COL problems with Rem 700 in .308 WIN

BMiracle

New member
I have a Rem Mdl 700 that I have started loading rounds for. I used a Stoney Point OAL gauge to get the bullet close to the rifling. I have used this method with everything from .223 - 30-06. However, I can't seem to seat the bullets OUT long enough to come close to the rifling. I am using 150 gr and 168 gr bullets. Is this normal for .308 WIN? If so, why? Or is this just Remington? Help....please!
 
I've loaded both 165gr. Ballistic Tips and 168gr. Sierras for a friend's Rem. 700 VS. I've been able to seat the bullets out to the lands with both bullet weights. There's not much bullet left in the case, but so far, we haven't had any trouble. I've been seating .010" off the lands. I think that the o.a.l. for the last 165's that I loaded was 2.990".
 
BMiracle, I had the same revelation with my 700PSS in .308. Snooping around dejanews and snipercountry.com, I noticed it's fairly common. Supposedly, Remington throated their chambers deep to keep pressures down, as a liability-prevention move. I seat my 168gr MatchKings out as far as it takes to still feed from the box magazine. I know they're still shy of the lands by a bunch, but the gun would never know it by the groups it produces. Can't imagine what Berger LTB's would do...
 
Gent's, typically the Rem .308 chambers are at least .110 freebore, but as Gewehr98, states they usually will shoot .5moa @ 100, or better w/ match ammo, set to box mag length..at least in my sperience :)
 
I have a Remington Police DM in 308. The Sierra 168g Match Kings have to be seated at 2.950 to touch the rifling. After 1300+ rounds they have to be seated at 2.975 to be into the rifling.
Soon it will go to a custom gun builder to have the barrel set back and the chamber recut so the bullets don't have to be set out so far.
I also turn the necks and I'm going to have him cut the chamber so there are only a few thousands neck expansion on a fired round.

TS
 
Thanks alot for all you guys answers. I posted on two different forums and the concensus is all the same. Set them out as far as you can go to still fit in the box magazine. I thought it was just a little wierd since I don't have this problem with my other Remingtons.
 
One of the reasons Weatherby rifles became so popular was the wild velocitys they were able to brag about. How they did it was a bunch of free bore in front of the bullet. I think they called it the Miller Venturi effect. The free bore and over charge of powder gave more velocity with less chamber. But they also guarranteed accuracy. You can still look for a sweet spot in seating depth even though you can't kiss the lands. beertrucker-x
 
Target Shooter, without a tight necked chamber there isn't really any need to turn necks. If it makes you feel better, cool. But I find it to be an incredible waste of my time. Buddy has a tight necked 30-338(yeah, it's really weird) and my Douglas regular barreled model 70 in 7Rem mag shoots as well as his rifle does. And with a stock Rem barrel?
Rem barrels have long throats, no two ways about it. Most still shoot pretty well. Winchester on the other hand, seems to throat their rifles fairly short, at least the ones I have. My pre-64 M70 30-06 won't take much more than about 3.315 with a 180gn Swift Sirroco, and my other 7mm mag won't take over 3.330 with a 180gn JLK VLD. Compared to my 40X in 308 Win which needs a 190 seated at 2.950 to be 0.010 off the lands. They all shoot very well though. Better than I need for the most part. Shooter skill is FAR more important than what rifle you are shooting. Semper Fi...Ken
 
That made me wonder, too. It kinda defeats the utility of the 700PSS as an off-the-shelf law enforcement tactical rifle, intended for commercial ammo as purchased by police and sheriff's departments. If you're building a tight necked chamber, short-throated gun, why spend the extra coin on the relatively sloppy PSS, Police DM, or LTR, just to rip it apart and rechamber, when a fresh 700 or 40-X action would suffice for a build-up? Even the M24 and M40 don't go that far, and I doubt Chandler, Autaga, McMillan, or other tactical rifle builders would recommend doing that. You're getting into the benchrester's neighborhood at that point, and then you'll need a Krieger/Shilen/BlackStar barrel, Jewell trigger, squared, blueprinted and lapped action, and other tweaks to justify the neck turning and short-throating. Sounds like a lot of work to get at best a 2/10" tighter group than the already accurate 700PSS.
 
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