Boddington Kudu Short Throat

Hey guys

I just started loading for a new Boddington Kudu.

First order of business was to determine cartridge OAL with several bullets.

Holy cow! This thing has a short throat! I cannot even seat Hornady Spire Points in the cannelure...I have to seat them past the cannelure just to get them to chamber.

Are all No 1 300 H&H chambers cut this short? I am going to have to have this thing reamed out. I am losing a bunch of ballistic potential seating the bullets so deep. Such a waste with a 26 inch barrel that can use gobs of slow burning powder!

My 375 H&H has a nice long throat. I can seat the bullets well past SAAMI specs.

Any feedback appreciated!


Tim

Suggest a call to Newport plant service and advise them of problem, suggesting they send a pickup ticket to have gun returnd for replacment, rebarrel or fix................ 8)

Ruger Guru

So, you are saying you think this is not normal for this chambering in a No 1?

I have not tried factory ammo in it (honestly, I have not used factory ammo since 1975).

I have had 4 other No 1 rifles and all had long throats to take advantage of the lack of magazine restrictions.

I never thought for a second that Ruger would do anything to it, especially considering they only made 250 of these. Heck, most guys might say don't alter it for that reason alone...but I plan to take this rifle to Africa and I want to take the best load possible and the short throat is too limiting.

Thanks,


Tim

Here are my "basics", which by the way, may not be all encompassing. First, I do not assume to know what is "normal" for Ruger(BUT, I do assume that a chamber should be correctly spec'ed and according, built to allow proper length of a "normal" case and bullet). Second, I assume you have a/the correct length on your prepped cases, including check for specified length, trimmed if necessary. BTW, I do recall an issue with the short run #1 in 38-55 which reportedly had chambers shorter than the cast bullet people had needed and expected. One of these Gentlemen told me Ruger refused to lengthen the chamber on two of said guns, as "they were built to factory ammos specifications and not for the cast bullet shooters......." Still think a call to Service with your checklist of isues in hand, to be a prudent move on your part...........Keep us posted. MIKE

Have you shot the rifle with your reloads? When doing so would be good idea to use chronograph to see how much performance is degraded if any from what you would expect from longer throat, more powder, etc. Could be that the suspected loss of performance is not sufficient to justify altering the rifle, just a thought.

Rifle is going to a local benchrest gunsmith next week to get the throat punched out 200/thousandths.

This short throat is reducing the velocity potential about 150 fps with the 220 grain bullet (less with lighter bullets, but this is a heavy bullet gun for me).

Seating the bullets out will allow me to maximize the velocity potential with the heavy bullets and H4831 or Re25.

I don't understand why Ruger would allow a 26 inch barreled No 1 in 300 H&H to leave the factory with a throat so short you can't seat bullets to SAAMI maximum OAL. That chambering/barrel length screams for a long throat so you can seat those bullets out where they belong!

I guess if I didn't load my own, I wouldn't care.

I have one of the #1 45-70 with the 26 inch C wt barrel, which has no throat at all. Factory loads have a bullet with bore diameter front section, as do several of the older cast designs. OTOH, Hornady and Sierra bullets, even 300 grainers, won't begin the let the breech close. The solution was to cut a batch of cases about 3/16 inch shorter than normal, and save them just for jacketed bullets. Works like a charm. Now, my RSI in 7x57 has a throat like a giraffe, and you can't seat most bullets out far enough to get them close to the rifling.

Just for posterity, I thought I would close this thread out with a re-cap. Haha....late, I know. But been gone for a while!

I had great success loading 220gr Partitions and 180gr TTSX long. I topped out on the 220gr at just over 2,850fps and the load I took to Africa was a 180gr TTSX at 3,050fps, about 75fps shy of what I considered max (took 15 animals from a 15 pound Jakal to a 1,500 pound Eland).

IMR 7828 turned out to be the favored powder.

Still have the rifle. So glad I lengthened the throat.

It's good when a plan comes together for a happy ending.

180 TTSX at 3.845 and 220gr Partition at 3.805

"a 26 inch barreled No 1 in 300 H&H to leave the factory with a throat so short you can't seat bullets to SAAMI maximum OAL."
Understand BUT, does factory loaded ammo chamber? I don't know of any rifle maker that goes beyond claiming that FL ammo chambers and fires safely.

Mobuck said:

"a 26 inch barreled No 1 in 300 H&H to leave the factory with a throat so short you can't seat bullets to SAAMI maximum OAL."
Understand BUT, does factory loaded ammo chamber? I don't know of any rifle maker that goes beyond claiming that FL ammo chambers and fires safely.

Click to expand...

Factory ammo? LOL....I have no idea! And way too late to check!

No? Seriously, Ruger (and every other gun maker) manufactures guns to meet 'industry standards'. Expecting a factory made gun to have features (or tolerances) outside the 'industry standard' is maybe a bit much.
I've encountered several rifle chambers that while within tolerances, would choke on certain bullet profiles even when loaded to accepted OAL.

It isn't as though there is no precedent. I have owned and own 45-70, 450-400, 416 Rigby and 375 H&H No 1 rifles that would allow long seating.

I was disappointed that the 300 H&H did not follow suit. Given there are no magazine length restrictions. Not like this is a Mk IV with a throat so long you cannot run cartridges through the mag that come near the lands.

So unreasonable of me!

Deja vu all over again.
I bought Ruger American last year & suspected a short throat. After a lot of internet questions, research & finally acquiring a gauge to help me check it correctly & accurately it was determined that the throat & chamber was cut incorrectly.
The rifle had to go back a second time as it wasn't corrected on the first trip, & they installed a new barrel. During all this it was learned that they had a whole run of that caliber, a fairly new one, not chambered to SAAMI spec. Glad I got mine sent in when I did as Ruger ran out of barrels for repair & some owners waited months for their repair.

Stuff happens.

Apparently, there are varying tolerances within Ruger's chambering techniques. Some are just incorrect. My tang safety M77R in .270 from 1980 would cause case head separation with factory Hornady ammo. So they screw up sometimes.

Gunzo- what cartridge was your Ruger American incorrectly chambered for?

That . 300 H&H is such a beautiful, elegant cartridge. I'll be they feed slick, too. Although I guess on a no. 1 that's not really a factor.

6GUNSONLY said:

That . 300 H&H is such a beautiful, elegant cartridge. I'll be they feed slick, too. Although I guess on a no. 1 that's not really a factor.

Click to expand...

An elegant combination...the 300 H&H in a No 1.