OAL.

The other idea which may have been mentioned is to take an honest look at H4831SC. For my 270's (6) it is the "go to" powder from 130's to the 160.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Thanks for the council boys. I'll keep everyone posted on future developments for those so inclined.

I'll second the Stoney Point/Hornady OAL guage, it seriously takes out the guesswork.

I bought a 7x57 and did not have the modified case yet from Midway so I tried to do it manually (opened up neck and a sooted/sharpied bullet) and got close, but had varying results.

With the OAL I can repeatedly find the lands and lock the length everytime with the same result.

Here' a couple of things I have learned over the last 45 years of hand loading. A bullet diameter is the general accepted minimum seating depth. If you are seating .277 you have enough. Obviously, any distance in the case that holds the bullet securely is sufficent. As to SAMMI COAL, if your bullet is off the lands a few thousanths, you are good to go. SAMMI specs, are for general information, and designed to fit most firearms. You as a handloader, can and should experiment around until you find what your rifle likes best. A caution though, for hunting ammunition, it is better to be shorter, than longer. You don't want to get in the field, and then find your ammo won't fit the magazine or chamber properly. Take it from someone who has had this happen. Oh, BTW the 270 Winchester is and will always be by faqvorite cartridge, even though I have a gun safe full of other rifles.

Jerry

One word of caution from one who felt like an idiot for doing this. I tested getting closer to the lands and made longer loads for two different rifles\calibers. I got great results at the range so naturally I loaded up a bunch and went hunting- only to find that because of my range technique of top loading one cartridge at a time I did not realize that I had exceeded the magazine length in both rifles and could not 'load up' with anything other than one in the chamber. Opening myself up to ridicule here to hopefully allow you to save aggravation later. Real bummer having to start the process over again -and put up with ribbing from guys who shoot one box of store bought every five years . Btw I had great luck with same powder and Hornady 140's. For the 150's (just in case you ever try them) I got even better and more consistent results with H4831sc. Shot every load well in my CZ.

No ridicule necessary. Once you do that (I did many years ago) it shortens the learning curve.

It happened to me too

Me too, only it was loads for a buddy.

Never did it too myself.

Dale

Last year a rifle went sorta flooey on me at the final sight check, so had to take one of my 270's...so here I am loading 30 rounds the night before I leave for Wyoming.

One 270 has a really long throat,unlike the one I planned to take and ,well,you guessed it...I grabbed the dummy seating round for the long throated rifle.In my haste to do the last minute stuff I did not run the loaded rounds through the rifle as a final check.

Of course I discover all this the first day in Wyoming when I jam a loaded round into the shorter throat 270 and have a powder spill and bullet stuck in the lands.

Fortunately the rancher is a handloader,had a press and 270 dies, and I seated everything deeper and was OK to rock on....

Course I have only been doing this stuff for about 40 years now and should have known better......but that's what happens when you woolgather instead of paying attention.....(sigh).

holy cow that is what I call luck. Rancher probably appreciated you being a handloader too.