After following the suggested procedure (from the Nosler manual) for determining the best bullet seating depth for my rifle (Setting a bullet into the neck of a fired non-resized casing and then placing it into the chamber and closing the bolt) I found out that the COAL was approximately .15 or .2 over the SAAMI Specs.

The safe bet would be to stay within SAAMI specs, but why would you check seating depth by this method if there is the possiblilty or probability that it would not fall within specs? Is it actually safe to fire the round that falls outside of CAOL SAAMI specs, but said length is determined by the individual rifle?

Chris

quote:

Is it actually safe to fire the round that falls outside of CAOL SAAMI specs, but said length is determined by the individual rifle?

Yes it is.....the only SAAMI spec to pay attention to is the pressure.....and most handloaders don't even do that.

The #1 requirement of your COAL is that the round fit into the magazine.....I also like to think the bullet should be seated one diameter deep at a minimum.