Bullet seating depth question, .30-06

[pharmseller]

I've got my cases prepped and primed and three powders selected for trial.
The last issue: seating depth.
I'm loading for my .30-06 using once-fired Federal brass, 180 gr Nosler Partitions, and CCI 200 primers. The Partition is the same bullet as the factory load.
Do I make a dummy load that duplicates the COAL for the factory load that shoots well in my rifle, or is there a better way?
COAL for the Federal Premium load is 3.231", taken by measuring factory loads.

Thanks for the advice,

P

[medicdave]

I ussually seat mine a few thousands off of the lands if the magazine box is long enough to match the throat. Most of my rounds are seated out pretty far. The easiest way I've figured my length is to put a piece of fired brass in the sizer die, and size just enough when you seat a bullet long it willhold it with out falling into the case. Then put the long round into the chamber and close the bolt. It will take some force as your jamming the bullet in the lands and forcing it back into the case hence only sizing a very small bit of the neck. I then extract the round measure it and set my seating die to be .003 less than the OAL on the dummy round. Make sure that the OAL is not longer than your magazine box. If it is reduce the OAL to match your magazine box. I'm sure the others have their own way, but thats what works for me and I've found .003 off the lands is a good starting point for finding the "magic" loads. I also make dummy rounds with each different bullet at the final OAL and leave them in the die box so I can easily reset my dies bullet to bullet. This is for bolt guns, leverguns I use the OAL that will feed and cycle through the action. Hope this helps...Dave

[pharmseller]

Thanks for the hint.
Do you mean 3 thousandths? That ain't much.

P

[firefuzz]

One bolt guns I use the same theory as medicdave, I just use a little different method of getting there. I always mark the bullet with either dykum or a black marker and ease the cartridge in by hand and close the bolt, then eject it slowly not letting the bullet drag on the chamber or receiver and check for land marks on the blackened bullet. .003 is plenty as long as the rounds will feed thru your mag. Remember to load the mag full to test this, just using the top round won't work as it's not actually in the mag box. Doing it this was allows you to taylor the OAL to THAT rifle's chamber with THAT particular bullet length and shape.

You may have to adjust this to find the "sweet spot" for your individual rifle. This is a one rifle, one bullet method of doing things. If you change either you'll get to go thur it all again.

Rob

[HEAD0001]

Bullet seating depth depends on the rifle you have, and the goals of your reload. Do you plan on using the rifle as a repeater?? Or as a single shot?? Is it a lever action?? Bolt?? Pump?? Single shot?? All these factor into COAL.

The magazine normally limits the length of the cartridge. So if you want to use the magazine then the COAL has to be less than the magazine box. Then the type of bullet tip you use also determines the length inside the magazine box. For instance a soft tip of lead, even if it is inside the box will deform on recoil if it is too close to the magazine box. That was one of the reasons Remington brought out the old Bronze Tip bullet. The bullet would not deform on recoil of the rifle. So the next shell put into the chamber did not have a deformed tip.

We need to know alot more about your use, load, and rifle before anyone could give you good advice on COAL. However if you have a good factory load, and you are reloading the exact same bullet, then the Ogive of the bulet will be the same. So starting at the factory length is a good idea, or at least a good starting point. The tip on the Partition will deform if you get it too close to the magazine box, so you need to be careful with that. Whenever you load your rifle always push the shells to the back of the magazine box. Tom.

[fordwannabe]

I use a stony point(which I think hornady bought 0ut) depth gauge. They are available lots of places on line and some of the good reloading/sportinggoods shops have them too. You have a case for each caliber and then push your selected bullet into the neck of the case, place this on the end of the rod type fixture and put the whole thing in the chamber. Push on the rod and it gently seatsa the bullet against the lands and you can use the thumbscrew to set the whole thing, remove from rifle and it has a cutout that is designed to let you use dial calipers to measure and you have your oal. Pretty easy to do and it sems to give me more uniform results than pushing a bullet into a tightnecked case,BUT it cost more too. I reload for a lot of different rifles and it just seemed like a neat thing for me to have. Good luck.
One other suggestion seat the bullets to saami specs, get your powder picked, powder charge where it does the best, AND THEN PLAY WITH SEATING DEPTH FOR A FINAL TWEAK OF THE LOAD, just my opinion and worth exactly what you paid for it. Tom

[pharmseller]

Bolt rifle
Nosler Partitions, exposed lead nose