bullet seating method ..LBJEIHEADS

[tony357 386]

rolling out some 40's for new pistol i ordered, After measuring the heads they have a measured range up to .009 difference so i set up to set depth by ogive and not top hoping to have a more consistent load. I always use the ogive on all my round nose with the square deal but was thinking about maybe using top with the 650XL but changed my mind..

180 RNFP 1.120 AOL they will not all be the same using conical but i think depth will be more accurate for an overall setup with chrono..

What are your thoughts ? or which method has yielded best results for you?

 

 

[Golf battery 1,223]

Im lost. 

[tony357 386]

I may end up switching all my calibers over to the 650 XL loving this machine. I also really like these Dillon die's with the drop out insides to clean so you do not lose your adjustment.

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[tony357 386]

20 minutes ago, Golf battery said:

Im lost. 

seating dies have round nose seat for round nose bullets that seat from ogive on bullet not top, there is also a flat top seat for flat top and semi wad cutters, i chose to seat the bullets by the ogive round nose seat. If you look at the pic of bullets you can see a ring where it pushed the bullet into the case.

[Golf battery 1,223]

Ok.  Look up in books your oal.   For that data. If not id call.  Or email as they do nowadays ibiji.  Id think they can steer you correctly.  I did that on 132 heads at kings in pa.  Or just wing it with a chrono and any experience you have.  Putting safety first.  Dont get the darwin award. 

[tony357 386]

I know the AOL, if you measure the bullet heads they have a .009 range difference, so if i seat them from the top they will all have a different depth of + or - .009 even though they all measure the same height, if i remember correctly the ogive will be more consistent. The AOL is 1.120 i am using. What i am questioning is the method of seating and what will yield best results for consistency..

[Golf battery 1,223]

You mean the crimping?  

[tony357 386]

9 hours ago, Golf battery said:

You mean the crimping?  

I take it your not a reloader.

[Shocker 150]

Edit for my own reading comprehension

0.009 sounds like an awful lot but I've not used these types of bullets. Seating by the ogive will be better for accuracy but your resulting OAL measurements will be all over the place (not that it's a problem necessarily, at 1.120 you're quite short and shouldn't have to worry about feeding)

 

If you're really in love with these bullets I know some die manufacturers will cut you a custom seating stem if you send them a bullet, which will grip the bullets down near where the rifling will first engage, which is optimal

[tony357 386]

Actually these bullets are running pretty consistent i would say 85% are within .002 i checked some other lead bullets i have and they have very large spread up to .017 

The Ogive is where the rifling would pick up.

 

 

[George Yetka 17]

I usually just load for oal as I have multple guns in each caliber and I try and keep it simple. I will use the ogive on precision stuff like my 308 and grendel. I may start doing this with 9mm as i only have one pistol

 

Golf battery : basically he is measuring off the lands of the chamber and knocking it back a bit so the bullet isnt seated too far from the lands which would be a huge source of lost accuracy.

[tony357 386]

ran a test this morning and came to definate conclusion. I cut out 5 primer pockets seated and crimped 5 different length bullets. it was a .006 spread seating the bullets at the ogive yielded a .002 spread in seated depth in cartridge.

 

[tony357 386]

measured depth in cartridge.

 

[tony357 386]

5 minutes ago, George Yetka said:

I usually just load for oal as I have multple guns in each caliber and I try and keep it simple. I will use the ogive on precision stuff like my 308 and grendel. I may start doing this with 9mm as i only have one pistol

 

Golf battery : basically he is measuring off the lands of the chamber and knocking it back a bit so the bullet isnt seated too far from the lands which would be a huge source of lost accuracy.

correct. that is what im after and that is off the ogive. also want same depth in cartridge to have more consistent FPS.

[George Yetka 17]

Cast and coated bullets have a greater spread. I'll check 5 berrys 115's and 5 x-treme 230 45s tonight to see what kind of spread im getting. im sure there will be some but ide hope they will be a little tighter.

[carl_g 568]

Are you trying to make match ammo for 40 S&W?

Measuring ogive in reloading is usually something that you will only hear about in precision rifle rounds not handgun loads.

 

[George Yetka 17]

I'm definitely not aiming for match grade in my pistol shooting, Im a very casual pistol shooter I dont compete. Ill go for precision in some of my rifles only. Theres no reason for me not to measure and fix my initial setup for any caliber that i only have one gun for I just havent. My pistols shoot fine so I never pushed for better.

[tony357 386]

yes a match ammo...

[RichP 115]

Coated bullets are not made for OCD reloaders. It is very common to see variances such as the ones you have. As long as you're not on the ragged-edge of overpressure, it should be fine. I don't think you'll see any real benefit in going to the semi-wadcutter seating stem, as I often see a slight sprue or coating drip on the flat of coated bullets anyway (that could also account for your bullet length vs. seating depth inconsistency).

For best consistency, you'd be better-off with quality JHP's.

[Golf battery 1,223]

7 hours ago, George Yetka said:

I usually just load for oal as I have multple guns in each caliber and I try and keep it simple. I will use the ogive on precision stuff like my 308 and grendel. I may start doing this with 9mm as i only have one pistol

 

Golf battery : basically he is measuring off the lands of the chamber and knocking it back a bit so the bullet isnt seated too far from the lands which would be a huge source of lost accuracy.

Thank you. I wasnt quite sure what his point was.  And yes i reload.  Thats where i got lost.  Cause i check my headspace for precision rifle shooting but would never think of doing that on a pistol. 

[George Yetka 17]

Thats were Im at I load for function on pistols. 

Tony those are very pretty bullets btw

[JackDaWack 2,895]

How is it even possible to seat a bullet to the same ogive when dies only seat based on COAL, wouldn't the results be the same? The only way to get consistent seating depth is with consistent bullet heads.

That is based on the fact your bullets have different lengths.

I'm just confused on what the question is here. Your ogive, once measured tells you how deep to seat the bullet, and that gives you your coal.

 

If the bullet heads are different sizes, the size difference is either at the bullet seat depth, or ogive. And since dies seat to COAL, the only option is for variable seating depth. 

It's worth mentioning that you will probably only see a typical 20-30 fps difference in bullet speed with those variances. Set your dies up using the median size that u measured, this way if there is a .009 spread, then your only +- .0045

[George Yetka 17]

If you flip the piece in your seater die it will use a reference point off the sides you can see in some of the early pictures in this thread the maks on the bullets. It is not the same reference point as the comparitor but it should be closer than oal