T3 Lite or T3 Varmint?

Well, I'm glad to say the Varmint has met my expectations.

I worked up my first loads and found my best 5 shot group to be .569" with some 55gr VMAX and 24.0gr of AA2230. Not bad considering it's my first attempt at reloading too!

This should be MORE than enough to blast gophers out to 300 yards.
 
The one thing that pisses me off - and this is a MASSIVE annoyance, enough so that I'm going to be selling my t3 if I can't resolve it - is the mag is too short to seat bullets to the throat. Even lightweight 52 grain amax are too long. This is ESPECIALLY annoying for two reasons. Firstly that it's difficult to impossible to single feed the T3, and secondly because the mag, receiver and action are plenty long enough to take long bullets, even the bolt stop is far enough back to allow feeding of long rounds. But the damn mag box is blocked off.

Now I might be able to modify the mag box I'm 80% of the way there; I've removed the block. If I can somehow lengthen the follower and maybe install a longer spring, I may be able to correct this one critical flaw.

If not, it's for sale and I'm buying a Stevens. At least with that I can single feed long rounds.
 
Since you're reloading, i've been getting some very decent groups with my T3 Varmint using Hornady 75 gr BT A Max/ Varget 24.7 gr.
 
Interesting. Mine won't group with the 75's at all. 3" is typical, and I DID try varget.

Though I am jumping them about .010 to the lands, maybe I'll adjust that and try again. It LOVES the 52 grain amax though. I've found a couple loads that group in the 3's and 4's
 
prosper said:
The one thing that pisses me off - and this is a MASSIVE annoyance, enough so that I'm going to be selling my t3 if I can't resolve it - is the mag is too short to seat bullets to the throat. Even lightweight 52 grain amax are too long. This is ESPECIALLY annoying for two reasons. Firstly that it's difficult to impossible to single feed the T3, and secondly because the mag, receiver and action are plenty long enough to take long bullets, even the bolt stop is far enough back to allow feeding of long rounds. But the damn mag box is blocked off.

Now I might be able to modify the mag box I'm 80% of the way there; I've removed the block. If I can somehow lengthen the follower and maybe install a longer spring, I may be able to correct this one critical flaw.

If not, it's for sale and I'm buying a Stevens. At least with that I can single feed long rounds.
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I found the same annoying difficulties with a .223 T3 Varmint. With a 1x8 barrel twist the rifle should be set up to handle the longer bullets but it is not. Seat long heavy bullets to magazine length and accuracy goes out the window. 40 to 55 gr bullets shoot very well but anything heavier groups poorly even when loaded out to throat length. As you say if loaded longer than magazine length it is almost impossible to single load a T3 in .223 calibre.

How did you manage to remove the magazine block? If I can do this I'm hoping a .243/.308 follower and spring might do the trick.
 
I removed the bottom of the mag and then dremeled out the block. Then I fashioned a new shorter block out of a bit of plywood.

Now, a spring and follower *shoud* be all I need
 
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