I am building loads to test in my .22-250. I am determining over all length by using the Stoney Point OAL gauge and comparator to measure from the bullets ogive instead of the bullet tip. My question is where should I start testing off of the rifling? It has been suggested that I start at .020 off. Should I start with the bullet touching the rifling and back off in .005 increments? Should I start at .020 and go in at .005 increments? I have also heard that most .22's do a little better with some bullet jump rather than being right up to the rifling. Any help will be much appreciated.

[ 08-06-2002, 22:32: Message edited by: Shark Bait ]

I generally start at .020" off the lands. Now take whatever powder is proven popular for that cartridge and find the best charge level.

Time to start playing with the OAL in terms of distance to the lands. Work in .005" increments closer AND farther away. I get nervous seating right to the lands. If I were going to do so, I would certainly start again with reduced charges to avoid pressure surprises. I do not step up any closer than the .005" mark. As we really do not KNOW how far away we are, this gives me a bit of a margin for error.

Some rifles seem to like having the bullet up close and personal whereas others shoot like an ace with jump distances that astound me.

Consistency is the key here in order to acquire qualitative data.

What seating die are you using and how do you resize your cases; neck, bump, or full?

And, welcome to the mad science of tiny measurements

~Holmes

Thanks for the info Holmes. I am using a Redding seating die. Not the benchrest die with Micrometer, just the standard redding die. I am also using a Redding neck sizing die to size the neck. I have not found the need thus far to bump back the shoulder as these cases have only been loaded twice and seem to chamber fine. This is fun stuff, I just want to be sure I am going about it right.

Any additional information on this topic will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Y'all!

I have found it better to start in (whatever you feel comfortable with) and then work out (away from the lands).

If you work up a load (that is safe) at a certain distance off the lands and then you move in with the same load you risk a big increase in pressure.

SHARK BAIT,
Since I've found that the best accuracy comes with bullets just off the lands, that's where I start. When I find a pretty good load that is not quite good enough then I start seating that load deeper in .005" increments until I find what I want. Being an old goat, I have old ways of doing things. I soot a bullet. What I like to start with are rifleing marks in the soot that donot mark the bullet. I hope that this is of some help. Good luck.

I start my load work with bullet seated deep enough that the lands make a square mark on the bullet. I then load 3 round increments up to max and shoot. I take the top velocity/safe pressure load and begin shooting 5 shot groups seating the bullet deeper with each group. If/when I find a promising load, I load up 25 more rounds to test for consistant groups and velocity.

This doesn't always work, but it's easier than seating the bullet somewhere in the middle and testing in both directions.

Half of the pleasure from a rifle is in working up loads. Howevere you do it - Enjoy it!
John