Same here. The question is...does it make a difference?
Good shootin'. -Al
It does for me.
IME for typical 100/200yd BR setups it's moot. A 6PPC or 30BR with only a .2 shouldering surface (.100 per side) torqued to 75ftlb seems to be locked up. and if it does advance over time it'll be only very little and doesn't seem to affect accuracy. I have tried torque these 1.2 barrel shank setups to over 100lb and found them to deform, always.
A larger round, say .308 sized even running large pressures (small primer Lapua Palma cases) is adequately fixed by similar poundage.....with an 1.250 shank
But when doing the larger 300WSM on a Heavy 600/1000yd gun and especially with a longer 28"-30" bbl with a tuning knob out on the end I'm uncomfortable even with an 1.250 shank diameter and for the big hunting rifles and really long-range stuff like my 65lb unlimited Heavy, and for big hunting rifles with 404 Jeffery and larger chamber dimensions. I've also worked with larger cases on my 65lb gun..... and it's currently "broken" in that I can't get it to really shoot well. I've been special ordering 1.350 shanked blanks for about 5 yrs for hunting rifles in these big chamberings and have found it to be a key to accuracy. When I can make a .250moa hunting rifle and yet my big steel-mounted Heavy gun fights to make quarter inch groups it's embarrassing! The big gun will drop little bullets into one little hole but get up to the long-range VLD's and I've got hunting rifles that'll beat it......
AND, I time or index my barrels on the big stuff as I believe it dramatically affects the gun's recoil characteristics, and it's tuning characteristics. Any change or advancement changes the tune. ( IN MY OPINION
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This is exactly what got me going on the "3D Tuner" stuff
This is why I've prefaced this thread, asked the question regarding BIG rounds. I've spent the last 6-8yrs making BIG field stuff to BR specs..... not MACHINING standards, IMO quality machining is a must..... but making stuff that acts and shoots like BR stuff while making 3 times the energy. Folks always talk about tuning hunting guns but actually getting a large elk rifle to roundhole is very rare.
I've used this analogy before and I'll use it again.... when we started catching BIG fish, we had to learn all new knots and techniques. IMO these big rounds require higher torque values and larger abutting surfaces,
IMO PPC/BR stuff is pretty well established science, and even up to and including the 6X47 or CM/308 sized stuff is easy. And a lighter 16-17lb 300WSM Light 600yd gun is pretty easy to make solid and tight. Where I'm running into problems is in the heavy steel-mounted 300WSM Heavy gun, and in making a 1000yd 338 to shoot the 300 OTM's. A Light 300WSM with 230's-240's will hammer the peewaddy out of you and a Heavy gun has trouble getting out of the way..... a 300 grain OTM trying to displace 65lb of gun humps the system up like a monkey buckin' a football....which tends to shake stuff aroung, like the barrel joint.
