Well, I am biting the bullet and started reloading last weekend. Found that the cannelure on the Nosler partition 286 grain bullet, when seated into new brass, leaves about one quarter inch before the rifling in my Merkel. This would be 3.932 inch for OAL with this bullet just centered into and touching the lands.

Am I supposed to actually leave the cannelure as a decorative ring, and a full quarter inch away from the end of the brass at the cartridge neck?

Seems like I must be missing something here about seating depth, especially if a crimp were desired.

I measured the distance to lands by the stick in the bore method, against a Nosler 286 grain bullet, and also by the jam-into-cartriege-neck method by carefully closing the action on an empty sized brass with a bullet started into the neck.

Both showed a full quarter inch between the cannelure and the brass when just touching the rifling.

thanks for any help here.

Merkelmeister,

Accuracy is less important than dependability and safety. IMHO these types of rounds are for hunting and not BR. The long throat will keep pressures down which I gather is desirable in doubles. In addition the recoil may be enough to start to unseat a 286gr bullet.

You can play around with measuring OALs of the unfired second barrel round following firing the first barrel and polishing expander plugs etc but I would start with the cannelure lightly crimped and leave it at that if results are good.