Repeater or single shot?

W

William Suter

Well-known member
Loading some Triple Deuce and when I set my OAL .020 off the lands they are a mile to long to fit the little magazine. So, I set them all back to fit the mag or at least for now. I seem to have two options, set it up as a repeater and hope my loads work or make it a single shot and hope the loads work. Looks like its a 50/50 shot. (No pun intended)
 
IMO, people get too hung up about being X "off the lands". I have several bullet / rifle combos that are like 6.2 miles off the lands and shoot extremely well.
Also, throat erosion causes the lands move as you shoot it. Are you going to keep changing seating depth every couple hundred rounds until the bullet falls out of the case?
 
I just usually start .020 off the lands when I start working a load. I'm more like .120 off on this little rifle. A different bullet gets me closer but I'm not using them yet or know if I will. Over all length has a definite effect on accuracy. Sometimes the effects aren't as noticeable on one rifle as they are on a different one but it can make a difference. Some people jam their bullets for accuracy. I never do that even on a rifle that never see's anything but range time. That's why I usually start .020 off. It gives me room to go either way. On a rifle that is used for hunting I try to keep my OAL at mag length or it just got made into a single shot.
 
I have worked up loads longer than mag length, loads were for prairie dogs, where single loading was not an issue. Guys also load long for caliber bullets for AR loads(single loading target use).
 
If your going to hunt with (not pdogs) it i definitely would make sure it worked as a repeater, the excessive throating is a problem in factory guns but many are acceptable accuracy for hunting guns even jumping a mile to the lands.
 
The rifle is a Sako Riihimaki 222 with a varmint barrel (really sweet!!). It uses a very short and small detachable magazine instead of a floor plate like the Vixen or BDL. Its doubtful, (but never say never), it will ever see the woods but I'd like to know I can load more than one round if I ever do hunt with it. I got my scope mounted this evening and have a bunch of factory loads and some Berger 52 grain Match loaded to mag length. Weather permitting I'll shoot it this week-end and go from there.
 
POI is likely similar with both seating depths. If it indeed shoots measurably better with the longer length, an option would be to hunt with that length in chamber, but have a couple rds at the shorter length in the mag. Best of both worlds. Still get your accuracy, but if need a quick followup shot, it's available. Color the case rim or the bullet with some Sharpie to ID em.
 
William Suter said:
Have never shot this rifle so I don't know.
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Well, once you do, you will know if the accuracy it has with the bullet seated so as to fit in your magazine has the accuracy you desire for hunting...Even though that is not likely you will hunt with it, from one of your earlier posts.

If the deeper seated accuracy is not what you want for target shooting, shoot it as a single shot (Bullets seated out further) and see what you get.

I wouldn't be stuck with just one bullet myself. I will try others, if my first choice doesn't work well.

Even if I took it hunting, I wouldn't feel handicapped using a single-shot.
The majority of my big game hunting and varmint hunting has been with single-shots....To each his own.

Enjoy your new rig!
 
I usually shoot my rifles single shot when at the club so I never really understand why this bothers me as much as it does. Even with my go-to hunting rifle I rarely load more than one in the camber and two in the mag. If I can't hit it with three I doubt a forth will matter. One thing that did kinda bother me is it won't eject a loaded round that is stretched out to reach the lands. Its a tiny little action and the bullet won't clear the ejection port. You have to pull the bolt and turn it up on end to remove the live round. Kind of a PITA. But I'm just getting started. It may like a jump or it may like a totally different bullet. The fun is just starting!!
 
William Suter said:
One thing that did kinda bother me is it won't eject a loaded round that is stretched out to reach the lands. Its a tiny little action and the bullet won't clear the ejection port. You have to pull the bolt and turn it up on end to remove the live round. Kind of a PITA. But I'm just getting started. It may like a jump or it may like a totally different bullet.
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I almost always have this issue with many of my XP-100's, as the action is slightly shorter than the 700 short action.
It doesn't really bother me.
Of course, I do the majority of my shooting and hunting (short and long distances) with center-grip or rear grip specialty pistols.
 
I know your pistols very well. They are something to behold!! I always read your posts and watch your videos. You do more with a pistol than many (me included) do with a rifle......and make it look easy.
 
Will, I have likely the same Sako as you…mine did not like 50gr Superformance Vmax…I’m going to try 35gr NTX & 40gr Nosler…I think I have the heavy barrel I have 1:16 and not the 1:14…if it ends up being the barrel, I’m going to rebarrel and try the 52gr Bergers you are using….post some target pics when you can.
I believe my rifle was made in 1957 or 58.
 
William Suter said:
I know your pistols very well. They are something to behold!! I always read your posts and watch your videos. You do more with a pistol than many (me included) do with a rifle......and make it look easy.
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If you have good fundamentals, an accurate rig, and have a sense of conditions, making hits at distance is not as impossible as it may seem, as long as your conditions are good.
It is just drop and drift.
When I help people, I try to take the mystery away and make it as simple as possible.
 
greengt88 said:
Will, I have likely the same Sako as you…mine did not like 50gr Superformance Vmax…I’m going to try 35gr NTX & 40gr Nosler…I think I have the heavy barrel I have 1:16 and not the 1:14…if it ends up being the barrel, I’m going to rebarrel and try the 52gr Bergers you are using….post some target pics when you can.
I believe my rifle was made in 1957 or 58.
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I think mine was made in 55, 263xx. It looks like a new rifle. Very well taken care of. I went in a shop to look for a muzzle break and walked out with the Sako and no break. Mine is for sure the varmint barrel, .750dia., with the beavertail fore-end stock. Sure don't want to lose that little mag. I read they cost $200 if you can find them.
 
William Suter said:
I think mine was made in 55, 263xx. It looks like a new rifle. Very well taken care of. I went in a shop to look for a muzzle break and walked out with the Sako and no break. Mine is for sure the varmint barrel, .750dia., with the beavertail fore-end stock. Sure don't want to lose that little mag. I read they cost $200 if you can find them.
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Yep we have same rifle then. Is yours 14 or 16 twist.?
God help you if you loose the magazine. $250 was cheapest I could find. Mine actually has a magazine from a Deluxe model with Oak leaves engraved on it. Not original magazine to my knowledge but even more valuable…mine is 383xx
 
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