COL in a M96

[Sweet 6.5]

Good day

I measured the COL to the lands in my Swede last night and I am not sure if this correct. I forced
the bold close on a case bullet without primer or powder and the bullet was just seated.
These are the lengths that came out:
1. 160gr Hornady = 3.31
2. 140gr Hornady = 3.23.

The max. COL I know is suppose to be 3.15. (Loading manual) I used to load my ammunition to
length of bought ammunition. 2.95 - 2.99.
Now the question is, if I want to load the bullets to just off the lands, do I ignore the 3.15 and just seat the
bullets deep enough for a good grip in the case?

Sweet

[Brithunter]

Hi There,

    Question is will the cartridges fit into and feed from the magazine at your COL?

   

    I also wonder why the overwhelming need to seat close to the rifling? after all in both rifles I have chambered for the Swedish cartridge 120 grain Speer bullets shoot exceptionally well is Swedish sporterised mauser and the 140 spitzer shoot well in the commercial modern M96 Slide bolt. Neither are cloas to the lands yet both shoot well. The Hornady 160 grain Round Nose bullet I load to a COL of 3.005" which again is not close to the lands yet accuracy is good.

[Sweet 6.5]

 
Hi Brit

I also don't know the answer to the question : " When do you stop?"

(Edit)
More serious - I can't get mine to shoot the 160gr better than 3 inch groups, I have to
admit the 120gr Speers made me smile. The second best came also from Speer and 140gr's.
I spoiled my wife and bought her a Forster Bench Rest Seater, but I don't think she appreciates
it like she should? Well this helped me to shoot a 5 shot
group of less than inch at 100 meters during my last range session. (I hope)

But this is now my problem, these groups are not all day long, the next group I can get
a flier (maybe me?) 1 to 2 inches away from the rest.

I have tried many loads and a little on the seating dept but this is now the first time that I
thought to give this "lands thing" a change.

Sweet

[james]

I've had better luck seating 6.5 x 55 bullets according to the recommendations in the manuals. I tried seating some 100 grainers long but the groups opened up.  When I dropped back to 2.90 to 2.95 they shoot about like the 120 gr.   For my swede ammo,  I work my loads up in a scoped TC Encore as it takes some of my human error out of the equation.   My groups are larger in my open sighted M96 or M38 but I think the 38 may be more accurate than the Encore.  I too have found the 160 gr Hornadys to be less accurate than the 120s or 140s but they are good hunting bullets at 50 to 100 yds. 

[Brithunter]

Hmmm strange as in my rifles I have found that the 160 grain Hornady to be accurate but perhaps they have changed the dies since i brought any as looking back in my records I see it's been 10 years since I loaded any. reason for this is that they are too much for light deer like Roe. I shot a nice Doe with one at about 90 yards and the exit shoulder was very badly bloodshot, really hammered her, in fact she spun round 180 degrees and dropped facing the way she had come. The load was 44.0 grains of Reloader 19 and WLR in a NNY case. This was using the Swedish Mauser M96 action.

Just looked for the targets shot with it but as I cannot keep them all I have cleared a lot of the old ones out and thrown them away, ran out of room to keep them. Unfortunately Reloader powders are nigh on impossible to obtain just now so i will need to work up some other load when the time comes and due to our stupid laws soft point expanding bullets are not allowed for just range use only huntign and zeroing  As for seating depth I always try to seat with the bullets base level with neck shoulder junction then go out from there. Never seat below this level if I can possibly avoid it.

  All my loads are loaded to around 32 COL except the 100 gran and 77 grain bullets which cannot reach this length. Hmm seems that I cannot find details of the 77 grain loads must have slipped up and forgot to write them up. The 100 grn Nosler Ballistic tip can be accurate but it's a little fragile for deer, devistating on Red Fox though but not fur friendly.

    Sweet 6.5 what rifle are you using? sorry I cannot recall off hand    .

[Sweet 6.5]

Hi Brit

Also a M96, synthetic stock floating barrel, cut down to 22inches 
Timney trigger with Leupold VXII 3-9x40.

Just came back from the  range - loaded some of my normal load of 2.99 inches for 140gr.  Used new PMC cases and didn't expect much because I now by now my rifle likes the cases with bigger head like the Norma with Rem. second. Two 3 shot groups gave ave. of about 3 inches. The next 6 rounds were loaded to 3.07, the two three shot groups were even bigger. 
I had 4 loaded to 3.13 and shot them as one group - and all in less than an inch!
Maybe I am on the right track, not chasing the lands but maybe just a bit longer than what I use to load up to now.
I also had 4 160grs loaded to 3.09. Two groups of less than inch each, but 2 inches apart! At least they are better than any other  160's I tried, including 156gr Norma factory ammunition I bought.
As for the feeding, I can't  get the 160gr to feed the second round in the magazine but the last one no problem, the 140's work just fine. Next I will load some in Norma cases and at 3.1 to 3.2 and see what happens

Sweet

[Brithunter]

Hmmm if your having problems with the American undersized brass. May I suggest that you check the extractor as it sounds like it might not be holding it tight enough. Perhaps it has the wrong one fitted? Another idea especially with the 160 grain bullets is that depending upon when it was made the feed ramp amd magazine might be set up for spitzer bullets. The le Enfields suffered with this and the P-14 does not like feeding the 215 grn RN bullet, soe notice problems with their Le Enfields as there are several types and followers meant for the different marks of ammunition. It seems that you groups are improving so good luck and I hope thet improve even more.