Beyond the neck.

[Willyp]

All i've have read says not to place the gas check below or out of the case neck? Then,i read folks telling people,looking for a bullet mould for a 308 Win,buy this one or a 200 grainer,they work great!
Next,you some one else saying such and such a mould will be too long for the 308 Win. It will go into the case too far?
What are the facts of this matter! Does it hurt to load the gas check below the neck? If so,what does it do?

[btroj]

Depends. You can get away with it at times, not at other times.

main reason is to think of the potential cup damage that can occur to the bullet below the neck upon ignition. You suddenly have bullet exposed to heat and pressure but that part of the bullet has no support. It can rivet, bend, or move laterally in way you might not want.

Pressure curve and alloy can play a role in how this works.

My my suggestion is to try it in your rifle and see what happens. If the loads you want to shoot do well enough to meet your needs then go for it. That should always be the main criteria.

[BruceB]

The most-accurate load in my M1A in the thousands of rounds fired in development for the long thread on the "CB Loads/Military Rifles", used the 180-grain Loverin 311467. That load placed TEN bullets in 0.60" from fifty yards, iron sights.

The gas check was below the SHOULDER, not just the neck.

I've had excellent results with many different rifles, chamberings, and loads with bullet-bases below the necks.... or even the shoulders, as in the M1A.

As long as the checks are secure on the bullets, I don't worry about it.

[44man]

I agree with Bruce. Slow powders might be best. Powder push on the boolit will move it before full pressure and heat gets there.

[dragon813gt]

Loading for a short neck cartridge like 300 Savage means that the bullet base will almost always be below the neck. I have had no issues but your results may vary. I understand the concerns but have found no real world evidence to back them up.

[btroj]

This is a great example of what happens when we defy the rules and do the impossible.

Many of the "rules" need to be thrown out.

[Larry Gibson]

Depends on the bullet, the alloy, the load, bullet design, whether a filler is used, etc., etc. As mentioned sometimes you get away with it and sometimes you don't. Many of the older bullet designs are more forgiving, such as the longer Loverin design BruceB mentions. Most of the older bore riders of 170 - 200+ gr have bearing surfaces with drive bands based on the '06 length neck. It is when those are used in short necked cases that the problems can arise. These days there are numerous 180 - 200 gr cast bullet moulds that are designed for the shorter necked cartridges and the GC below the case neck is eliminated. Lee's 200 gr bullet and the RCBS 30-200-SIL are good examples. There are others like them from other makers also. If you've not bought the mould yet then getting one properly designed for your cartridge will give much better results.

Larry Gibson

[tomme boy]

I would be a little worried if using aluminum checks if it is below the neck. Reason is they are not a crimped design like the Hornady's are. They are just swaged a little bit. I have pulled rounds apart and had the aluminum check stay in the neck of the round on several types of rifle rounds.