Need your advice and opinions

[Xman]

I'm reloading 150gr. Hornady FMJ-BT for my M14. The Hornady book is giving me the C.O.A.L. at 2.780 but I have to crimp for this gun and I can only catch the cannelure if I seat at 2.720, or even 2.715 instead.

Is .065 too much to reduce O.A.L from the book recommended one?

Why are manufacturers putting the cannelure so high up the bullet and then recommend a seating depth that when taken together with their recommended case trimming length, will ensure that it will end up above the mouth of the case and be rendered useless?

I am having the same problem with Sierra bullets. They recommend C.O.A.L at 2.775 but I can only catch the cannelure if I seat at 2.715.

Your opinion on shorting by .065? Thanks!

 

[Hotwheels81]

I'm reloading 150gr. Hornady FMJ-BT for my M14. The Hornady book is giving me the C.O.A.L. at 2.780 but I have to crimp for this gun and I can only catch the cannelure if I seat at 2.720, or even 2.715 instead.

Is .065 too much to reduce O.A.L from the book recommended one?

Why are manufacturers putting the cannelure so high up the bullet and then recommend a seating depth that when taken together with their recommended case trimming length, will ensure that it will end up above the mouth of the case and be rendered useless?

I am having the same problem with Sierra bullets. They recommend C.O.A.L at 2.775 but I can only catch the cannelure if I seat at 2.715.

Your opinion on shorting by .065? Thanks!

Have reloaded 168gr SMK and 150gr SMK and some other fun stuff in my Norc without crimping... If you wanna crimp then seat to the cannalure and as an extreme measure back your charge off half a grain and work up from there... I don't think you will run into any issue with a bullet seated .065 deeper or in laymens terms "less then half of 1/16 of an inch"...

 

[Xman]

Have reloaded 168gr SMK and 150gr SMK and some other fun stuff in my Norc without crimping... If you wanna crimp then seat to the cannalure and as an extreme measure back your charge off half a grain and work up from there... I don't think you will run into any issue with a bullet seated .065 deeper or in laymens terms "less then half of 1/16 of an inch"...

1/16 of an inch is .063 so in fact I am over 1/16.

But anyway, I found this on a different forum.

http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=6&f=42&t=322515

It seems this guy had the exact problem and he called Hornady. He says they told him that the book recommended COAL is a misprint and it should in fact be 2.700, not 2.780.

 

[Xman]

I emailed Hornady. Here is the exchange with Hornady:



Comments:
I am reloading some Hornady 150gr. FMJ-BT .308 bullets using RL-15 powder. The Hornady book tells me to make the C.O.A.L length 2.780 but if I do that, I am not catching the cannelure even partially if I want to crimp and I am using these reloads in an M1A service rifle; crimping is necessary due to recoil and violent chambering.

In order to catch the cannelure, I have to reduce the C.O.A.L. to 2.715. Would it be safe to go .065 shorter than the book recommends and seat these bullets at 2.715 with the entire range of recommended powder quantities?

Please advise!

Thanks!

****

John, in our current manual we have the COL set at 2.700 so you will be fine at your seating depth Thanks

 

[rookie wildcat]

Have reloaded 168gr SMK and 150gr SMK and some other fun stuff in my Norc without crimping... If you wanna crimp then seat to the cannalure and as an extreme measure back your charge off half a grain and work up from there... I don't think you will run into any issue with a bullet seated .065 deeper or in laymens terms "less then half of 1/16 of an inch"...

Which layman is that? 1/16" is .0625", half of that would be .03125" or 1/32". OP is .065". Now to this layman, that would be just over a sixteenth. Still nothing to worry about.

OP, get Lee FCD. Then you can crimp it anywhere on the shaft of the bullet and not be worried about matching the cannelure and the OAL.

 

[dead meat]

I have to admit that i never even look at recomended c.o.a.l. If the bullet has a cannelure and i`m crimping thats where i set the depth at. If i`m not crimping i set my bullet depth to where i want and my magazine and throat says my limit is. As far as i`m concernd published c.o.a.l. is for guys with a tight bung hole, or as they say now anal. Just my opinion and you did ask for them.

 

[lister]

Which layman is that? 1/16" is .0625", half of that would be .03125" or 1/32". OP is .065". Now to this layman, that would be just over a sixteenth. Still nothing to worry about.

OP, get Lee FCD. Then you can crimp it anywhere on the shaft of the bullet and not be worried about matching the cannelure and the OAL.[/QUOTE]

This.
The cannelure is a good guide, but an even better guide is a caliper and reloading manual.
I've found the cannelures to be too high on quite a few bullets. The Lee FC die allows you to not worry about it.

 

[Xman]

I have to admit that i never even look at recomended c.o.a.l. If the bullet has a cannelure and i`m crimping thats where i set the depth at. If i`m not crimping i set my bullet depth to where i want and my magazine and throat says my limit is. As far as i`m concernd published c.o.a.l. is for guys with a tight bung hole, or as they say now anal. Just my opinion and you did ask for them.

There is a real possibility to create to much pressure by seating to far in either direction.

 

[iceman2]

That is why having more than one manual is a good thing. Typo errors can happen.