bullet seating question

[Catalyst]

New hunting/reloader here with a bullet seating question. I'm working up a load for deer for my .308 and I was curious how you all determine which seating depth to use. Do you just use the recommended OAL? Or seat to magazine length? Or seat the bullet so it is just off the lands with little jump?

I ask because for my precision rifle I've been working up a load and seat it so that it is .020" off the lands but I have a REM 700P with a long throat and the rounds don't fit in the magazine. I'm guessing I may have the same issue with my Weatherby Vanguard I plan to hut with.

I was thinking of trying different seating depths once I have a charge I like, but I don't know how it important it is to be able to have the bullets fit the magazine. How rare are follow up shots? I know my newbness is showing here but I appreciate any thoughts/suggestions.

 

[dARkeARth]

New hunting/reloader here with a bullet seating question. I'm working up a load for deer for my .308 and I was curious how you all determine which seating depth to use. Do you just use the recommended OAL? Or seat to magazine length? Or seat the bullet so it is just off the lands with little jump?

I ask because for my precision rifle I've been working up a load and seat it so that it is .020" off the lands but I have a REM 700P with a long throat and the rounds don't fit in the magazine. I'm guessing I may have the same issue with my Weatherby Vanguard I plan to hut with.

I was thinking of trying different seating depths once I have a charge I like, but I don't know how it important it is to be able to have the bullets fit the magazine. How rare are follow up shots? I know my newbness is showing here but I appreciate any thoughts/suggestions.

I always load my hunting rounds to SAAMI spec. I don't want anything going wrong with that shot. I full length size just in case I get some dust in the chamber I still have a litttle wiggle room. You don't need bench rest accuracy for hunting.

 

[Catalyst]

I always load my hunting rounds to SAAMI spec. I don't want anything going wrong with that shot. I full length size just in case I get some dust in the chamber I still have a litttle wiggle room. You don't need bench rest accuracy for hunting.

That's what I was leaning towards for the reasons you stated. I think its the OCD in me that got me thinking about it.

 

[NBK]

Welcome to SCH Catalyst.

The Rem 700 police is a nice factory gun and is known for producing darn good accuracy. With that said, you want to find the sweet spot regarding seating depth for each given bullet weight and type you load. You will never achieve this if you load to SAAMI spec regarding bullet depth (in your case that would be 2.810").

To answer your question directly, you achieve optimal seating depth by experimenting. And typically bullet manufacturers will tell you what the average optimal seating depth is from their testing. But keep in mind, their data may not be what your rifle needs. It is just a good starting point.

There is a quick way to solve your current throat length issue regarding bullet depth. Pull out the current magazine box and replace it with a "Wyatt" magazine box. This will give you more room to seat the bullet out further. The Wyatt MBE-5 magazine box will extend your OAL by .110".

Give them a call: 541-776-8417
http://wyattsoutdoor.com

 

[Aeon]

Are you using a oal gage to mesure your rifles and a comparitor to mesure your bullets?

Just asking

 

[Catalyst]

Welcome to SCH Catalyst.

The Rem 700 police is a nice factory gun and is known for producing darn good accuracy. With that said, you want to find the sweet spot regarding seating depth for each given bullet weight and type you load. You will never achieve this if you load to SAAMI spec regarding bullet depth (in your case that would be 2.810").

To answer your question directly, you achieve optimal seating depth by experimenting. And typically bullet manufacturers will tell you what the average optimal seating depth is from their testing. But keep in mind, their data may not be what your rifle needs. It is just a good starting point.

There is a quick way to solve your current throat length issue regarding bullet depth. Pull out the current magazine box and replace it with a "Wyatt" magazine box. This will give you more room to seat the bullet out further. The Wyatt MBE-5 magazine box will extend your OAL by .110".

Give them a call: 541-776-8417
http://wyattsoutdoor.com

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll check that out.

Are you using a oal gage to mesure your rifles and a comparitor to mesure your bullets?

Just asking

Yes, I've been using the Hornady OAL gauge and comparator.

 

[brad nsw]

I seated a bullet long, put black marker around the bullet, chambered it, saw land marks, then moved it in until it came up with no land, marks. This gave me a COL just short of the lands for my chamber. Accuracy is great and have never had any problems with grit or fouling.

Simple but it worked for me.

 

[Bowman]

I seated a bullet long, put black marker around the bullet, chambered it, saw land marks, then moved it in until it came up with no land, marks. This gave me a COL just short of the lands for my chamber. Accuracy is great and have never had any problems with grit or fouling.

Simple but it worked for me.

blueing should work too.

 

[xjon]

Unless you are ultra smooth and perfect like some fellows are, you will need a follow up shot. You might need that follow up fast or you might risk having an injured buck runaway. That is the reason why I load mine for magazine length. It is not the ultra accurate load, but like darkearth said, no bench rest accuracy needed.

With that in mind though, I still play and tune to the best seating depth for magazine fitting. Also with the decrease in accuracy, you must know the new range limit for that rifle.

 

[White Smoke]

Check to see what your bullet manufacturer recommends. Being in Kalifornicate, I shoot the non-lead Barnes 150 grain TSX in my 308. Barnes recommends seating their bullets 0.05" off the lands, so that was my starting point. I worked up the most accurate load using Varget. Once I had that, I started adjusting the OAL. The maximum OAL length was determined by the magazine. My final load was 47.7 grains of Varget, a CCI #200 primer and an OAL of 2.83". I shoot a stock Ruger American. I had to shave down the left side of the stock because it was touching the barrel, but that's all I did to it. 200-yard target is attached.

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