I got all my dads guns when he passed away in 2003 and several of them are custom mausers that he built and I dont know for sure the specs. on them and the storys about how and why he built them the way he did. Tonight I decided to load up some rounds for a heavy barreled .243 that I remember being a real tack driver when I was a kid. The other day I picked up some 105 gr. Bergers and am hoping that they shoot well in this gun even though I'm not sure of the twist rate. I like seating my Berger bullets right at the lands and that was my plan for this load, however when I made my dummy round that I use to determine overall cartridge length I never could get the bullet to reach the lands. This perplexes me. Can anyone give me a reason for what would be different from "standard" about my chamber to cause this? Is it throated/freebored oddly for some reason? Like I said I vividly remember shooting the gun as a teen and it was very accurite, so I have a problem beliving that it has a headspace issue or anything else that would make it unsafe to shoot. If there is some possible reason for this, then how should I determine an overall cartridge length? Thanks in advance for any help/advice.
- Thread starter 264highlandhunter
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Re: Reloading question....Please help.
First of, sorry to hear about your father. It's always a good thing to have some tangible items to hold on to the memories of one's father.
As you know, the 243 is a good throat burner round. Depending on how many rounds down the barrel, it may be time to rebarrel if it doesn't shoot to the accuracy that you expected.
As far as the chamber length, it also depends on the gun, whether it was a custom vs. factory made. Usually, at least with Remy, from my experience, the chamber may be much longer than the custom ones. You can measure it by getting a Hornady chamber length gauge. It's quite easy to measure it. Once you have that, you can always load it up to that length. Keep in mind that the Berger bullets can be temperamental with the OAL. Also, make sure that you have the proper twist rate to stabilize it.
Best wishes with your rifle.
First of, sorry to hear about your father. It's always a good thing to have some tangible items to hold on to the memories of one's father.
As you know, the 243 is a good throat burner round. Depending on how many rounds down the barrel, it may be time to rebarrel if it doesn't shoot to the accuracy that you expected.
As far as the chamber length, it also depends on the gun, whether it was a custom vs. factory made. Usually, at least with Remy, from my experience, the chamber may be much longer than the custom ones. You can measure it by getting a Hornady chamber length gauge. It's quite easy to measure it. Once you have that, you can always load it up to that length. Keep in mind that the Berger bullets can be temperamental with the OAL. Also, make sure that you have the proper twist rate to stabilize it.
Best wishes with your rifle.
Re: Reloading question....Please help.
If you are not reaching the rifling with a 105 gr. bullet in a .243, then I would say that the throat on that sucker could be shot out.
You could have the barrel removed, set back and rechambered if the bore is still in good shape, otherwise you may want to have it rebarreled.
If you are not reaching the rifling with a 105 gr. bullet in a .243, then I would say that the throat on that sucker could be shot out.
You could have the barrel removed, set back and rechambered if the bore is still in good shape, otherwise you may want to have it rebarreled.
Re: Reloading question....Please help.
I forgot to mention...you can determine the twist rate with a cleaning rod and a patch. Make a mark on the cleaning rod and determine how far the rod has to travel to make one full revolution...that is your twist rate.
I forgot to mention...you can determine the twist rate with a cleaning rod and a patch. Make a mark on the cleaning rod and determine how far the rod has to travel to make one full revolution...that is your twist rate.
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