O.A.L. Question.

OK. each manual may use diff guns or universal recievers as test weapons. also even guns of the same mfg and mdl's will have slight variations in internal measurements (shapes/dimensions). normaly when they say not to excede a certain oal it's because the round will not fit in some mags or chambers, remember mfg's are making a bullet (say 30-06) that will fit in EVERY mag and chamber of every 30-06 ever built (industry spec). you are just concerned with your gun. there are technical ways of getting the exact internal specs of YOUR gun, but unless you plan on long range worldwide competition it won't be needed,imo. seating a bullet too deep, with a shorter oal can cause increased internal pressures and be more dangerous than having an oal too long. there will be an oal range that will fit in YOUR mag, feed, eject and be most accurate, that's the sweet spot we have been talking about, that you need to find out for that particular bullet and load. if you find it be sure to write it down. the method I use is to seat the 1st bullet into empty brass with no powder or primer and see how it fits in YOUR mag and feeds/ejects. I start with it a little long so I can just feel the bullet touching the lands in the bbl (while still fitting in the mag,feeding & ejecting properly), the bolt might be a little hard to close. then back it down a little, (shorten the oal) and you should be pretty close the sweet spot, but only shooting it will tell you for sure. now this process I would ONLY use for bolt or single shot guns. semi autos,pumps, levers I'd adhere strictly to factory spec. the next chapter will be on neck sizing, and don't forget the quiz on friday.

OK. each manual may use diff guns or universal recievers as test weapons. also even guns of the same mfg and mdl's will have slight variations in internal measurements (shapes/dimensions). normaly when they say not to excede a certain oal it's because the round will not fit in some mags or chambers, remember mfg's are making a bullet (say 30-06) that will fit in EVERY mag and chamber of every 30-06 ever built (industry spec). you are just concerned with your gun. there are technical ways of getting the exact internal specs of YOUR gun, but unless you plan on long range worldwide competition it won't be needed,imo. seating a bullet too deep, with a shorter oal can cause increased internal pressures and be more dangerous than having an oal too long. there will be an oal range that will fit in YOUR mag, feed, eject and be most accurate, that's the sweet spot we have been talking about, that you need to find out for that particular bullet and load. if you find it be sure to write it down. the method I use is to seat the 1st bullet into empty brass with no powder or primer and see how it fits in YOUR mag and feeds/ejects. I start with it a little long so I can just feel the bullet touching the lands in the bbl (while still fitting in the mag,feeding & ejecting properly), the bolt might be a little hard to close. then back it down a little, (shorten the oal) and you should be pretty close the sweet spot, but only shooting it will tell you for sure. now this process I would ONLY use for bolt or single shot guns. semi autos,pumps, levers I'd adhere strictly to factory spec. the next chapter will be on neck sizing, and don't forget the quiz on friday.

I use a hornady oal guage.

Sent From Cr0ck1' IPhone most likely from the woods.

the oal listed in your manual MAY not be based on a test rifle like yours or the same bullet, type/mfg/shape/wt. thats why having many diff manuals is a good thing. you will notice things like oal,max loads etc will vary from manual to manual. don't try to get max velocity on the first try. many most accurate loads are at lower velocities and an animal isn't going to be able to tell if the bullet was going at 2800 or 2900 fps.

I use charmin,my wife likes scotts, lol. the oal gauge is just to keep you within factory spec and meant more for the semis/pumps/levers. you have more wiggle room with bolts and single shots when it comes to oal, it's an imprtant # but not etched in stone. a decent set of calipers from harbor freight or northern tools is a must have for serious re-loaders, not too expensive app 20$.