I'm just starting reloading and I'm wondering if there's a difference how far out I should seat my leads? My previous reloads from pros were all 2.600 or around there is there anyone that can tell me how long I can seat them out or how long you seat them out?im loading 35.5 Varget with a varmint armegeddon tip
22250 help
- Thread starter bulletbox
- Start date
If you extend your bullet out of the case too far it will contact the rifling in the barrel when the round is in the chamber.
The contact will cause excessive pressures and you could be in trouble.
If the bullet is set too far into the case accuracy and repeatability will be poor.
Not really something you want to be guessing at.
The contact will cause excessive pressures and you could be in trouble.
If the bullet is set too far into the case accuracy and repeatability will be poor.
Not really something you want to be guessing at.
twosmokinspades
CGN Regular
I played with my 22-250 for a year not getting good accuracy. One day someone told me my problem was that I was setting my bullets too far out. Sure enough I set the bullets in an accuracy came. I use 36 gr of varget with Hornady 55 gr sp. with an OAL of 2.398 so the bullet is in the case .230. The reason for this is reliable release of the bullet.
hometownhero
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Toon Town, Sk
I seat my 55gr varmageddon bullets .001 off the riffling. Never tried anything different. Shot really good so I left it.
HBR shooters commonly seat their bullets out far enough so that bullets are pressed into the lands. There is a difference though between their rifles and the average hunting rifle.
For one thing, they turn down the necks so that tension is negligible at best. By loading the bullets into the leade, it takes the place of normal neck tension and because their brass is neck sized only, it fits the chamber perfectly and straight to the bore. That means the chance of the bullet canting as it makes the transition between the case mouth and the leade is very low.
In a regular hunting chamber, the chamber dimensions are a bit more tolerant. Some people neck size only with standard sporting chambers to keep things nice and straight. In a hunting rifle, there is little reason to turn the necks the generous chambers just don't require it. I've tried this with several rifles to see if it makes any difference. NADA as far as accuracy goes but usually slightly less velocity on average. Not enough to worry about though, anywhere from 25-50 fps less with the turned necks. Bench Rest chambers are cut with necks to small to accept factory loads with factory dimensions.
This is where the theory of seating out bullets right into the lands comes from.
It's a good theory to a point. OP, likely you are seating out so far that you are forcing your bullets into leade so hard that you are causing the bullets to cant. I've had this happen as well.
Here is how you cure it. Take a Sharpie pen and blacken a bullet loaded into a dummy round, with no primer or powder. Load it out far enough that the bolt is hard to close. Go back to your seating die and turn down the seating stem by 1/2 turn. Eject the dummy round and run it through the seating die again.
There will be bright marks on the bullet where it jammed into the leade. Blacken it again and feed it back into the chamber and again try to close the bolt. If there is still resistance felt when closing the bolt, repeat the process but only increase the stem depth by a 1/4 turn.
Repeat this process until there is no longer any marking on the bullet when fully seated in the chamber. This will allow the bullet to be held straight by the neck tension of the case before it enters the leade. The neck tension will cause a pressure spike. This is normal but at least it won't be compounded by the bullet being tight against the leade.
Hope this helps
For one thing, they turn down the necks so that tension is negligible at best. By loading the bullets into the leade, it takes the place of normal neck tension and because their brass is neck sized only, it fits the chamber perfectly and straight to the bore. That means the chance of the bullet canting as it makes the transition between the case mouth and the leade is very low.
In a regular hunting chamber, the chamber dimensions are a bit more tolerant. Some people neck size only with standard sporting chambers to keep things nice and straight. In a hunting rifle, there is little reason to turn the necks the generous chambers just don't require it. I've tried this with several rifles to see if it makes any difference. NADA as far as accuracy goes but usually slightly less velocity on average. Not enough to worry about though, anywhere from 25-50 fps less with the turned necks. Bench Rest chambers are cut with necks to small to accept factory loads with factory dimensions.
This is where the theory of seating out bullets right into the lands comes from.
It's a good theory to a point. OP, likely you are seating out so far that you are forcing your bullets into leade so hard that you are causing the bullets to cant. I've had this happen as well.
Here is how you cure it. Take a Sharpie pen and blacken a bullet loaded into a dummy round, with no primer or powder. Load it out far enough that the bolt is hard to close. Go back to your seating die and turn down the seating stem by 1/2 turn. Eject the dummy round and run it through the seating die again.
There will be bright marks on the bullet where it jammed into the leade. Blacken it again and feed it back into the chamber and again try to close the bolt. If there is still resistance felt when closing the bolt, repeat the process but only increase the stem depth by a 1/4 turn.
Repeat this process until there is no longer any marking on the bullet when fully seated in the chamber. This will allow the bullet to be held straight by the neck tension of the case before it enters the leade. The neck tension will cause a pressure spike. This is normal but at least it won't be compounded by the bullet being tight against the leade.
Hope this helps
I use a method similar to what bearhunter described, i have found most magazines limit the max length used. You don't want bullets hitting the lands if your using this rifle as a hunting gun. This fall a young fellow ejected an unfired round and had the bullet stay in the chamber and powder all over the place. Big mess to clean out of the action. Once you determine the max length for your rifle you can play with seating depth for max accuracy.
As you can see from the previous posts, bullet seating depth is an essential component when reloading ammo, both for accuracy and for safety. Many folks use the "spent cartridge" method mentioned above. I bought a Hornady LnL OAL Guage and the modified cases that correspond to the calibres of rifle that I have. When measuring the chamber length I typically measure several times and take the measurement that either appears the most often, or the middle measurement in the group. You must do this for each type of bullet that you load, as well as for each rifle that you own. These measurements are gun and bullet specific. For example, when reloading for my Savage 22-250, the chamber length for a Hornady 55 gr Vmax is 2.370", however for a Berger 55 gr FB Target, that measurement is 2.415". I like to seat my rounds 0.01" off the lands, so for the Hornady the OAL would be 2.360 and the Berger would be 2.405. Once you test various powder charges and find one that shoots groups that you think are tight and consistent, then adjust the OAL in increments of 0.005" to see if you get better accuracy. You will notice that a lot of manuals test their loads at the SAAMI length and if you measure a factory round, it will be quite a bit shorter than the SAAMI length. This is the "one size fits all" theory in operation. Ammunition manufacturers must ensure that their product will work and feed from the magazine in all guns that are chambered for that round, so they ensure that there is a lot of leeway.
hometownhero
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Toon Town, Sk
Depends on the gun. Some like em close and some like em far. I load 53gr vmax for my 223 and they are 2.244" and the lands are at 2.44" Shoots .5 to .75" at 100. I also load 60gr berbers for 223 .020" off the lands and they shoot the same size groups.
hundmeister
New member
- Location
- Winnipeg Mb
When I first started reloading I was messing around with coal a lot. now I find myself with my 22-250 tikka varmint using book coal and loading .5 grain increments found a load at 34 grains varget 50g berger then play a little with coal see if groups improve. works for me 3/8" groups, you might try that first. reloading can get complicated fast. For me right now this works. All depends what you're expecting to accomplish in precision. Precision is very "relative".
hundmeister
New member
- Location
- Winnipeg Mb
Also I don't believe in reloading to the "red line". For me accuracy is where its at. No big deal if I cant get 4-5% more velocity.
