.243 24" bull fluted / cant get close to the lands.

[Deerhunter#1]

well working on some 100 grain loads with hor btsp / nos bt / sie pro hunters. Using a fired case inserting the bullets and am way over what is to be the max length of 2.71 for a 243. About 2.84 for nosler. Am I doing something wrong or have others found this also. At that length what type of accuracy can I expect  being that far from the lands. I have shot some factory winchester 100 grain PP with about 2 inch group at 100.

[Uncle Harry]

I was surprised at the measurement I got as well. The chamber seems on the generous side.
I'm still messin' with it. Mine is a bull bbl as well but not fluted.

[ratdog]

i have tried it both ways cant see much improvement even with other calibers.might try a different bullet.

[quickdtoo]

Long throats in H&R barrels is a well know fact, most load to recommended COL and don't worry about it  if they can't just seat the bullets shallower and get good results usng a longer COL. FWIW, I've got several H&R 243s, they all shoot good with factory and handloads, even the superlights, my best shooting Ultra shoots 100gr Federals and 95gr Fusions well under 1" at 100yds and they don't come any where close to the lands.

Tim

[necchi]

 I've found the same with all my Handi barrels. Extremely long chamber necks. I've done Cerrosafe castings so I can actually see and measure chamber dimentions, (way too easy with these singles!)
 
 I'll seat out from sammi .010-.020 but no way reach the lands with the .223's. I can make contact with the 7-08 an 308 but theres darn little bullet left in the neck.
 
 What I found too really dial in the accuracy on all of'm is too focus on run-out issues. Keeping concentricity as straight as possible was the "Majic" formula,, and to do so requires the bullet being in the case enough to keep it straight.
 Turning the factory guide line of  "2 inches at 100"  into sub moa at 200 is good-n-nuff for the girls I date. 
 
 

[gcrank1]

The COL mostly matters in magazine rifles. Rule of thumb that has worked well for me is a seating depth equal to the bullet dia., that kinda keeps everything 'together' and still gets closer to the lands. Getting into the lands is really more a function of the ojive of the bullet nose, a blunt RN the same length as your pointy numbers will probably hit first. I know some guys who, for benchrest, have only put about 1/10" of the bullet base into a case mouth. As said, concentricity is likely more important.
That long freebore will help keep your pressures down too, and only by proper testing of seating depths (all else the same in the load) under identical conditions will you know if it makes much, if any difference. Just because the 'common methodology' most mentioned is to seat to touch the lands does not mean that only it works.

[cwlongshot]

As Tim mentioned, its common knoledge for these handis. Altho few would doubt the accuraty advantage to getting the bullet close to the rifling, many of us get some very respectable accuracy with the extra free bore in our barrels...
keep trying different formulas and you will find something that works!!
 
My own is a 100Gr Hornady Bullet and a moderate load of  IMR 4350 powder sparked with a CCI LR primer.
 
CW

[manatee1947]

I traded for a 30/30 barrel here and found just the opposite, the COL for a 30/30 is listed as 2.540 with a 150gr fn.  The best I can get is 2.510 and the bullet is touching the lands. Starting loads flatten the primers slightly. Midrange loads flatten primers considerably and back them out very slightly on thin rimmed cases. The accuracy was good  @ ,700 at 50 yards, the power range seemed pretty good as per penetration.I am ordering some lighter bullets, 125 grainers, that are shorter and will try to work up some lighter pressure loads. I did not want to have to rent a throater and ream it out.

[ratdog]

you will like the 125 grainer's i have shot those quite a bit.

[gcrank1]

It is still the ojive (the curve of the bullet toward the nose) that determines the first contact with the lands and thus the COL, not the weight/length (within reason). Also, there is no downside to seating it a tad deaper to give yourself some freebore and cut some pressure.

[knight0334]

It is still the ojive (the curve of the bullet toward the nose) that determines the first contact with the lands and thus the COL, not the weight/length (within reason). Also, there is no downside to seating it a tad deaper to give yourself some freebore and cut some pressure.

I was just gonna mention that.   If the freebore is of proper diameter, then it wont harm accuracy.  Its not like shooting a .38spl in a .357max chamber or shooting .45Colt in a long chamber reamed to accommodate .410 shell where you have a long unsupported travel before engaging the throat, freebore, and rifling...    If the cartridge properly engages the throat, and all you have is the bullet sized freebore, then there really isn't an issue so long as the bullet unless the sides aren't long enough to keep the bullet from tilting in the freebore.  If the bullet doesn't tilt, the freebore will actually improve ballistics by lowering pressures and raising velocities.

I've seen freebores as long as a couple inches in rifles, which shot sub-MOA.   I'd measure the diameter of the freebore to see if it is the same size as your slugs, or smaller than your slugs.   If the bore is the same or slightly smaller - there isn't a problem being far from your rifling.

[gcrank1]

Thanx for vaidating that, but I think you really mean 'ballseat' (the reduced dia. ahead of the chamber proper) where the bullet is actually supported before hitting the rifling. The freebore, when done properly, is in the length of the ballseat, and, just like it sounds, is essentially the bore free of rifling. Weatherby has been using freebore effectively for years.
Technical semantics aside, these concepts are what we use as tools as reloaders because we can fine tune a cartridge to best match our chambers, and thats what can make the magic happen.

[Deerhunter#1]

my 30-30 also had a short through compaired to my others. that being said I get great accuracy and have had no problem with it.

[OR-E-Gun Bill]

well working on some 100 grain loads with hor btsp / nos bt / sie pro hunters. Using a fired case inserting the bullets and am way over what is to be the max length of 2.71 for a 243. About 2.84 for nosler. Am I doing something wrong or have others found this also. At that length what type of accuracy can I expect  being that far from the lands. I have shot some factory winchester 100 grain PP with about 2 inch group at 100.

What is the measured COL of the 100 gr. Sierra ProHunter & the 100 gr. Hornady BTSP that you tested touching the lands? Just curious how my standard .243 Handi compares to your measurements using those same bullets.

Thanks,

Bill