Seating depth

truck driver · Jun 11, 2016

I picked up a box of Barnes .358 200gr TTSX at a local GS cheaper than I could get off the internet and decide to load some up and was wondering what seating depth everyone was using for them in their 35 Whelens.

jimbires · Jun 11, 2016

I've never loaded for a 35 WH . the Barnes TSX bullets I've loaded seemed to like around .070 jump . they also seemed to like to be at max velocities

DrMike · Jun 11, 2016

I always start at 0.100 off the lands. It is not unusual that with monolithic bullets, that will give me accuracy from "right reasonable" to "Wow!"

kraky1 · Jun 11, 2016

There's a guy on another chat room that shoots a lot of Barnes ttsx Bullets. He says the first place to start is to seat them deep usually having the case mouth one half the way up the top groove... leaving only a little of the Groove exposed. As long as you have at least .050 jump there I would start there and work your way out. Nobody on a chat room could possibly have it wrong....lol!

jimbires · Jun 12, 2016

Barnes did pack these instructions with their bullets .

truck driver · Jun 12, 2016

jimbires":2n9o5yhb said:
Barnes did pack these instructions with their bullets .

The box I got didn't have these instructions included.
I loaded up 3 sets of of 3 with them seated to the bottom of the first grove which measured .400" from the base of the bullet. That also gave me an OAL off the tip of 3.395" .005" short of full magazine length. This should be .105" off the lands in my rifle.

jimbires · Jun 12, 2016

if you want to be able to feed from the magazine , this is where you need to start . from here then you can only go one direction to find accuracy , this is shorter . the groves are not any way related to seating depth , they are for pressure reducing . so don't let these groves dictate where you seat them . I always had good accuracy from Barnes TSX bullets .

truck driver · Jun 12, 2016

Jimbires; thanks for the info. The reason for seating at the base of the bottom ring was purely for the length from the base of the bullet. I always try to have the bullet seated at least caliber depth in the case, .358" for .358cal and so on. It just happened that the TTSX bottom pressure groove is .400" to the base and it worked out to an OAL of 3.395" giving me room in the magazine.

preacher · Jun 12, 2016

You'll be fine right there uncle Rodger! I always used a full caliber deep with the first 200X, and then the same years later when the TTSX came out. That was in the Remington, you know how those are... just use a "pinch of C4" (dig it out of the back of your claymore) and you will get great velocity too!