Tikka T3 260 Load Dev

[slas]

Finding the area where your bullet just touches the lands.
You need to take a permanent marker and color the bullet and chamber it and then extract it and look for witness marks from the lands on the painted surface.

You can be touching the lands by .001" and you can also be .030" into them with some guns with the same feel on the bolt during closing and opening.. and bullet will not move in the case.

I find the point of no just touching and go from there.
My 178A max loads liked to be to the point of in the lands fully with no resistance then seat them .010" longer for a jammed into the lands bullet.
Not optimum if you plan to remove the round from the chamber..as there is that chance that the bullet will be stuck and you extract the case and fill the chamber and magazine with powder.

I'll give permanent marker method a try and see where I come to. Curious to see how close to my original method I am. I've read some about jamming the load, with concerns of high pressure. Think I'll play with all the other options before I try that one.

 

[MoBoost]

Never had any luck jumping bullets - fluke groups but never in match (50+ rounds) conditions. I've been jamming .010-.015

My 6.5s like RL15 and RL17 - YMMV.

OCW will help you with water line at extended range. Flyers at short range regardless of the load are signs of other issues - technique (shooting or reloading) or equipment (brass, bullets, barrel, bedding, bags etc etc)