Cartridge OAL for Sako TRG 22

[SAPenguin]

Hi there everyone -

I will be loading up some .308 rounds for my Sako TRG22 - using Lapua 155gr Scenar.
My question is this:

Will I be limited by the magazine length BEFORE I am able to seat the rounds right at the lands?? (i.e. is it worthwhile for me to chase the lands, or is the throat so long that i will be limited by magazine length instead??)

Thanks for the help!

 

[Fuzzball]

"Will I be limited by the magazine length BEFORE I am able to seat the rounds right at the lands??"

Now me, I just don't know what the specific throat-lands-magazine of your particular rifle might be, nor does anyone else.

I can tell you that 'chasing the lands' is largely misunderstood and misused. It's primarily a BR technique that helps obtain more consistant start pressures with the very light bullet/neck grip most of those guys prefer. But your rifle is not BR, nor is your ammo, so seating at or into the lands is unlikely to be helpful ... but nothing is impossible so try it!

 

[DJ 480]

I load my 308 .010 off the Lands for 175smk and I have a lot of length left... I sure u will be fine

 

[29aholic]

Since I generally load single shot (I am an old BR guy) I have always used Page's method of seating a dummy cartridge/bullet with the lands, set the seating die to it and then add one turn in on the seating die to come up with my OAL. This method makes the round too long to fit in a 700 SA magazine and thus HAS to be shot single shot chamber loaded. Bear in mind, some rifle manufacturers chamber their rifles with enough lead (freebore if you will) at the chamber that this method will not reach tha lands. Another consideration is your powder/charge. Most reloaders agree the most efficient loads are those with the least amount of "dead air" space, meaning the more space you can take up with powder the better off you are. It so happens with my load that even seated out it is on the verge of a compressed load. Some loading manuals go so far as to assign an efficiency rating to weights of a given type of powder.
As has been said this is primarily a BR system and not neccessarily a good tactical one; howeve, I believe the shorter jump to the rifling the better you are so I would experiment with a dummy cartridge and come up with the longest OAL you can reliably feed from your magazine.
My $.02 YMMV

 

[afrancke]

Will I be limited by the magazine length BEFORE I am able to seat the rounds right at the lands??

Very likely you will be limited. The 175 SMK can get to the lands under mag length in the TRG-22, but Berger 155.5 FBs cannot (and the Scenar is closer in profile to the latter). I don't have any personal experience with the Scenar.

I agree with Fuzzball that YMMV depending on throat condition, but I am not sure why he says that chasing the lands/manipulating jump is just for BR shooters. I thought many VLD bullets were sensitive to jump and that real gains could be had in finding the optimal distance when using such projectiles. I can tell you that despite that, the Berger 155.5 FB works great seated to mag length in the TRG, despite not having been perfectly dialed in by varying depth.

 

[hammerhead]

In my TRG-22, OAL is 2.919" with Scenars jumping 0.005". That leaves plenty of mag room to seat out further as the throat moves forward.

 

[SAPenguin]

Thanks for the answers everyone!