Freebore for 70gr bullets

[vegeta]

I am putting two rifles together for a varmint trip and I am wondering about how much freebore is too much.

I ordered a JGS reamer with 0.113 freebore and I am going to use 70gr Nosler ballistic tip bullets. I ordered this reamer because I currently have a Remington that was chambered with this same reamer and I can still load the bullets touching the lands.

I have read in other posts tha 0.113 freebore is "too much" for the lighter bullets. Now I am just confused.

Any advice appreciated.

Bobby

 

[Forum Boss]

The .113" Freebore was optimized for the 107gr SMK. Given the long neck of the 6BR, it's possible you've got enough neck to still grip the bullet. But with the short 70s, something like a .070-.080" freebore would be better. We have a rifle with a .073" Freebore and we can seat the 105s and the base of the bearing surface is still .055" above the neck-shoulder junction. This does limit your max powder capacity a bit however, though you'll still be able to fit a max charge of Varget or N150.

Having said that, the 75gr and 85gr V-Max bullets have a long shank for their length. Point is, the 87grainer has a freebore longer than some of the 105s. In general though, if you plan to shoot mostly light bullets, you might be better off with a .080 or shorter freebore, particularly if you like to seat your bullets fairly deep into the lands.