Now that I have narrowed down all the components for the load I would like to develop:

100 grain Barnes TSX
IMR 7828
Fed 215M

I would like to get some opinions on where to seat the bullet. My rifle is a Mark V, so getting to the lands isn't an option if I want them to function thru the magazine...may not be an option anyway. With that being the case, what have you experienced as far as seating depth when dealing with these bullets and a long throat?

thanks.

Determine where the throat actually is in relationship to the longest possible loading.

My experience with the Barnes bullets indicates
that their recommendation of 0.050" off the lands is pretty much on the money.

all of the loads I've tried worked best at 0.030"-0.050"

the longest possible loading and still have some bullet heel and the case neck might not get that close... not that it is necissarily a problem like that...

I think THE limiting factor will be how much bullet shank you have available.
Compare that to rounds loaded as long as the magazine will allow and see where that leaves you.

AllanD

Allen,

With having the suggested 2/3rds of caliber seated in the case, I don't think I can come anywhere near .050" of the lands, let alone .030".

I have loaded up 115 BST's for that gun to the longest they will work through the action and still be able to be extracted through the ejection port, and they are nowhere close to the lands. They are a longer bullet than the TSX.

Help.

I got very decent accuracy out of the .257 Wby/100 grs TSX combination. Not exactly BR stuff, but good, solid, sub-moa 3-shot groups at 100 m.

My rifle (Blaser R93) has the typical Weatherby freebore. So, like you, I decided there was no way I could seat close to the lands. Given that, I made sure the chosen OACL would work through the magazine, and simply seated the bullet such that the middle of one of the driving bands (1st or 2nd?) was seated just at the case mouth. I felt this position (together with sufficient bullet in the case neck) would give me a solid foundation for case neck tension.

It is rare I attempt to vary seating depth, when I'm that far off the lands.

- mike

That being the case shoot them if they shoot acceptably well don't worry about it.

Just remember it's a rifle for punching holes in meat not paper and deer aren't impressed by sub MOA rifles.


AllanD

My experience has been that I loaded them to factory specs, I think that's 3.250 OAL, put 72 grains of RL22 in and it shot from 1 hole to 1/2 in. for three shots at over 3600 fps. That was my total experience working up a load for the .257 Weatherby.