Seating .308 bullets with no groove.

[FROGO207]

OK I was trying to be general for the reloader that has a levergun. Yes you have to crimp a round if you have a tubular feed MAG. Otherwise bullet movement will occur---usually IN and that will raise pressures, possibly to an unsafe level. I also have a couple Savage 99's in 300 SAV in one of my safes.

IME Most leverguns have tubular MAG's

 

[Whiskey11]

Have you ever determined a true distance-to-lands w/ the 168/175 SMKs?
(...even via the basic cleaning rod method?)

I have tried the method of putting the bullet as far out as the neck will hold it, and then closing the bolt on it method and it produced ZERO marks on the bullet and did not change the bullet's OAL at all. No I haven't tried other methods of finding the lands as there is no way I could possibly load to them as determined by the test above.

My Remmy 700 is an 09 production SPS DM purchased NEW in November of 2010. 1000 rounds through it at moderate loadings:

168 gr SMK
43.4 gr of Varget
Federal Cases
CCI Large Rifle primers
OAL of 2.815 (magazine length of AICS magazines)

175 gr SMK
44.0gr of Varget
Winchester Cases
CCI Large Rifle Primers
OAL of 2.815

Neither are high pressure loads (the 175gr load being more so) but they are accurate (still working on the 175gr load) but the lands are no where to be found at the extreme lengths.

Lawyer proof throats FTL, but 15 shot groups in the 1.5" edge to edge range through a sporter profile barrel at 100 yards isn't too bad, and neither is the 10 shot grouping of 1" edge to edge at 100 yards Of course, fired in semi-rapid succession (a shot every 10 seconds or so).