Touch the lands or fit in the mag?

P

pyscodog

Active member
I was checking OAL on some 40 grain bullets for my 22 K-Hornet. I can touch the lands with all four bullets and still have plenty of bullet in the case..........but they won't fit the little mag. Just a question in advance as I haven't shot any of this weight bullet in my rifle yet. Kinda hate to make the rifle a single shot but on the flip side accuracy is always good.
What should I do? Shoot first and decide later??
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If I had to choose between ultimate accuracy and not fitting the mag, or fitting the mag, and losing a bit....I am making stuff fir in the mag every time.
 
Originally Posted By: liliysdadIf I had to choose between ultimate accuracy and not fitting the mag, or fitting the mag, and losing a bit....I am making stuff fir in the mag every time.


I stay that way on all my repeaters. On the Hornet it may not make a lot of difference being mag size.
 
I replied in an earlier thread on this subject for a Ruger . 40g Speer spire points can touch the lands and still fit in the magazine.

When I went plastic tip bullets, they had to jump a long ways and accuracy was lost.

Choose your poison:

Accuracy with the speer spire points or in-accuracy with plastic tips using the magazine.

40g Speer spire points are darn good coyote bullets, in spades!
 
Touch the lands just to fireform your brass. Neck size the formed brass & seat to the appropriate depth for cycling thru your mag.
 
I did that when I first started forming cases. Started loosing to much brass so I backed off the charge and the OAL. I quit loosing brass after that.
 
This is something I did on my Rem. 788 in 22-250.

I got the correct seating depth to the lands, then backed off about 3 thousands. Then I made a "cut out" in the magazine and then made a groove in the wood just enough for the loaded round to fit.

Worked great! Shot several different bullets styles over a couple years with no problems.
 
Did you shoot the ammo at the length it would fit in the magazine versus touching the lands and there was that much difference? I have a couple of rifles that prefer more bullet jump and shoot tighter groups by doing so.
 
Yes, I did try them first, but at 85 thousands jump, groups where 3/4" + @ 100.
I was shooting the Speer 52 HP mostly and when I got them down to 3-5 thousands the groups where usually under 1/2"

 
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You will have to work up a load with mag length what fodder you have on hand. Semi point bullets and the 40g speer can give you some spectacular groups with bullets seated close to lands.

ackley hornets are notorious for shooting 1.5" groups till you find what they like, drove me crazy on three different rifles, ruger, browning, and kimber.

Big bullet jump equals crap for groups. Of course, keep in perspective that 1" groups are fine for coyotes.
 
Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeI have my rifles built to do both.

+1

I had a 17 and 22 ai hornet reamers ground with zero freebore, sure made load development easier for use with magazines!
 
I had a Ruger #3 in 22 hornet, 12.0g of Win 296 with 50g Noslers with win primers shot a single ragged hole at 100 yards, 12x leupold. Guy at the range offered me an obscene amount of money for the rig, so I let her go.

WWII P-51 ace, could not turn him down.
 
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Originally Posted By: coyote controlThis is something I did on my Rem. 788 in 22-250.

I got the correct seating depth to the lands, then backed off about 3 thousands. Then I made a "cut out" in the magazine and then made a groove in the wood just enough for the loaded round to fit.

Worked great! Shot several different bullets styles over a couple years with no problems.

GUTSY!!! With magazines worth their weight in platinum (forget
gold), I was tempted, but afraid to do that. Had to rebarrel
my 788 in .22-250 and can now get accurate loads that fit in
the magazine.

My biggest reloading pet peeve = short detachable magazines!
 
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