hi guys
ive been reloading a couple months now and ive normally stuck to everything my load manuals tell me. ie the factory seating bullet depth.
my question is,is it better to start with the bullet just off the lands and work on my load from there,or get a decent load using the factory seating depths and then play around increasing my depths by .5 thou intervals
thanx

ro

Just my opinion, and others may, and probably will, disagree, but I pay little attention to the quoted OAL as quoted in manuals.

Start with the bullet touching the lands, or as long as the magazine will accept, and tune from there. That way you have only one direction to go. For a hunting rifle I doubt if .005" increments are justified. More like .010" at a minimum.

Ray

I agree that the OAL listed in the manuals should merely be a rough reference and the OAL you choose is specific to your rifle. I would avoid touching the lands on a hunting rifle. I never get any closer to the lands than .01". I go .01" to .15" off the lands depending on my accuracy results and my magazine length.

hi duckboat and cheechako
thanx for the help guys.il try that and see how i get on
what if im using a small bullet like the 65 grain v max.if i am even close to the lands its very very loose.should i just seat it one calibre down.in this case .243 of an inch

ro

With a factory chamber and certain bullets you simply are not going to be able to seat the bullets out and then fine tune by adjusting the seating depth. You have to seat them so that they are securely held against recoil and make the best of it. Fine tuning then is limited to different powders and different charges.

The 65 gr V max in .243 is a tiny, short bullet and you have to do the best you can with it. Who knows, jumping it 1/2 inch may be just what it likes best.

Ray

thanks cheechako
looks like a lot of trial and error

You should seat your bullet a minimum of 1 caliber into the brass. For the .243, you'd need to seat the bullet at least .243" into the brass for a solid round. This may have you farther from the lands than you really want, but it's about the best you can do. On very short bullets, the seating depth into the brass may become the dictating factor. I shoot 58 grain V-maxs in my Ruger .243. I know its well below .01" off the lands, but I have to seat the bullet deep enough to have mechanically solid ammo. I'm very lucky though, they shoot great anyway. Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by rouser_00:
hi guys
ive been reloading a couple months now and ive normally stuck to everything my load manuals tell me. ie the factory seating bullet depth.
my question is,is it better to start with the bullet just off the lands and work on my load from there,or get a decent load using the factory seating depths and then play around increasing my depths by .5 thou intervals
thanx

FWIW I usually start at .020 off the lands when working up a load, and I never seat less than .010 off for a hunting load.

If the magazine will allow, I go straight to seating bullets .010 off the lands. That seems to work for all of my rifles. The .010 was arrived at over the years of shooting and testing, but mainly from centerfire benchrest shooting competetively, where that seating worked.

I guess my first response would be a question, "How consistent are the ogives on your bullets?"

Without consistent bullet ogival shape and length, most reloading dies will not give loaded ammo consistent clearance off the barrel lands.

If the seating die uses a hollow bushing to seat the bullets, it CAN seat the bullets the same distance off the lands each time, but only if the hole in the bushing is the same diameter as the land diameter of the barrel. Very few seating dies are made that way.

Most are made without a bushing, but with a cone in the seating stem which is not nearly as large as the land diameter of the barrels in which the ammo will be used. That means the stem touches the point of the bullet, which varies from bullet to bullet in its length relative to where the barrel would touch the bullet (on the ogive). One can just measure the overall length of a number of his bullets taken from the box at random, and he will find the bullets are NOT normally the same length from one to another.

So, to get to the heart of the matter, it is probably more important to get a good basic load BEFORE putzing with the seating depth.

Then when one does start playing with the seating depth, starting what appears to be about .005" off the lands is likely a good idea for hunting rifles, and .010" off might be even better. WHY? Because with say .010" as a starting point, some bullet ogives at the barrel contact diameter will actually be as much as perhaps .012" off the lands, while others will be within say .007" of the lands. At any rate, none are then likely to be slightly jammed INTO the lands.

Bullets jammed in the lands slightly may not be a pressure problem, but depending on neck tension, they also may not be firmly held in the cartridge case. If they aren't held firmly, opening the bolt without firing the bullet may leave the bullet stuck in the bore and the action full of powder.

Not a very common occurance, but not an event one wants to have happen when two miles out of camp in steep mountains, without a cleaning rod. Especially not in grizzly country

Sorry for the long explanation, but thought you might appreciate the "why".....