Which chamber for .308?

[TrxR]

Which reamer would you suggest for a .308 F/TR project?

Thanks

 

[jonbearman]

What bullet and brass combo are you going to rely on? When you get to that,make up a dummy and call dave kiff.He will guide you through the process on how much freebore and if it will be a tight neck gun or a no turn neck.What exact gun are you building may have some impact on which one you use.

 

[XTR]

First you need to pick a bullet, then you just need to call Dave Kiff, you don't need to send them a bullet. Once he knows what you're shooting he'll recommend a reamer for you.

There are really only two variables are going to be in question, how much freebore and what throat.

 

[GNERGY]

I just built my rifle using the PTG 95 Palma reamer. I am using the Berger 168 gr Hybrid and in my first match with that rifle ( 2nd match I ever shot ) I shot a 570 / 15x. My OAL is 2.880 which is .010 off the lands. The barrel is a 1 in 10 twist Krieger.
Tarey

 

[Dave L Kiff]

The 95 Palma is a great choice but our best selling reamer is the 308 Bisley Palma. I Find for the 155 thru 168 the 95 Palma is great but for the 168 thru 185 and most all factory loads the Bisley is the best choice. We have both on the shelf. Thank you Dave

 

[TrxR]

I really thinking about going with the Berger 185 Hybrids or the 185 Match BT Long Range Target and Lapua brass. I will be doing most of my shooting out at 800 and 1000 yards. So you would suggest the Bisley for that?

 

[TrxR]

Dave: how does the Bisley palma compare to the M852 or .308 match. I would prefer to not get into neck turning at this point and will be using Lapua brass but no the Palma brass.

Thanks

 

[watercam]

ONe can not ignore Dave's advice and I have a reamer of his for my 155-only bullets. For my .308 Long Range sling gun I went with a plain Jane SAAMI chamber w/ Lapua Palma brass (lightly turned) and Berger 185s. Just the right amount of freebore and the rifle shoots them very well thank you. As an added plus, my Palma loads actually shoot better out of the factory chamber (or this barrel take your pick) even when jumped 0.050". Go figure. Win - win for me.

 

[Dave L Kiff]

The M852 was a design I made for Mil. spec. MOD 1 and MOD 0 projectiles . It has a free bore .133 but I made a match version for Mike Bryant that has all the same sizes but with a .058 F.B. . He said it worked great. The .133 free bore works great for the heavy weight bullets . Thanks Dave

 

[TrxR]

Dave: There was some talk on another forum about a reamer you did for them . They called it.

FTR Reamer with .342 neck and .123 freebore
(Un turned Brass, Single Shot)

Would this be a good setup for running the 185 LRBT and Hybrids?

Thanks

 

[Scott Harris]

As I understand it, freebore is the single dimension that varies the most between reamers. I bought a reamer with zero freebore along with a uni-throater hand-reamer from Dave Kiff. This way, I can change the throat dimensions to match whatever bullet I choose. This system has worked great. I've taken a couple barrels that started to go south and lengthened the throat with the uni-throater and used a longer bearing-surface bullet. The results improved quite a bit and I was able to get the perfect throat length for the chosen bullet. The uni-throater works great as a hand tool if you are careful. Use a barrel vise and bench vise to hold everything vertical. Then hold the T-handle by the main shaft(don't use the T-handle) in your fingers to carefully cut the throat a little at a time...this keeps it centered as well as you can by hand. I've examined the results with a borescope and the throat turns out very even and smooth....looks as good as new.

As a side note, I know a few top gunsmiths that get their reamers with zero freebore and then use a throat reamer to lengthen for the chosen bullet. This eliminates the need to buy lots of different reamers in the same cartridge. So, this is not a new idea.

 

[larmike]

I had a Palma rifle built with a 95 Palma chamber with the M118 throat. it shoots ragged holes at 300. My prone/bipod/sniper rifle has the M118 chamber/throat and it shoots the same. I make my own projectiles and we matched the throat angle to my projectile. They are double ogive 175's and 185's I shot a 599 42 x at 600 with sniper rifle. R/ Mike

 

[Keith Glasscock]

I have a rifle chambered with Mike Bryant's M852 reamer. It shoots quite well with a variety of combinations and factory ammo too!

I would not, however, want to suggest that reamer (or any other) for your project. I know it is maddening to try to figure out which reamer is right for you, but the best thing you can do is pick your bullet (I would suggest the 185LRBT of the two you mentioned) and simply tell Dave what you want the rifle to do (i.e. shoot Lapua unturned brass with this bullet seated 20 off the lands with the boattail junction 25 thou ahead of the neck-shoulder junction). The result (provided a good barrel, expertly chambered, and good ammo) will surprise you.

I've shot enough 308 to tell you this: there is no magic chamber out there. The accuracy you get is from having a chamber that matches, reasonably well, your intended ammo and the chamber turned perfectly concentric. Even with that, you have to do your part in the reloading realm. I have yet to find a barrel that shoots everything well. They all like certain combinations.

Good luck,
Keith