Optimal Trim length for .308 in a GAP Crusader?

[Tomekeuro85]

Does anyone know what is the best brass length for a Crusader in .308?

I had a batch of Rem brass i bought new and didnt trim it. I measured a couple random ones and they were around 2.005ish..

However when I was shooting i had a lot that were really hard to close the bolt. When I got home I measured a lot more and this time I found many over 2.010.

So, what is the optimal trim length to avoid this in the future?

I was going to just trim all of them to 2.00 even (because I found a few under 2.005 and I dont like inconsistencies). Bad idea? (since trim to length is 2.005)

 

[Outsydlooknin75]

Re: Optimal Trim length for .308 in a GAP Crusader?

I know a lot of guys that trim to 2.00 because its an easy number to remember.

 

[mattmcg]

Re: Optimal Trim length for .308 in a GAP Crusader?

First off, there is no such think as a "best brass length" for any rifle. There is a minimum and maximum and everywhere in between. That said, if you would like to know your chamber dimensions exactly, try making a mold from Cerrosafe and measure it to know exactly. That will tell you what your maximum case length can be in that specific rifle without running into issues.

I believe the trim-to-length in almost every reloading book I have read is 2.005" for 308 Win. If your rifle is having an issue with that, you should look at having the rifle sent back and rechambered.

Frankly though, I don't think that is your problem. It is easy to test this out though, trim one case to 2.000" and then try chambering it as you have suggested (just don't do it on all your brass). If the problem is still there, then you know it is not a case length problem and can rule that out. Make sure you full length size your brass using a new case to see if the problem goes away. If it does, you have found the culprit, if not, then you probably have a chamber issue.