New load help

[Dt219]

[Klem]

Dt,

At 2.218 OAL you have only 5.6mm of 95VMax shank in contact with the inside neck (Ref Quickload). But, if you can squeeze that neck firmly then you complement the length of shank contact and all is good.

Concerning variations of bullet lengths, especially for bullets with plastic tips is par for the course. I wouldn't worry too much about it, and you are working with ogives instead of tips which is great, it removes that potential problem from your reloading. As for manufacturer quality control, that decision is yours in what you choose. I prefer Nosler BT's, I get better results. To be honest I have not measured the difference between Hornady's and Noslers. Bullet quality is more than just the tips or even bullet length of course.

Yes, the dimensions of your Forster stem sound OK. One quick way to measure neck tension is to measure the outside diameter of a sized neck, seat the bullet, and measure the OD again with the seated bullet. Contained in this measure is the thickness of the brass but as long as you know this it is still a usable measure.