Remington 700 .308 Varmit with an OAL of 2.87"

bigjoe8565

Private
Minuteman
Aug 27, 2009
17
0
59
Mesquite, TX
I wanted to determine the OAL for my rifle, so I purchased a Lee Collet neck sizing die and Hornady Bullet Comparator to help me determine the OAL. I neck sized fired brass putting enough tension so the case would hold the bullet, but loose enough so I could move it with my figers. My average OAL using this method measuremed 2.87". I then checked the dummy rounds using the bullet comparator and I'm showing it's hitting the lands around 2.24".

I know that 2.87 is significantlly longer than any book calls for, but I'm trying to determine if I followed the right directions to determine my OAL.

I'm sure this has been discussed numerous times, but any help or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Joe
 
Re: Remington 700 Varmit with an OAL of 2.87"

Coat the bullet with black magic marker and do the same...when the bullet is pushed into the case by the lands and then extracted, if the lands pull the bullet out a bit, you'll find a mark encircling the bullet where the case mouth reached. That way you can check and see if your length is correct. I have a rifle that measures 2.872 to the rifling.
 
Re: Remington 700 Varmit with an OAL of 2.87"

I was attempting to find depth to the lands on my Rem 700 .308. I don't have the numbers with me but it was exceedingly long!
Found out after researching it on the forum that you will most likely not be able to load anywhere close to the lands with a factory Rem chamber. Im sure others with more experience will give more info..
 
Re: Remington 700 .308 Varmit with an OAL of 2.87"

You did not give the bullet. {168 SMK, 175 SMK, 155 Scenar, 155.5 FullBore,...} Each bullet has a different OAL to ogive mesaurement.

However, My remmy (and many others) have a very long throat. Mine measures OAL = 2.963 with 155 Scenars. This is way to long for magazine length loads to be anywhere close to the lands.
 
Re: Remington 700 .308 Varmit with an OAL of 2.87"

I've used the Hornady (was Stoney Point) OAL gauge to measure my rifle. My 700 w/ 168 SMK ends up being 2.925, 2.940 w/ 178 AMAX. I would say your barrel's throat is shorter than mine so that's not too bad. I've been told this is common for Remingtons. IIRC, my rebarreled M14S w/ M852 chamber measured around 2.890
 
Re: Remington 700 .308 Varmit with an OAL of 2.87"

"... 2.87 is significantlly longer than any book calls for,"

The book doesn't "call for" anything, that's just the length they used to develop their data in their rifle, it's no more a law than the powder charges they list.