Seating depth with heavier bullets

[poguetx]

I've always set my 123gr SST to the max COL of 2.26. I decided to try the 130gr Sierra Game Kings and sat them to the same depth. They gave very promising results, but they were very difficult to chamber in my Howa bolt action. They probably wouldn't even lock in my AR, though I didn't try.

I figured the heavier bullet means they don't come to a point as fast as the lighter ones, so I kept seating them a bit farther until they chambered easily. Turned out I had to seat to 2.24.

Anyone else experience this?

[FRB6.5]

Yes the ogive shape is very different between those bullets. There are some good pictures of common .264 bullets side by side in this forum section that gives an idea of the variety of shapes out there.

Use of a Hornady OAL tool and comparator with a set of calipers can tell you exactly where a given bullet will contact the lands in your barrel.

[FRB6.5]

Here you go, one of the threads with pictures:

https://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?23113-Bullet-identificaiton-help

[A5BLASTER]

Yea the actual weight of the bullet has lil to do with the seating depth, it's where the ogive is in relation to the length of the bullet that dictates how far your chambers throat will let you seat it.

[JCSC]

Definitely want to invest in a case measurement tool to check base to Ogive.

Case in point, you may load hornady 123 eldm at mag length and find like I did that even though the 120 eldm is lighter, it will hit the lands significantly sooner.