Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Jump to lands on a .300 WM Savage Model 116

Most Savages in .300WM have a "tapered" lead. The throat tapers down to .308 and then the rifling starts. This usually makes for a smooth transition especialy with very pointy bullets. I have two Savages, one sporter and one heavy barrel. Both have the same throat. Both shoot pretty darn well. Like Vic said, Sierra 165GK and IMR 4350 works very well. I shoot 180 NBST's in the heavy barrel also with IMR4350....Tack driver. All loaded to 3.340 C.o.l.

The tapered lead makes a lot of sense because I had a heck of a time checking the distance to the lands the way I usually do it, with a dummy case with friction fit neck for the bullet. The bullet would get stuck in the throat so easy that I couldn't get a measurement I trusted. Unlike all my other rifles. I ended up doing the rod down the barrel thing to the stuck bullet and the to the bolt face.
Great info sir, thanks.

Lots of Weatherby's do fine and it's often impossible to touch the lands. I think I'd have to put two slugs in to touch the lands with a few of mine. If touching was a requirement for fine accuracy, I'd exceed mag length and run in single shot mode. I'm one though that will do anything for accuracy. If I was worried about hurry up shots, I'd get a semi auto.