Hello folks. I rarely start topics on any forum and this is my first post so apologies for clutter. It looked more appropriate than tacking my question onto another thread. As very quick background I am not at all an expert shooter or handloader but I have always been interested in both and this past year have been ramping up the loading end with a fairly nice setup and have been soaking up as much as I can.
The first rifle I ever purchased back in the 90's is a Ruger MKII .308 nothing special poly rifle. Its a relative cheapo but over the years its helped thwart many barn and chicken coop attacks by various assailants and it has some sentimental value to me so I've started working on it some with a decent optic, cleaning, and quality ammo to pay it back for years of relative neglect. I got some poly tipped Sierra GK bullets, prepped some brass, 4064 powder and figured out what to shoot for as far as bullet seating depth. The first one I put in the rifle to make sure it felt like it chambered well, it did so my goal was to assemble 5 rounds and see how everything felt and performed. So I went to extract the round and make 4 more and problem..... the cartridge is too long to extract. The GK bullets are fairly long and narrow compared to the other ones I've used (Speer mostly) successfully and the tip can't quite make it by the frame to get out. I needed to open up the floorplate and struggle it out the bottom manually. Due mostly (I think) to the thin tip my COAL, even after setting the bullet deeper, is 2.9655 which is obviously well over the max .308 COAL of 2.810 listed in my Speer book.
So my two part question is
1) Interested in thoughts on these green tipped Sierra bullets. Is it ok to just back the bullet well back off the lans until it can be extracted without sacrificing most of the advantages of careful handloading for this firearm? Or what would/do you guys do when faced with this dilemma and
2) I'm planning on purchasing a decent rifle to really spend some time handloading for and had targeted a Bergara premier approach rifle in 7mm-08. That rifle has a detachable box mag and now I'm wondering if that might be something best avoided for a handloader hobby type rifle. Bergara makes a similar model called a Highlander or something that has a hinged floorplate internal mag. I like the looks of the Approach rifle but I'm wondering if that magazine is going to limit my hand loading career? Guidance/opinions would be greatly appreciated.
The first rifle I ever purchased back in the 90's is a Ruger MKII .308 nothing special poly rifle. Its a relative cheapo but over the years its helped thwart many barn and chicken coop attacks by various assailants and it has some sentimental value to me so I've started working on it some with a decent optic, cleaning, and quality ammo to pay it back for years of relative neglect. I got some poly tipped Sierra GK bullets, prepped some brass, 4064 powder and figured out what to shoot for as far as bullet seating depth. The first one I put in the rifle to make sure it felt like it chambered well, it did so my goal was to assemble 5 rounds and see how everything felt and performed. So I went to extract the round and make 4 more and problem..... the cartridge is too long to extract. The GK bullets are fairly long and narrow compared to the other ones I've used (Speer mostly) successfully and the tip can't quite make it by the frame to get out. I needed to open up the floorplate and struggle it out the bottom manually. Due mostly (I think) to the thin tip my COAL, even after setting the bullet deeper, is 2.9655 which is obviously well over the max .308 COAL of 2.810 listed in my Speer book.
So my two part question is
1) Interested in thoughts on these green tipped Sierra bullets. Is it ok to just back the bullet well back off the lans until it can be extracted without sacrificing most of the advantages of careful handloading for this firearm? Or what would/do you guys do when faced with this dilemma and
2) I'm planning on purchasing a decent rifle to really spend some time handloading for and had targeted a Bergara premier approach rifle in 7mm-08. That rifle has a detachable box mag and now I'm wondering if that might be something best avoided for a handloader hobby type rifle. Bergara makes a similar model called a Highlander or something that has a hinged floorplate internal mag. I like the looks of the Approach rifle but I'm wondering if that magazine is going to limit my hand loading career? Guidance/opinions would be greatly appreciated.