Sako surprise - short magazine!

[longwinters]

I have always known (since I started reloading 6months ago) that you have to measure your cartridges length according to 2 criteria.  Chamber length and magazine length.  I have reloaded for probably 10 different rifles in 4 different calibers.  I never had a problem with using longer OAL cartridge length (measured from the chamber length) not fitting in the magazine of any of these rifles until now.  I got a beautiful ,older, Sako in 308 about a month ago.  Did my chamber OAL measurements, loaded up the shells and everything was great until I went to load up the magazine (drop box style).  Hmmm. . . too long!  The shells I loaded were 2.84 and as some of you know the recommended max OAL is 2,81.  Well this rifle magazine will not accept any cartridge over 2.807 so I am loading them to 2.805.  Now I am reloading using Nosler Partitions. But if I switch to Nosler Ballistic tips with their long bullet point I am thinking that even with the same O-Give measurements the cartridge length will again be too long.  I have not measured factory ammo to see what the standard measurements are but I now have these questions and probably a few more.

long

[Donna]

Hello longwinters,

So much for standardization. The specs in the reloading manuals are suggestive not absolutes, if one thing (within limits of course) doesn’t work experiment till it does work. As a reloader we play with different powders, primers, and yes seating depth. I think that what a lot of reloading manuals do as in what information they put in and what information they leave out is unfortunate. A lot of new people get real hung up on the Maximum Over All cartridge Length and we’re not commercial loaders (they have SAMMI specs for that) I think that is one bit of information that should be left out. There are tools that give us the chamber length to the lands and we can take it from there.

Donna :wink: