Bullet seating depth...How do I know?

[Hunter333]

I have recently gotten into reloading and have a question. how do I determine the depth at which to seat the bullet? Is longer better?

[Benchshooter]

Hunter,
I would make it to the over all size it is supose to be then you take the bullet to your gun and try it if it chambers ok then ok but if it is hard to load into the lands then it is to long to long can cause you trouble. It should tell you in the reloading book. you should check the load before you go and shoot it..then once you check it and it feels good then that is what you set your die for the right depth

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Benchman

[Legend In My Mind]

Optimal seating depth is a function of many factors. Bullet construction, chambering type (Free Bore, etc.), barrel harmonics and magazine length restrictions.

Conventional lead-core bullets can be seated out to where they almost, or even touch the lands of the bore. Solid construction bullets like the Barnes X-Bullet require some "jump" prior to engaging the lands. Barnes recommends .050" off the lands to shoot accurately and avoid pressures. The type of chambering impacts how long you can seat the bullet out. Free Bored rifles like the Weatherby cartidges allow more but the magazine length is the final determing factor. It has to fit in the magazine.

Longer is often better but not always the best. Find the spot where your rifle "likes" to have the bullets seated. Buy some Calipers and find out what the maximum length your chamber will handle and the magazine and then adjust for the "harmonics" of your rifle/bullet combination. There are often several "sweet spots" in each rifle/bullet combination.

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George E. Hyde

[bonasabuster]

first i am no expert at this

[This message has been edited by bonasabuster (edited 10-20-2000).]