6.5 Creedmoor 123 ELD's seating depth?

[BallisticSam]

Ok so loaded up some 123's for the Ruger RPR for some load development with IMR 4166. The Hodgdon load data online says to seat to 2.670". Isn't that kind stuffed in there and along way from the lands. I load 140's at 2.795" which with my rifle is right under mag length and 30 off the lands and shoots well. So what I have done is seated them to 2.775" which puts the base and boattail under the neck. Should I run them shorter? What are you guys/gals doing?

 

[BallisticSam]

OK.....well since I have to leave for the range in an hour I guess it will be 2.775".

 

[GhengisAhn175]

I say you're good to go with 2.775" and keep that length for load development

 

[Rob01]

You are .030" off the lands with 140s at 2.795"? That is pretty short. Is that an aftermarket barrel or factory?

 

[BallisticSam]

30 ish I using the Hornady oal gauge the straight one and its hard to use on the Ruger RPR. When I measured the 140s I thought that it said 2.830" and and I then seat to 2.8/2.795. With the Federal 210 primers and this Hornady brass sometimes I get a primer that won't seat all the way in and I get 3-5 thousandths of play. Anyways I think I can run the 123's at 2.775 and be okay but would seating to what it says to in the book 2.670" make a difference? This is the Factory Ruger barrel.

 

[Rob01]

You should do the 123 ELDs in the OAL gauge as well and tell you what your OAL to lands is. Do you have a comparator to measure to the ogive? Measuring off the ogive is a better way than the tip especially in BTHP style bullets which can have varying tip lengths. Shouldn't be bad with the ELDs but still best to go by ogive. If you use a comparator on your 140s then you can use that as a basis from the base of case to ogive length for the 123s as well.

The reason I asked about the OAl is that 2.830" to lands is a short chamber. My two customs with SAAMI spec chambers with .199" of freebore are 2.850" at .020" off the lands with the 140 ELDs so 2.870" at the lands. It's not a bad thing to have a short chamber, especially with the lighter bullets, but as long as you know.

 

[BallisticSam]

Its a Facotry Ruger RPR gen2 6.5 Creedmoor. I don't have the comparator yet. So maybe I just need to hold on to worrying about this OAL thing until I do and just load to what the book says to be safe. I do know that the Hornady Factory box of 129sst's shot great and they were seated to the top of the cannelure but not crimped. Anyways No big deal I'll shoot them and see what happens and then get my ass a set of the comparators and start again.

 

[BallisticSam]

Well, they shot fine! The best load being 36.5grs of IMR 4166 4 in the same spot with one dicked up shot low. So I guess I can keep them at 2.775". I'll load up some of the 123 sst's the same and see how they do. Max from Hodgdon is 38grs I loaded 2 to see how they acted, nice flat primer no brass smear from bolt but it was cold today. I loaded 5 rounds from 36.5,37.0,37.5 and [email protected]. the 37s were just Meh... not as tight as the 36.5. I'll keep the same load and play with seating depth.