I got my OAL gauge from Stoney Point today, what I came up with is I can go out to 3.59 with the Berger VLD, and 3.55 with the Sierra smk. The problem is the magazine will only take it if it's 3.45 or shorter. So what's more important, handloading the OAL so the ogive touches the lands, or being able to fill the magazine?

The OAL in the manuals for 300WM is 3.34 but obviously the ogive will be well behind the lands. Accuracy is the most important thing so I guess I'll be in single shot mode with my Savage.

You might want to experiment a little to see how much accuracy is affected by loading to magazine length. I think SMK's will tolerate a jump to the lands pretty well. I have no experience with Berger VLD's, but it would be interesting to see if there was much of a difference. It is nice to be able to load the magazine, but I agree accuracy is more important.

James

SR,

The Berger bullets usually like to be soft seated in the lands, and sometime the extreme seated several thousands into the lands.

However I would try seating them at mag. length and how they shoot. You maybe surprised.

flea