Bullet Seating ?

[TN deer hunter]

How far should I seat the bullet off the lands to start working up a load? I have some loaded to try that are .001 off the lands is this too close? I usually start at .005 and go from there.

 

[rick smith]

Depends on the use of the rounds. For hunting, I never go closer than 0.010" from the lands. Too close and sooner or later, you will stick a bullet in the lands and pull the bullet when extracting the case. Powder will spill in the action and mag box.Rick.

 

[Sharpsman]

How far should I seat the bullet off the lands to start working up a load? I have some loaded to try that are .001 off the lands is this too close? I usually start at .005 and go from there.

TN deer hunter

Using 'masking tape'...which makes good soot....smoke the bullet on a dummy round and very gingerly....slide it up into the chamber and SLOWLY....close the bolt....if it will close! If the round is TOO LONG.....back it off; seat deeper! Re-smoke the round and repeat the process until you see a very small and short scribe on the bullet surface made by the lands! I examine the scribe mark with a jeweler's loop and when the scribe mark is just touching....that's where I start! There are some tools that will help you do the same thing......but masking tape....is CHEAP...and it WORKS FOR ME!! :lol: :lol:

 

[C.Smith]

Okay, so you wrap the bullet in masking tape or burn the masking tape under the bullet?

Corey

 

[Sharpsman]

You LIGHT (set it on fire with a match) the masking tape.....and apply 'SOOT'......to the bullet all the way around it's circumference!! :wink:

 

[FOTIS]

A candle works great :wink:

 

[C.Smith]

Okay, that makes sense now. Sorry about my ignorance.

Corey

 

[TN deer hunter]

I have a Stoney Point Chamber All, but I was just wondering where most people start when working up their loads?

 

[Ol` Joe]

I start with the bullet just touching and seat deeper as I look for the "sweet spot" AFTER I have worked up a max load for my rifle. I feel that if the bullet touching produces higher PSI (common wisdom in the reloading books) then setting a max with it there and dropping back should keep me safe.
I don`t know for sure though if "common wisdom" holds true here. I don`t notice any real difference in the std pressure signs. IE; bolt lift, primer cratering, ect with the bullet seated at and backed out a couple thousants. This isn`t not with a bullet "jammed" in the leade, just with it making contact. I have a Presure trace I just started working with recently, and that is one of the questions I plan on answering if I get the time.

 

[moreloader]

you could actually get an increase in pressure if it is a compressed load to start with.

 

[SOTN]

How far should I seat the bullet off the lands to start working up a load? I have some loaded to try that are .001 off the lands is this too close? I usually start at .005 and go from there.

My answer is .030 because I want to insure that my bullets won’t ever stick in the lands.

It is very difficult to know that you are exactly off the lands, by .005 for example, let alone .001. Not to say it can’t be done, but it depends on your ability to consistently measure that close, especially with a long ogive bullet, so you can get into trouble.

Also, you would want to know for certain the bullet is off the lands for every loaded round. There are some variables (like ogive shape, seating etc.) to consider.

The way I do it, (and it has proven to be safe and reliable for me,)
is to size the neck of an empty case just enough to hold the bullet snugly,

seat a bullet long,

chamber it,

remove it carefully, (holding it straight if for a plunger type ejector rifle)

measure the OAL,

adjust my seating die to that dummy round,

then adjust to .030 less.

That is the adjustment I use for that handload. When I load another batch of that load, I can always adjust my seating punch to one of the previously loaded rounds. I could also make a dummy round and save it.

I have gone to .020 , but with anything less, I make sure I measure every loaded round to somewhere on the ogive, as an extra precaution.

I’m sure you already know that sometimes you gotta go with you magazine length, and it won’t allow seating out to the lands.

Smitty of the North