Your shoulder will know the difference. Tried some 220 grain one time in the 30-06.
6.8 lb Browning Stainless Stalker. After the second shot I put the rest away to break down and reload with lighter bullets. It was brutal.
6.8 lb Browning Stainless Stalker. After the second shot I put the rest away to break down and reload with lighter bullets. It was brutal.
Today I reloaded the 10 I pulled the bullets out of yesterday and charged them with 46.2 grains and loosened up my bullet seating depth to have an OAL of 2.815” instead of 2.799”.
If anyone has a recommendation for a good micrometer seating die that works in the Frankford Arsenal M-Press let me know. This Lee Die just ain’t working well for me. I first had it at 2.820” and then tightened up my set screw and for some reason my next round was 2.817”, round after that was 2.816”. Ended up tuning it and finally got it set to keep them all at 2.815”.
If anyone thinks 2.815” is stupid let me know. I need to actually measure how far off I am from the lands but, and this may sound stupid, but I figure if the round still goes into my PMAG I should be far enough from the lands that I shouldn’t have any safety concerns. I would actually probably have to change to an aluminum mag that’s not so thick and allows more bullet length or single feed them to actually be able to develop a load that gets as close to the lands as I can in my Ruger Precision Rifle. I’ll hope to hear what y’all think.
If anyone has a recommendation for a good micrometer seating die that works in the Frankford Arsenal M-Press let me know. This Lee Die just ain’t working well for me. I first had it at 2.820” and then tightened up my set screw and for some reason my next round was 2.817”, round after that was 2.816”. Ended up tuning it and finally got it set to keep them all at 2.815”.
If anyone thinks 2.815” is stupid let me know. I need to actually measure how far off I am from the lands but, and this may sound stupid, but I figure if the round still goes into my PMAG I should be far enough from the lands that I shouldn’t have any safety concerns. I would actually probably have to change to an aluminum mag that’s not so thick and allows more bullet length or single feed them to actually be able to develop a load that gets as close to the lands as I can in my Ruger Precision Rifle. I’ll hope to hear what y’all think.
Those plastic tips get dinked around in the box and in production so the OAL will not read the same.
Take one of your rounds that you are seating the bullet into and seat it to 2.840" and color the exposed portion of the bullet(projectile)
With a permanent marker.
Now chamber it and then extract it.
During extraction it will usually pick up a scratch from the action on the way out.
What you want to look for is rifling marks near the fat section of the projectile (bearing surface area)
No marks then you are not in the lands.
Now you can have deep marks about .030" long and you will know you are in the lands that much but that does not mean it is jammed in the lands.
That is how I do it.
Jammed and then back it off .020"
Now another thing you can do is measure from the base of each bullet to the ogive and sort them like that.
You will be amazed at how much difference there can be.
Deeper and deeper into the hole you go.
Take one of your rounds that you are seating the bullet into and seat it to 2.840" and color the exposed portion of the bullet(projectile)
With a permanent marker.
Now chamber it and then extract it.
During extraction it will usually pick up a scratch from the action on the way out.
What you want to look for is rifling marks near the fat section of the projectile (bearing surface area)
No marks then you are not in the lands.
Now you can have deep marks about .030" long and you will know you are in the lands that much but that does not mean it is jammed in the lands.
That is how I do it.
Jammed and then back it off .020"
Now another thing you can do is measure from the base of each bullet to the ogive and sort them like that.
You will be amazed at how much difference there can be.
Deeper and deeper into the hole you go.
I found it helps after you seat bullet to rotate round 180* and hit it again. At least in my head it helps.
With a lot of match bullets even you will see .005 variation in overall length out of just one box. Sometimes it can be far worse. I had some 69gr SMKs give me fits once because I was simply measuring COL as they were coming off the press. Turns out there was .015 difference between some of the bullets when I started to check them. Typically I've found Berger to be about the best, and the Hornady and Nosler stuff to have that .005 variation.
If you start to measure the CBTO (Cartridge Base To Ogive) I bet your readings will be a lot more consistent. If using OTM bullets, you can also get a meplat uniunrming tool.
surprisingly, the difference in bullet OAL has little effect on accuracy to a couple hundred yards. Those 69gr SMKs will still shoot SUB-MOA to 400 yards. However I wouldn't want to try to compete with something that far off in F-class.
Here is something I do to my Lee seater stems.
I drill them deeper because some bullets bottom out in them.
I also noticed you have the rings from the seater stem up high on the bullet and the rings are quite pronounced and look
a bit like multiple fine rings.
That multiple fine ring look comes from the machine process they use.
So i take Cratex Bullets (look that up) and use those to polish the seating stems.
You could make a cone of 1500 then 2000 grit sandpaper and polish the seating stem.
Then I use a tiny bore brush with a paper towel on it and Meguiars #2 or 3 machine glaze on the paper towel to polish the inside of the stem.
I also use that #2 or #3 to polish my dies and expander mandrels or buttons. You will notice the brass sizes much easier.
Just put it on a swab or a paper towel and get to spinning it.
I also ever so slightly enlarge the stem to get it to contact the bullet farther down from the tip as some of the pointy tipped bullets
I was using were hollow up high in the tip.
And many bullet jackets get thicker the farther down the bullet you go so less chance of making a dented nose on them.
The polishing of the seater stem also kept the stem from sticking to the bullet.
As you lower the seated round do you notice a slight bit of tension like the bullet is stuck in the stem??
If yes polish the stem.
I drill them deeper because some bullets bottom out in them.
I also noticed you have the rings from the seater stem up high on the bullet and the rings are quite pronounced and look
a bit like multiple fine rings.
That multiple fine ring look comes from the machine process they use.
So i take Cratex Bullets (look that up) and use those to polish the seating stems.
You could make a cone of 1500 then 2000 grit sandpaper and polish the seating stem.
Then I use a tiny bore brush with a paper towel on it and Meguiars #2 or 3 machine glaze on the paper towel to polish the inside of the stem.
I also use that #2 or #3 to polish my dies and expander mandrels or buttons. You will notice the brass sizes much easier.
Just put it on a swab or a paper towel and get to spinning it.
I also ever so slightly enlarge the stem to get it to contact the bullet farther down from the tip as some of the pointy tipped bullets
I was using were hollow up high in the tip.
And many bullet jackets get thicker the farther down the bullet you go so less chance of making a dented nose on them.
The polishing of the seater stem also kept the stem from sticking to the bullet.
As you lower the seated round do you notice a slight bit of tension like the bullet is stuck in the stem??
If yes polish the stem.
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