Bullet Seating Depth

[Richard]

What are you folks using to determine the precise bullet seating depth?

The distance from the bullet itself to the rifling.
I have seen some tools advertised and if they work this would save a lot of trial and error.
The old days of smoking the bullet are tough on a autoloader.

[stokesrj]

Most common is the Hornady OAL gauge, they work pretty well but there are others as well or you can even use a wooden dowl. for the Grendel where most loads are shot at magazine length, you really don't need to measure with the common bullets like the 123 A-Max, just seat them to 2.265" COL.
Bob

[bwaites]

What are you folks using to determine the precise bullet seating depth?

The distance from the bullet itself to the rifling.
I have seen some tools advertised and if they work this would save a lot of trial and error.
The old days of smoking the bullet are tough on a autoloader.

stokesrj's advice is solid, as always.

Welcome to the forum!

There really are only a couple bullets that I actually worrry about seating length in, and those only because I load them longer than mag length for single loads in F class. The Sierra 123 and Berger 130's.

All the rest I do as stokes suggested, load to mag length and shoot. There are a couple oddball bullets, like the 95 grain VMax, that cause problems when loaded to mag length because of their ogive shape.

[holdinsteady]

In what way do the 95 grn Vmax cause problems and how do you correct?

[biggdawg]

In what way do the 95 grn Vmax cause problems and how do you correct?

here is some data i got from my 16" aa barrel with my hornady oal gauge. i also measured each bullet type

[bwaites]

In what way do the 95 grn Vmax cause problems and how do you correct?

Note the chart posted by Biggdawg and how it has to be seated much shorter than many heavier bullets because the ogive is so rounded vs. those longer, sleeker bullets.

[LR1955]

In what way do the 95 grn Vmax cause problems and how do you correct?

HS:

Seat them deeper. I am surprised Bill can seat them to magazine length and still have them inside the neck. 95 grains for a 6.5 mm bullet is very light and thus very short.

However, sometimes if a guy does this, the bullet doesn't feed easily or at all. So, you play a game of trial and error until you find a seating depth that chambers.

LR55

[bwaites]

HS:

Seat them deeper. I am surprised Bill can seat them to magazine length and still have them inside the neck. 95 grains for a 6.5 mm bullet is very light and thus very short.

However, sometimes if a guy does this, the bullet doesn't feed easily or at all. So, you play a game of trial and error until you find a seating depth that chambers.

LR55

I should have been more clear, I can't seat them to mag length either. 2.200 is about as long as I can go.

[Richard]

Thanks to all, great info on the subject. Over 40 years of handloading but my first experience with the AR Platform and autoloaders.
I do enjoy it, it's different.

[rasp65]

Rich I outlined a method that I use to determine OAL here: http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showt...jump-amp-crimp It is wise to measure yor own because of differences in each chamber's throat.

[Whelenon]

Rich I outlined a method that I use to determine OAL here: http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showt...jump-amp-crimp It is wise to measure yor own because of differences in each chamber's throat.

I agree with rasp65, I've measured both my barrels(AA 16" & Liberty 18") and found a .020 difference. No two chamber are going to be exactly the same.