If I raised the ram on my reloading press with a factory loaded 120 grain Win pep cartridge in the shell holder and then screwed down my seating die untill it made contact with the bullet,would it seat a different bullet type to the same ogive height above the neck of the cartridge?What I am trying to find out is whether varying types of bullets of the same caliber all seat by contact with the ogive or is it some other point of contact on the bullet that seats it? With this method would bullets of different lengths all seat with their ogive at the same height?

turnerhunter,

A bullet seater "should" make contact with the bullet somewhere along the ogive. As to seating a different bullet to the same height. There are a few things to consider.

Is the ogive the same number of calibers?

Do the 2 bullets have the same measurement from the start of the ogive (where it meets the body diameter) to the business end of the bullet?

Is the diameter where the seater comes in contact with the 2 different bullets the same?

Is the center point of the ogive the same on both bullets, geometrically?

If the answer is yes to all of the above then the bullet will be seated to have the same measurement sticking out of the case.

If the answer is no to any of the above then that distance would be different.

I hope I am understanding your question(s) correctly.

Don

Thanks Groove Bullets.
Indeed you seem to have made sense of my question.

The reason behind all this is that I can not get my hand loads to outperform the 120 grain Win PEP factory ammo in 25.06.I have been working up a load with 120 grain Hornady HP interbonds that shoot very well,but just not as tight as the PEPS.
Got me to thinking about an easier way of exactly matching the ogive(.257) of my hand loads to the factory loads as an experiment in accuracy.The business end of the Hornadys are indeed a fair bit longer above the ogive than the Peps.Initial results are that my loads are grouping better the closer that I can get to the factory ogive height above the neck.

turner,

Not to be at all coy but sometimes a rifle just falls in love with a factory load and all the handloading in the world doesn't change that.

I am not sure that trying the same seating depth or distance off the lands from a factory round versus a hand load will necessarily provide the same level of accuracy.

Thats the "fun" in developing the handloads - at least for me - is to see if one can beat the accurate load you now have.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Don

Hollywood,

I am an old guy and its an old saying - it kind of fit

Don