New Guy with an idea

[adam]

Thankyou for the reply
However what is the gap between the lands and the ogive of a factory round? I understand that different guns have different tolerances, but is there an approximate gap, In can understand thousandths of an inch?
Thanks again
adam

[Rick in Oregon]

adam: This subject has been discussed here at length in earlier posts, but simply put, the closer to the lands, the better the accuracy potential, all things being equal. All factory rifles are chambered to SAMMI spec chambers, and as such for the 204 Ruger, this dictates an unusually long "jump" to the rifling.

The reason the factories loads the bullets so deep in the case of the 204 is still open to speculation, but those in the industry I've talked to say it was to keep the overall cartridge length about the same as the 223 Remington, so the 204 will function through the AR platform and utilize existing M16/AR15 magazines.

For guys interested in peak accuracy though, the bullets are just too far into the case, and as a result, much too far from the origin of the rifling to give stellar accuracy, hence the long overall length of my rounds you spotted earlier in this thread. Even with my long length, I'm still much farther away from the lands in my Sako 204 than any other accuracy oriented rifle I own. This will be remedied with the next barrel she wears, as it will be chambered with the "204 Match Reamer" that Todd Kindler designed for peak 204 performance. Engineering drawings of this reamer can be found in Small Caliber News a few issues back, and in his book "The Terrific Twenties". The increase in accuracy using this reamer is well documented in the 204 Ruger. Skipper utilized this reamer design when he had his sweet Panda chambered.

I'm also in the process of building a custom 204 that will also use this reamer. As I do not shoot factory ammunition, this provides me with the opportunity to tune the ammunition precisley to the chamber, thereby giving the best accuracy potential possible.

To answer your question: 'yes' all factory rifles differ in the distance to the lands from brand to brand, and somtimes even with the same model from the same manufacturer. You must measure this distance yourself using something like the Stoney Point tool to know just how far the 'jump' actually is in your rifle.

One thing for sure, if/when you handload, and tune the ammunition to your rifle, you'll realize an immediate gain in accuracy, which enables you to hit small targets at long range...much farther than with the same rifle using factory ammunition. Hope this help a tad.

[adam]

Thats great thankyou
Just got to save up a bit for the gear