300 Win Mag Sako A7 reloading issues

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hal2a

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My problem is my Sako A7 is not as accurate as I would have hoped. It is getting around a 3" group at 100 yds. One thing I have found is that I have to keep the bullet quite short, down to saami specs to be able to fit clip and eject from the gun. The difference between bullet length of one that contacts the lands of the rifling and saami specs is .27
That seems to be a large jump to me. Just curious if other people have had challenges loading for this caliber/gun combo ?
 
I have the same gun in the same chambering, and the mag is limited to SAAMI 3.340" - most others have been longer, in some cases by 0.150".

Don't quickly assume that it's the jump to the rifling that's at fault - many bullets welcome a long run-up, such as the Barnes X bullets that I use.

If your gun won't shoot that bullet and load accurately and it's the load at fault, you try something different. If it's the jump to the rifling that's the problem, you can choose to use a bullet (usually heavier) that has a more rounded ogive.
 
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Thanks for the replys
Dogleg - I haven't tried factory rounds yet. That's something I could try though.

Andy- My oal in my reloads are 3.34" , they fit the clip and eject fine. How is the accuracy in your gun ? What loads are you using ?
 
I load for a friends A7. The gun likes 180 sst, and interlocks seated to fit in the mag and imr 4831. I was annoyed at the short mag too, but the gun shoots them very well
 
hal2a said:
Thanks for the replys
Dogleg - I haven't tried factory rounds yet. That's something I could try though.

Andy- My oal in my reloads are 3.34" , they fit the clip and eject fine. How is the accuracy in your gun ? What loads are you using ?
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you made me doubt my memory so I went and checked my reloads and the magazine and I can scratch one in at 3.340", although i load shorter for reliability.

I have only tried the 130 gr Barnes TTSX in this gun, loaded to 3.300". That's 0.200" from the rifling, but it shoots well. I use 82.0 grs of H4831SC which is a compressed load.
 
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hal2a said:
Thanks for the replys
Dogleg - I haven't tried factory rounds yet. That's something I could try though.
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The reason I ask is Sakos come with an accuracy warranty. If it doesn't shoot its their problem not yours. I'd leave out the part about using handloads though, most manufacturers will void your warranty over it.

Check your screws and try a different scope. For loads I've found that if a .300 won't shoot with 180s and H1000 or RL22 there's something wrong with it. It a gun has a long jump and is being picky ditch the boat-tails.
 
I contacted Sako Canada and that's basically what he said is to use different bases. You would think that Sako would use quality components on their guns.
 
So re: factory ammo...


Man - sorry that is from post image - where can I select a better image size for forum postings...? Can you guys click and see a larger pic?

Anywho, that's sighting in my A7 3/9 40 Burris. Last three shots on or around the bull 100 yards :)
 
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Some guns just don't like certain bullets/weights. Case in point: my Remington 700 in 300 Win Mag will shoot 180 grain bullets no better than 2"@100 meters no matter what make of bullet, and that's after I bedded the gun; with 165 grain bullets it'll shoot sub-moa all day long with reloads or even the cheapest of factory loads.

I recommend picking up a box of 180 and 165 grain factory ammo and testing that out and see if that makes a difference. If it shoots way better with the 165's just buy a premium bullet to make up for the weight.
 
Changed scopes and rechecked bases and rings. Bought 180 grn hornady whitetail factory shells and tried them. I tried 3 shot groups instead of 5, and found that first two were under 1" and the third was out to 2 1/2 to 3 " out. My reloads still shot poor at 3" groupings. Mayby time to try another bullet manufacturer.
 
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