I hope the title of this article will make you sit up and take notice. Before we delve into this question, however, it is necessary to look at some reloading manual data to use as a basis for analysis. The load in question is for a 150-grain bullet atop IMR-4350 in the .30-06 Springfield cartridge with velocities from 24” (610 mm) barrels.
In the USA, the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer’s Institute (SAAMI) regulates commercial cartridge dimensions and specifications. Some European and a few other countries around the world follow the Commission Internationale Permanente pour l’épreuve des armes à feu portatives (CIP) dimensions and specifications.
In Table 2, we note that the CIP and SAAMI cartridge overall length (COAL) dimensional specifications are identical, but according to Table 1, only one reloading manual (Berger) used that dimension for the development of its data! Every other manual used different, shorter COAL dimensions! The reason
for this is that commercially produced cartridges are only required not to exceed the maximum specified length, and many other practical reasons led to commercial and load development cartridges being loaded shorter.
For some or other reason, many reloaders believe that there is
