I bought some Sierra BT's for a 6.5x55. I generally use flat based heads which seat to the junction of the neck/shoulder. The BT part of the Sierra bullet hangs below the neck/shoulder junction for the OAL I use. Any possible problems??

None. Even if you were to seat way into the powder chamber noone has ever proven this to be detrimental. Seat you bullets where they shoot best.

Buying a different bullet than what you already shoot, and loading it up could give you the same point of aim, but more than likely you will have a different point of aim. The length from your flatbase bullet's ogive to the rilfe barrel lands will be different. If you have to seat the bullet further into the case than your flatbased bullet, your case pressures will be different, which will have an effect on your velocity and where the bullet lands on the paper. Your rifle may like the flatbased bullet you are using, butit may not like a boattail. It also may like a boattail more than it likes the flatbased bullets. My suggestion is, find out your cartridge overall length in your rifle with that brand of bullet (the boattail)where the ogive just touches the lands, back it off so it is .01 inch shorter, reduce your powder load by 10 percent and see how three cartridges do in your rifle. If you have a .270 or some such rifle (non-varmit rifle) increasse yourload by .3 grains with three more cartridges. Keep increasing your powder charge until you begin to see pressure signs and then compare your targets. You should see three targets in a row that appear somewhat similar. Select the target load sandwiched by the other two. This will be your powder charge. Then come back and seat the bullet deeper and deeper into the case in three-shot incements until you get to your tightest group. Then load up 15 of these loads with the ideal bullet-seating depth and shoot three, five-shot groups at different targets as a test. They should all be grouping about the same. I stold this method from another AR member, but it works. Whatever you do, please don't just take a different bullet of the same weight, cram it down the case neck to "about" the same place, with the same powder charge and think everything will be okay. It may, but then, why take a chance. Do some experimentation and enjoy this sport a bit more. Tom Purdom

Good Day Thomas Purdom, I have a question you my be able to answer for me. I reload strictly for hunting, I'm not a bench rest or competative shooter. However I alway look to improve my shooting and reloading flexibility. Where I shoot in South Carolina is usually 100 to 200 yards. I shoot a 30.06, 165 gr for whitetail and 180 gr for Elk when I go home to New Mexico. I use a OAL and bullet comparator during my reload process. I was looking into purchasing a Redding Competition II bullet seater. My reasoning behind this is to provide myself the flexibility to move from on bullet grain to the next since I shoot the same manufacture bullet and bullet of type. I figure once you know the bullet seating depth you just change the setting instead of die's. Does this make reasonable send in the direction I wish to go.

TM: It sounds like a plan to me, so long as you are spot-on with the measurements from one bullet to the next. I own Forster Ultra Competion dies for my CZ 550 American 7x57mm Mauser and I load for that rifle, plus my brother's CZ Full Stock in 7x57mm Mauser. The chamber on his rifle with the .284 Hornady SSTs in 162 grain is .02 inch shorter than on mine. There will be small changes in bullet length, ogive to land length from box of bullets to box of bullets, so I check for this, adjust the micrometer seating die accordingly, and start pumping out reloaded rounds. I adjust down .02 inches when I start turning out shells for my brother's rifle. I check them just to make sure, and each time the .02 inch setting has been right smack on, from box of 162 grain Hornady SSTs to box of 162 grain Hornady SST bullets. I too, am not a bench rest shooter. I just get a kick out of squeezing all the accuracy I can out of each load. Tom Purdom

Thomas P. Thank you for the advise. I ordered a new die today. I will check the bullets from boxes to box. I let you know how I do at the range when I check my reload on a group. Hope to be back up in Taos for family visit and Elk hunting next season.