.243 Trouble

[BigDog58]

I just loaded some .243 Winchester for a Savage Axis and it didn't fit.

According to my manuals they indicate a Max COL of 2.710" So to be safe, I loaded the rounds to 2.685" COL (To tip of bullet) which should have given plenty of clearance to make sire the ogive didn't engage the rifling. So I thought!

When I insert the round in the gun, I am unable to close the bolt. The round is stuck in the rifling bad enough I had to take and push it out with a cleaning rod.

I checked every round in a case gauge to make certain it isn't a head space problem, which it isn't. This occured with two different bullet profiles. One a Spire and the other a Hollow point. Both are Speer bullets.

Has anyone else ran into a gun with a short chamber?

Is it a short chamber or a misprint in my manuals (highly unlikely 3 manuals all say the same thing)?


Anyway, I reseated the bullets to 2.630" and they fit smoothly.

Suggestions or ideas to the problem will be a learning experience..

Note: the 2.685" work just fine in my wifes Remington 770 .243 Winchester.

[shooter115]

Hey BD. Headspace can vary greatly from rifle to rifle. This is one area you can't just expect published numbers to give you what you need. Especially when using different bullets of the same weight. Profiles will vary and you'll have to adjust seating depth as needed. My suggestion would be to get a Stone Point OAL gauge that uses modified factory cases to find out exactly what length puts you right at the lands. From my experience seating depth plays just as big a role as powder charge when it comes to finding the "sweet spot". Once you find out right where a bullet is contacting the lands you can experiment with jumping and jamming. Just be warned if you are seeing any pressure signs at or off the lands, seating them into the lands may overpressure your rounds. Vague ......yea I know...its about all I can muster on this tiny stupid phone.

[highwarden]

If you go to the SAAMI website and look up 243 Win they show a min oal of 2.540 and a max of 2.710 for the cartridges. The chamber drawing shows a minimum length to the throat of 2.259 with a tolerance of +.015. I got there by entering "saami 243 win" in google.

Have you tried factory ammo in that rifle? If that worked fine, then it is probably just a minimum chamber. If it has not been fired, try factory ammo and see if it chambers and extracts with no rifling marks and no undue force. You may want to find someone with a set of headspace gauges. Comparing it to a Remington proves nothing as their manufacturing tolerances are sloppy and they tend to be max chambers and long throated.

If it has not been fired and factory ammo does not fit, it needs to go directly back to Savage for repair or replacement.

[NorthrenMN]

Had the same problem with my Axis in 25-06 the chamber is short. Used a gauge problems solved.

[BigDog58]

Well I tried to load some factory rounds and they fit just fine. However, they ate loaded almost .100" shorter, with a very different profile bullet. I have determined that I must load the rounds witj a COL of less than 2.637", to assure the bullet doesn't contact the rifling. I have learned that the specified Max COL in the manual doesn't mean squat. At least as far as Savage is concerned....lol

I appreciate everyone's assistance. I owe OldmanFCSA a world of gratitude for helping me above and beyond. I now know how to properly determine the proper cartridge length for a given gun, woth a given bullet. This will allow me to set my "jump" to close tolerances and hopefully improve accuracy.