Gunsmithing gunsmithing/reloading ? .......please help

[264highlandhunter]

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? Could my throat be worn? Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

 

[CopperCreekAmmo]

Re: gunsmithing/reloading ? .......please help

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/570611/hornady-lock-n-load-overall-length-gage-bolt-action

This may be a good place to start, and maybe a cleaning rod with a tight patch so you can measure the twist rate of your barrel.

 

[CaptLink]

Re: gunsmithing/reloading ? .......please help

A piece of tape on your rod helps to determine twist by the foot one for the foot measure another as a flag for counting.Your bullets may not be as heavy as your dads load plus the ojive is more than likely different.Weatherby's have looong throats as well they still shoot tight groups.

 

[bohem]

Re: gunsmithing/reloading ? .......please help

The 243 is notoriously hard on barrels and that's what you're likely finding. YOu can't reach the lands because of the long nose on the Berger coupled with a barrel that is in an unknown state of "burned out"

It may still shoot great, it may not. Try some 107 SMK's and see how those go, they're known to be tolerant of a jump to the lands.

You should run the cleaning rod trick to check the twist rate first before doing anything.