I am new to handloading rifle cartridges, although I have reloaded shotshells for a long time. I am still getting the hang of it and would appreciate any tips, tricks and cautions y'all might have to offer.

I am using an RCBS Rock Chucker. I am getting my hand in loading 270 Win shells using IMR 4350 and 130 gr. Rem. spitzer bullets. I have read the Speer and Lyman reloading manuals. I tried to use the "soot" method for determining how deep to seat the bullet, but, looking at the end product, I think I got it wrong as the overal length looks too short (shorter than COL listed in Speer and factory loads).

Start with some bullets that have a crimp grove in unit you get the hand of reloading. Then you can experiment with the AOL. You can also use a black marker for the OAL length. If you like reloading the metallics, a Stony Point or similar tool is great for measure your throat for you rifles OAL. Don't over lube the cases. I use spray lube and find that makes life so much easier. Also to start use good safe loads. Don't try to "juice" the cartridges until you feel more comforable.

The Rock Chucker is a great choice to reload shells with . That was my first press ans I still use it.

Any questions post them for us.

Hcliff

Thanks, for the advice. I am using bullets with a cannelure (new word for me) in them. The fact that I could not see any of the cannelure on the finished cartridge is one reason I presumed they were shorter than optimum. I am using loads inside the maximum in the Speer and Lyman books. I wouldn't take a chance on damagine one of my rifles through my own ignorance. I am thinking about getting a chronograph and maybe a PressureTrace, but that is probably jumping the gun a little (pun intended).

Jim in Texas:

Here is the simple way to figure out how deep or how far out you can seat the bullet.

Close the bolt on an empty chamber. Drop a cleaning rod down the barrel with a flat tip. Mark the rod at the end of the barrel. Measure this length, the bolt face to end of barrel distance.

Then drop a flat base bullet in the chamber end of the rifle butt first; that is, bullet facing backwards. Don't push the bullet too hard into the barrel, but don't let it move backward either.

Now, measure the distance from the end of the barrel to the bullet, using the same flat ended cleaning rod. This will give you the distance from the end of the barrel to the start of the rifling.

Subtract these two numbers, this gives you the maximum COL. Ideally, you want the bullet to be around 0.03 to 0.01 inches from the start of rifling when you work up a load. This gives you the max accuracy and the max case capacity. Of course, your particular chamber may have a long leade so this may be impossible or your magazine may be too short for a bullet with this COL.

I recommend you jot all three of these numbers down for future reference. You will be amazed how often you will refer to them if you start loading more than one bullet style for each caliber.

But, if you do this, you will know pretty much what you can and can't do for COL. BTW, I measure COL from bolt face to the point on the bullet where the diameter is the bore diameter; this isn't how COL is usually defined in the loading manuals.

In the global scope of things, the COL from base of bullet to tip of bullet is only important when it comes to fitting in the magazine. Once in the chamber, it is the distance from base of cartrige to point on bullet where the bullet is equal to the bore diameter. Clearly, if you are shooting a single shot, overall cartridge length is meaningless in comparision to where the bullet contacts the rifling.

Using the cannelure on the bullet to set COL will work fine, especially if you are crimping your bullets in place. It just isn't necessarily going to give you the optimum COL.

If you are starting out, I encourage you to post dumb questions, as it is far easier to deal with dumb questions than dumb mistakes....

RobertD

Jim In Texas:

Further thoughts - If do you have a long leade in this rifle, so it is impossible to seat the bullets close to the start of rifling, then simply seat them so the base of the bullet is at the base of the neck in the case.

I have an old 30/06 with this problem, so I just seat them this way for non crimped bullets.

RobertD

Thanks, Robert. That is a great tip!

Jim, When I loaded some 708 for a nephew with 139gr. Hornadys, the cannalure was covered up too, but that was to allow the shell to fit in the magazine, oal was 2.830". I've found with alot of "hunting" rifles, it's not imperative to find the lands so much, the 150NBTs for my 06 are .060" off the lands, the 190Hornadys are .020" off the lands, and the thing shoots really good with both, my feelings are, a good rifle will shoot most bullets at just about any reasonable seating depth. I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you, unless your accuracy is horrible, then you may have something else wrong. BTW, what rifle are you shooting? Jay

I am shooting two different 270's. One is a custom built on a pre-64 Model 70 "super" action with a 26" Douglas barrel, the other is a push feed model 70 action with a Douglas 26" barrel.

I think I am having a problem with my uniflow powder measure. It seems to stick in mid-stroke, but comes free if I apply some pressure. However, loads are coming out resaonably (but not completely) uniform. I am weighing every charge right now.

Jim in Texas:

If you are loading stick powders, such as IMR4350 or H4831, it is not unusual for powder measures to stick a bit. This is due the measure having to cut the powder kernels in half.

Try using a powder with a smaller kernel size, such as a ball powder if you want to throw really accurate numbers. Hodgdon makes SC powders just for this very reason. Example, H4831SC vs H4831.

Of course, if no one makes a ball powder, or at least a small kernel powder, in your desired burn rate, then you are sort of out of luck.

RobertD