How can you seat your bullets just short of the lands without any special tools to determine that you are doing it right?

Simple way is to take a fired case. Bend the lip of the mouth just enough that a bullet will be held firmly but still able to move. I take the bullet and turn it in the muzzle so the lands scribe a circle. Just barely seat the bullet in the case and then chamber it. The lands will push the bullet into the case. When you withdraw the case measure from the base to the scribe mark and you will get a good idea as to the distance from bolt face to lands. I then back from that point the distance I want to be off the lands.

I do the same as Ramrod, but I color the bullet with a black sharpie so when it hits the lands and it being pushed back into the case, the case mouth will scrape the marker off and I'll know where the scratch stops is when it hit the lands. Reason being is that sometimes the bullet get stuck in the lands and pulls back out of the case when you open the bolt.

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I do the same as Ramrod, but I color the bullet with a black sharpie so when it hits the lands and it being pushed back into the case, the case mouth will scrape the marker off and I'll know where the scratch stops is when it hit the lands. Reason being is that sometimes the bullet get stuck in the lands and pulls back out of the case when you open the bolt.

Great tip. I have done that as well. Usually after the bullet has pulled out a couple times. On a CRF rifle I pull the bolt and slip the case head under the extractor then install the bolt.

Go to this site for a practical cheep method to determine the maximum oveall length of a cartridge, then go to Reloading and shooting Tech Tips and then pick Best OAL for accuracy:
http://www.larrywillis.com/