Pardon my lack of experience driven ignorance but I gotta know how you guys switch from one bullet to another (for the same gun), and change seating depths so frequently when reloading? What I mean is, for me, getting the right COAL is one of the most trying parts and when I get it, the last thing I want to do is switch projos or fool with COAL. Loosening the nut, backing off the screw a fraction of the turn and retightening seems like such an inexact science. No telling how many rounds I have pulled down because the depth was too much. Are the more expensive seater dies able to adjusted more easily back and forth and in a way that takes the guess work out of it? I have actually considered getting 2 .308 seater dies so I can have 1 for each of the 2 rifles I reload for. 1 likes lighter 168gr bullets while the other prefers heavier 175gr+. I dread switching my reloading over from one to the other.
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Seating Dies
- Thread starter 03psd
- Start date
I know for anything I play around with I get a micrometer die. Once I find a load that works I mark on the inside of the box the number I dialed to and resultant ogive measurement for later for that bullet for an easy reference. It allows you to just twist to the length you want with no wrenches or fidgeting with fasteners.
Something like this if it will fit for your current die, other makers make tops you can add on or buy a new with it already on. http://www.brownells.com/reloading/...vld-bullet-seating-micrometers-prod44705.aspx
Something like this if it will fit for your current die, other makers make tops you can add on or buy a new with it already on. http://www.brownells.com/reloading/...vld-bullet-seating-micrometers-prod44705.aspx
I use the seaters you described as well as a mircometer die for another caliber.
Once I get it set, I can never seem to get the same exact OAL from round to round. Usually varies slightly.
Today I did some .223's with a standard dillon non-micrometer die. OAL was between 2.49 to 2.252 or so. Is this normal?
Once I get it set, I can never seem to get the same exact OAL from round to round. Usually varies slightly.
Today I did some .223's with a standard dillon non-micrometer die. OAL was between 2.49 to 2.252 or so. Is this normal?
Mine are usually +-.001 but I chalk that up to bullet variation and the cheaper bullets are worse. And most are more like .0005 out one way or the other according to my hornady digital calipers which aren't that accurate but I suppose are enough to say it's not exactly on the whole thousandths. Unless you mean the over all length in which case .003 or 4 is not a bad variation in my experience. The ogive does give me more consistent numbers. But to get both oal and ogive consistent is stepping into meplat trimming territory. It's just a rabbit hole with how deep you want to go being the ultimate measure of what the chase for perfection is worth. I'm not going to extol going that far as none of my rifles are good enough to benefit.
A few of my recent rdf blems, and this is like 1 out of 100 through my first 500 so far are indeed .003 out by the ogive but I just set it aside as a fouler for barrel warming.
A few of my recent rdf blems, and this is like 1 out of 100 through my first 500 so far are indeed .003 out by the ogive but I just set it aside as a fouler for barrel warming.
I use Forster micrometer seaters. I like em so much I think I bought 8 or so. Better dials than the Redding imo
Assuming that you meant 2.249 to 2.252, that is not excessive, as Spife said above. But just to reiterate, unless you are meplat trimming, measuring your rounds by COAL is likely an exercise in futility and also unnecessary. Measure your seating depth using a comparitor that uses at or near the ogive of the bullet you are seating and if you get measurements within +/- 0.001" you will be fine...unless you are shooting bench rest.
I do have a comparator but measure OAL to make sure they fit in my AI mags. I know the bullets are all perfectly uniform but I have found that if I measure OAL I do OK. I will break out the comparator and see whats what however. Thank you.
I'm not saying that I never measure OAL. Of course I do for the same reason as you do, but once I know that I'm in the right area for OAL, I use base to ogive measurement.
2.249 to 2.252 is what I ment.
All reloading books give a COAL measurement so I try to get close to it. I've never use a comparator but have been meaning to buy one. What length would I want for a precision .223 round using a 77gr pill?
And I do shoot bench rest, why does that matter?
When measuring using a comparitor, you first find an overall length (COAL) that you are looking for. Then you use the comparitor to get the base-to-ogive measurement that corresponds to that COAL. You then use that measurement I compare each loaded round for seating depth consistency.
My reference to benchrest shooting was somewhat tongue-in-cheek and a reference to the extreme lengths some bench rest shooters will go to when reloading to eliminate any and all variation from the process. In contrast, many field precision rifle shooters and hunters will find a good reloading node and not worry too much about measuring everything to the nth degree.
My reference to benchrest shooting was somewhat tongue-in-cheek and a reference to the extreme lengths some bench rest shooters will go to when reloading to eliminate any and all variation from the process. In contrast, many field precision rifle shooters and hunters will find a good reloading node and not worry too much about measuring everything to the nth degree.
Thanks.
I'm a 'field bench rest shooter' see attached pic of a hobbed together bench
I'm currently measuring 'to the nth degree' to develop loads (which I'm also somewhat new at) for different rifles to see what works best. Once I figure that out there will be less measuring for sure.
Same here, once you get one you'll never go back to non micrometer seating dies.
I think that you'll find that COAL measurement listed in "Books" to be a Minimum COAL. This was the COAL that the load data was developed using and using shorter COAL's can create pressure issues. The only real hard and fast measurement is the max length you can get in your rifle's magazine and still have it feed or when you are so long the bullet is jammed in the lands.
Every rifle has a COAL that will allow it to perform with great accuracy. As long as it falls between "Minimum" and "Jammed" the rest is immaterial.
