Have been loading the 150gr Remington core-lokt in my 1903 and it calls for 3.19" OAL for the crimp to work out.

Data calls for 3.24 for the 150 ..........but my rifle likes 3.34 with the 165,180 and 200gr bullets to shoot good groups.

I need .10" more out of the 150gr bullet. Is there other 150's out there that I might be able to get to 3.33 and not
have the bullet fall out of the case or have enough neck friction to work? A cannelure is not really needed.

I have shot PMC factory 150 ammo with a oal of 3.15" and it did not do well either.....one reason for the BT bullet as a final try,
even if it is just for paper and tin cans.

Why not try just seat it out to the COL that your rifle likes and ignore the crimp groove. FWIW, I doubt that Speer or Sierra 150gr bullets come with a crimp groove and they tend to be accurate. Generally speaking only military ammo uses a crimp. Most ammo neck tension alone is enough to work fine.

Unless you're shooting a rifle with a tubular magazine or a real heavy kicking magnum, there is no need to crimp the bullets for a rifle like a Springfield '03. As a matter of fact, most but not all rifles get the best accuracy with the bullets set just off the rifling. The COAL listed in the load data, if it is different than the SAAMI COAL, is there merely to qualify the conditions under which the data was developed. Generally, increasing OAL lowers chamber pressure as long as the bullet does not engage the barrel's rifling. Obviously, loaded rounds with increased OAL's must still fit the magazine and feed thru the action but those are the limiting factors.

Bruce

I don't crimp anything, including my .375 H&H or .30-06 for my M1. If I don't have strong enough bullet pull, I chuck the expander ball in a drill press and polish off 0.001-0.002" with fine abrasive paper. As an added benefit, the polished ball also reduces friction when it's pulled back out of the case.

I play with the cartridge overall length to find the most accurate distance from the bullet ogive to the lands. As long as the ammunition fits the mag box, the COL is irrelevant if you don't jam the bullet into the lands.

Nevada Ed,

The 30-06 is my favorite rifle caliber.
I have shoot a Browning 1885 High Wall in 30-06 for many years.

I have had great success with the Hornady 150 grain SST bullet at 3.28 OAL in front of 60.2 grains of H-4350 powder, CCI BR2 primers, Winchester brass.
I never had the opportunity to FPS on this load.

You might give it a try and see how your rifle likes this load.

Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Bullets :: Rifle :: Choose by Caliber :: .308 30 CAL :: 30 Cal .308 150 gr SST®

Bullets with different nose profiles will have different lengths for the same bullet weight. I don't know of a listing of bullet lengths by caliber and manufacturer. But as stated, crimping is not necessary for most rifle calibers.

I believe that this may EXACTLY be your issue. Most likely the load date you are using is for a Boat Tail Hollowpoint of some particular brand. Your Core-Lokt bullets IIRC are pretty much a semi jacketed Soft Point. So, no hollow cavity up front to "extend" the length of your bullet. End result is that you are probably loading a bullet that is a fair bit shorter than the bullet used in your load data.

If you want a pure target bullet one that I've had great success with in 308 is the 155 grain Lapua Scenar. When I pay close attention to technique and with a cold barrel I've been able to shoot a 3 rounds into a 3/8 inch group at 50 yards with my Ruger Gunsight.

BTW, I just grabbed one of these bullets out of my stash and the the total length of the bullet is 1.285 inch. Base to the end of the ogive on the nose where the diameter straightens up is 0.625 inch. Finally the length of the boat tail is 0.185 inch. If you compare this to your Remington bullets it might give to a better idea of how long you can load using this bullet.

From left to right; Nosler, Sierra, and Speer .308 150 grain bullets. There is no cannelure on any of them. Seat to your desired OAL and do not stick in a 20+ round box magazine. I use them In .308 Win bolt actions, but they should work fine in the longer 30-06.

Attached Images

308150 003.JPG (165.2 KB, 20 views)

IIRC , Rem Core-Lokts could be had for either .308 or 30-06. Same bullet , but with cannelure in different locations for different COAL.

Hey Nevada,

Rifles aren't as picky on OAL. You do good to just seat the bullet so it will fit your chamber/magazine. Having the nose of the bullet just short of the lands is a good place to start but rifles are all different. Sometimes deeper seating is required or shoots better. The cannelure is used in a tubular magazine like an 1895 rifle.

My experience with 150 Noslers in -06 is they were great at 100 yards, all over the target at 300. 165 grains seated just shy of the rifling proved to be a much more accurate bullet at all ranges and worked well on caribou-size animals.

IMHO different bullet profiles need different OAL's for best accuracy, even if they are the same length. I'd load one long then chamber it in the gun. The rifling should push the bullet into the case so the resulting OAL would be for zero "freebore". I'd seat the bullet another .010" or so deeper then test fire. Minimum freebore usually makes for best accuracy but more freebore sometimes makes for more velocity.

Thanks for all the info ...........
I will try the Sierra 150 boat tail bullet for my last try at
getting this rifle to shoot or the Speer flat base if I can't get
the Sierra, since it is said to be a better hunting bullet.


later.