338 lapua

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cheaplaughs

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hey guys,i started out tonight reloading my 338 lapua at 3.674 oal.i check every rnd for length and i noticed each rnd got longer.after 15 rnds im at 3.700 which causes the bullet to touch the lands.can i shoot these like this or should i reset and bring them back down to 3.674 .the specs suggest oal to be 3.681 the dies are new starting tonight.
 
What kind of dies are you using?
I have had this happen to me using lee dies. Not bashing lee as they have done me good. But I find that they like to back out on most rifle calibers.
 
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Do you have a case base to ogive gauge? This will give you an accurate measurement of the base to the bullet ogive and will help in ensuring consistency. If the ones you have are too long, seat them to your length. I have used rcbs seating dies and find some how they seem to drift a bit - not really sure how that coudl happen with the set screw tightened and the lock ring set good. I'd suggest switching to a Forster micrometer seater to get really good consistency.

It's also good to remember that bullets can vary a little, but 26 thou seems a lot to be just a bullet issue. What bullets are you using?

Before re-seating, I'd check a few by cycling them with sharpie ink to see if they are actually touching.
 
I would not shoot them without re-seating the bullets to the length I had decided was appropriate.

I have never had this happen. Without watching you set up the press and dies I have no real suggestion other than "that is not supposed to happen". If you set up RCBS dies (of which I have several) properly, they just don't move. I would re-read the set up instructions and go through the process one careful step at a time until you find something that is not locking down properly. But either the seater stem or the die itself is moving somehow, and neither should move at all once set up.
 
Maybe you have a POS in the seater cup. Pull them out of die and have a look. Somethings wrong with the seater. Your referring to overall length or comparator length?
 
not exactly sure.i was seating with the die set tight to the shell holder.it recommends setting it to the empty shell length then getting oal with the seating screw.i tried a few different ways but i should of read the instructions first.
 
I had lee dies for my lapua reload...put it away and buy an rcbs..much nicer..i suspect the end of the lee die is moving..i belive the end cap and the threads are aluminum,not steel.my guess is that's your issue..hope this helps..good luck.
 
cheaplaughs said:
not exactly sure.i was seating with the die set tight to the shell holder.it recommends setting it to the empty shell length then getting oal with the seating screw.i tried a few different ways but i should of read the instructions first.
Click to expand...

You didn't put a horrible crimp on the bullet with having the seating die touching your shell holder did u?
 
Don't shoot them as is if you are looking for grouping results.

They won't be dangerous, but chances are that they won't group as well as they could if they were all consistent.
 
i have them all set to the same oal now or very close.there is still some inconsistencies so i adjusted the set screw for the rnds that were longer.there wasnt any crimps that i could see.
 
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