Non consistent bullet seating depth in .223

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jamcam1999

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I am having trouble getting consistent bullet seating depth in my .223 reloads using various brass and berger 80 grain HPBT bullets. I am using Lee dies and am wondering what other shooters are using to get consistent seating depth. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Jack
 
How are you measuring? Case head to bullet tip?

A hollow point bullet is inconsistent in the length forward of the ogive. These variations do not matter.

Measure some bullets. Do they vary in length?

What matters is case head to the bullet ogive. To measure that distance, you need something that sits on the bullet ogive. I use a piece of barrel.

yMiA9XZ.jpg
 
jamcam1999 said:
I am having trouble getting consistent bullet seating depth in my .223 reloads using various brass and berger 80 grain HPBT bullets. I am using Lee dies and am wondering what other shooters are using to get consistent seating depth. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Jack
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What kind of variations are you seeing in the seating depth. I assume you are measuring OAL from the bullet tip and not ogive.

Measure 20 bullets from base to tip and check the variance. If the variance in seating depth is the same as the variance in the bullet length than your manufactured rounds are probably fine.
 
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It does matter if you are trying to get all of your bullets to go into the rifling about .010 inches. That is what the Berger 80 grain bullets seem to shoot best at in both of my .223 Tikka rifles.
 
jamcam1999 said:
It does matter if you are trying to get all of your bullets to go into the rifling about .010 inches. That is what the Berger 80 grain bullets seem to shoot best at in both of my .223 Tikka rifles.
Click to expand...

It matters from the ogive of the bullet, not from the tip. I reload my .308 and from the tip, I have quite some variation between bullets, but from the ogive they are all within 0.001-0.0005 of each other!

Use a bullet comparator on your caliper to measure the true seating depth of your bullets.
 
Measuring from the Ogive will give you more consistent results. Also, depending on your charge I've had enough compression (of the charge) to change the seating depth on the bullet, only every did that once.
 
If you're running compressed loads it can also have an effect on final seating depth. Some of the bullets can settle at different depths when you're compacting powder at the same time.
 
jamcam1999 said:
It does matter if you are trying to get all of your bullets to go into the rifling about .010 inches. That is what the Berger 80 grain bullets seem to shoot best at in both of my .223 Tikka rifles.
Click to expand...

Open your mind and read what is being posted here.

The bullets have a variation from base to tip, but are very consistent from base to ogive. It is the ogive that enters the rifling, not the tip.

Your bullet seater pushes down on the bullet close to the ogive. Your seating depth is probably very consistent, but unless you have a device like I showed you, you don't have the capability to measure the actual OAL that matters - case head to ogive.
 
Effects of Cartridge Over All Length (COAL) and Cartridge Base To Ogive (CBTO) – Part 1
http://www.bergerbullets.com/effects-of-cartridge-over-all-length-coal-and-cartridge-base-to-ogive-cbto-part-1/

Effects of Cartridge Over All Length (COAL) and Cartridge Base To Ogive (CBTO) – Part 2
http://www.bergerbullets.com/effects-of-cartridge-over-all-length-coal-and-cartridge-base-to-ogive-cbto-part-2/

Below a picture is worth a thousand words and what Ganderite is trying to get across. Also if the bullet tip is contacting the seater plug the OAL will vary. And the picture below shows that the seater plug mouth is what should contact the bullet ogive and not the bullet tip.

CBTO-1-1024x900.jpg
 
Ganderite said:
How are you measuring? Case head to bullet tip?

A hollow point bullet is inconsistent in the length forward of the ogive. These variations do not matter.

Measure some bullets. Do they vary in length?

What matters is case head to the bullet ogive. To measure that distance, you need something that sits on the bullet ogive. I use a piece of barrel.

yMiA9XZ.jpg
Click to expand...

Ganderite said:
Open your mind and read what is being posted here.

The bullets have a variation from base to tip, but are very consistent from base to ogive. It is the ogive that enters the rifling, not the tip.

Your bullet seater pushes down on the bullet close to the ogive. Your seating depth is probably very consistent, but unless you have a device like I showed you, you don't have the capability to measure the actual OAL that matters - case head to ogive.
Click to expand...

bigedp51 said:
Effects of Cartridge Over All Length (COAL) and Cartridge Base To Ogive (CBTO) – Part 1
http://www.bergerbullets.com/effects-of-cartridge-over-all-length-coal-and-cartridge-base-to-ogive-cbto-part-1/

Effects of Cartridge Over All Length (COAL) and Cartridge Base To Ogive (CBTO) – Part 2
http://www.bergerbullets.com/effects-of-cartridge-over-all-length-coal-and-cartridge-base-to-ogive-cbto-part-2/

Below a picture is worth a thousand words and what Ganderite is trying to get across. Also if the bullet tip is contacting the seater plug the OAL will vary. And the picture below shows that the seater plug mouth is what should contact the bullet ogive and not the bullet tip.

CBTO-1-1024x900.jpg
Click to expand...


^^^this is the answer^^^
 
Watch Out for Bullet Nose Contact in Short Seating Stems
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2018/12/watch-out-for-bullet-nose-contact-in-short-seating-stems/

Invest in a Good Seating Die
Reloading Tip by Glen Zediker
The bullet seating operation is the “last thing” that happens and it’s also the one thing that can corrupt the care and treatment given to the quality of the loaded round prior. A sleeve-style seater, well-machined, goes a whopping long ways toward preserving alignment, and, therefore, concentricity. Also make sure that the stem in yours comes to rest well down onto the bullet ogive, and, above all else, is not contacting the bullet tip! That will wreck a round.

stem17001.jpg


Below a Forster benchrest seating die, the die chamber holds the case and bullet in perfect alignment. The top of this die and the seater plug is pictured above.

MomXeUI.gif
 
Thanks to all who contributed to my first post on this subject. I have been reloading for over 60 years and learn something every day. It is special to have so many knowledgeable shooters sharing their expertise. Thanks and seasons greetings
 
jamcam1999 said:
I am having trouble getting consistent bullet seating depth in my .223 reloads using various brass and berger 80 grain HPBT bullets. I am using Lee dies and am wondering what other shooters are using to get consistent seating depth. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Jack
Click to expand...

In addition to all the excellent advice above, what twist rate are you running? 80gr .224 bullets are on the really heavy end of the spectrum for .223.
 
Both rifles have a 1/8 twist. They shoot the 80 grainers great and were almost spectacular with the 80.5 grain bergers but apparently they don't make them anymore. I understand that they have gone to an 82 grain bullet now. When I find them I will give them a try. My rifles like Berger bullets better than all the others I have tried.
 
So, I made a "comparator" adapter from a .243 case. Cut it off , bored out the base through the primer hole to .218", coated the bullet with epoxy release agent and epoxied the bullet into the comparator. DSCF0484.JPG.. Not sure if these pics will work on here . Hoping they do. Let me know if they do and if not I can email them.
DSCF0485.JPG
DSCF0486.JPG
DSCF0487.JPG
DSCF0488.JPG
DSCF0489.JPG
DSCF0490.JPG
 
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