[samuel]

My view and experience is that most of what they say doesnt work out that way in the field.I have tried a few and read a lot about these short mags and seldom do they perform like they state.Mostly they are using a test barrel and special chamber and on top of that they are using components unavailable to handloaders.An example is a Winchester black shadow I picked up in 7mm short mag.Supposed to equal the 7mm Rem. mag..It wasnt bad with lighter bullets but when I tried loading heavier bullets for actual hunting of big,tough game two things happened.First the riflings were too close making me seat the bullet deeper and loosing about 15% of my powder capacity.This caused me to have to go to a faster burn rate powder,raising pressure and temperature and lowering performance.So the cure was to bore the freebore deeper.Problem solved for the heavy bullets.Real accurate and good performance,almost as good as a 7mm rem.mag.Except when I tried to load medium light bullets they were so far off the lands(as I recall .060)that accuracy was gone.Just give me an old long casing with a lot of powder capacity and lots of options as to bullets seated properly. sam.

[Midas]

Quote:       Originally Posted by samuel

My view and experience is that most of what they say doesnt work out that way in the field.I have tried a few and read a lot about these short mags and seldom do they perform like they state.Mostly they are using a test barrel and special chamber and on top of that they are using components unavailable to handloaders.An example is a Winchester black shadow I picked up in 7mm short mag.Supposed to equal the 7mm Rem. mag..It wasnt bad with lighter bullets but when I tried loading heavier bullets for actual hunting of big,tough game two things happened.First the riflings were too close making me seat the bullet deeper and loosing about 15% of my powder capacity.This caused me to have to go to a faster burn rate powder,raising pressure and temperature and lowering performance.So the cure was to bore the freebore deeper.Problem solved for the heavy bullets.Real accurate and good performance,almost as good as a 7mm rem.mag.Except when I tried to load medium light bullets they were so far off the lands(as I recall .060)that accuracy was gone.Just give me an old long casing with a lot of powder capacity and lots of options as to bullets seated properly. sam.

Amen to that

[Magnumsrule]

I agree with you there. If you look at the ammo listings for any of the short mags they never offer heavier bullets than the mags.

[Midas]

Quote:       Originally Posted by Magnumsrule

I agree with you there. If you look at the ammo listings for any of the short mags they never offer heavier bullets than the mags.

Exactly! because their limited case capacity doesn't handle heavy for caliber bullets, as well as the long action magnums.

[21buck]

Hello, I'm a newbie to this venue. I have excellent results with a modified Remington M700 mountain rifle in 7-08, reamed and fitted for a 7mm x 300wsm. I have treated the bore with Accuvel, averaged various loads to find the maximum possible, and worked the load to its best performance. It takes time and effort, patience and understanding. It shoots a barnes x bullet 130 gr, at3450 fps in 1 MOA. without any signs of pressure. A short barrel magnum is handy.
21buck

[nathangdad]

I must admit I never had a chambering difficulty in the Browning .300 Win Mag I used to own. Personally, I never met anyone with a chambering problem in the classic (belted) rounds.
However, that does not mean it has never happened. When I purchased the Browning an older friend advised me to keep the chamber clean and lightly oiled at all times saying the cartridge
seated on the belt rather than the shoulder. I can see where you are coming from on the 30% less powder use but the question of how many large bore cartridges one would fire in a year to me largely negates the powder savings viewpoint. Obviously, your research has led you to reach the conclusion shortened cartridges have one or more advantages to you. I congratulate your taking the time and effort to state your point of view. We are all different and firing what is "right" for us in terms of cartridge/caliber/rifle will make each of us a more proficient hunter.

[Magnumsrule]

Thank you for your input. It is good to here a story from both sides and learn the pros and cons to everything.