SAVAGE 12 F CLASS 6.5x284 NEED HELP!

[Barklee77]

Someone please help a new shooter, just got a new 12 F-Class that was bore sighted at Savage with no problems. A few questions:

1. Anybody try nosler custom brass and competition bullets all 6.5x284 norma?

2. Best load for these components with H4350?

3. When I check OAL I use hornady (sp) guage with modified case put the bullet in the throat and push until the bullet and case can go no further. Then measure and subtract .020. What is the best bullet free travel clearance.
IS IT OK TO HAVE NO FREE TRAVEL AND HAVE BULLET ON THE LANDS?

4. Is there a web site that shows you how to use a rifle scope, adjusting and reading the wind and using mildot etc.?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP

 

[Hump Hayes]

1. Everyone I know (including myself) use Norma or Lapua brass. I'm sure the Nosler brass is fine stuff, I just didn't have time to experiment.

2. No experience with H4350 but look to the Hodgdon website for guidance. I'm always leary of using others recipe.

3. The OAL guage is good. A trick I was turned on to by another shooter was to take a wooden dowel long enough to reach the bullet from the muzzle. As you push the bullet into and make contact in the leade, use the dowel to push off. By moving the bullet back and forth, you'll get a "blind" feel for when the bullet is at .000 length. From this you can then go in .005 increments off or into the lands to see which works best.

4. One place worth looking at is http://www.shooterready.com/lrsdemolow.html
Best practice with a mil-dot is to take a known measurement target and put it out at a distance and then do the math. It was slow at first but eventually started working with in-my-head rough math.

 

[Barklee77]

thanks a million humper lol

to clarify it is ok to go into the lands with bullet ie pushing the guage and bullet harder towards muzzle.

awesome site to learn how to use rifle scopes eh

 

[Hump Hayes]

"to clarify it is ok to go into the lands with bullet ie pushing the guage and bullet harder towards muzzle."


Not necessarily OK. With some guns (and I think the majority of them are short range Benchrest rigs), you'll see some advantage to seated into the lands. If all things are equal, what you will see if seated into the lands are increased case presure and if a situation comes up where you do not fire the shot, the potential for pulling the case out minue the bullet and dumping a charge of powder into the action.

If you have good load components and put them together the right way, my money would be out of the lands.

 

[jo191145]

thanks a million humper lol

to clarify it is ok to go into the lands with bullet ie pushing the guage and bullet harder towards muzzle.

awesome site to learn how to use rifle scopes eh

If I'm reading your question correctly the answer is no!

Theres no need to try and jam a bullet deeper into the lands using your hornady guage. You'll simply bend the plastic rod and get erroneous readings.

FWIW Proper use of a Hornady guage. Put bullet into the case. Allow it to back plenty far into the case. Never had a problem letting it fall fully into the case. Insert case and guage into chamber. A little push and twist to make sure its fully chambered. Now gently push the plastic rod/bullet untill it makes light contact with the lands. Tighten knurled nut. Thats your distance to lands.
You can try using a little more force on the rod/bullet to make sure the bullets not binding on anything. I've seen some factory barrels that probably suffered from off centered chambers give false readings. Most of the time I modify the case guage a little to make sure the bullet slides completely free with plenty of wriggle room.

My Sav 6.5x284 liked 140gn Nosler best out of bullets tried. Berger and Sierra being the others.
My barrel liked a hard jam into the lands with all bullets. Roughly about
.040-.060 jammed. Thats quite a bit of jam but thats where it began shooting.
As others have said this could be a problem if you need to unchamber a live round. Bullet stays in the barrel, powder stays in the chamber and your left holding a primed case. Not much fun especially in competition.

I did'nt do a lot of work on the 6.5 chambering as its more cartridge than I need. Screwed a 6BR 8 twist on that platform.