[Steve731]

Hello Guys new to the forum but have been reloading for over a year now. I have run into a problem I just got a new box of Berry's 9 mm 124gr RN bullets and when I was reloading I keep getting different COL so I measured a few of the bullets and some lengths are .585 give or take a few and then some are .595 give or take a few. So if I am going for 1.160 I end up with some 1.150 will that difference even matter?
Thanks
Steve

[918v]

Not really. Factory ammo varies by that much.

[45lcshooter]

Mass production, every bullet, caseing, primers are all mass produced so slight numbers off will always be there. What the manual says is the COAL is what it is, the companys already know that bullets will be slightly off weight and slightly off length. Loadem and shoot.

[jwrowland77]

They only way that you will get a reading where they match or are really close, is if you get a comparator. Since bullets can have imperfections in the tips, it can vary each time.

Since bullets are seated by the ogive, the way to get matching numbers is to measure to the ogive. To do that though, you'll need a comparator. That's really the only way to know if each bullet is seated to the same depth.

[ArchAngelCD]

The COAL won't be different even if the bullets are a little longer because the seating die is set where it is. The bullet will be slightly deeper in the case but the OAL will be similar.

[1SOW]

I measured a few of the bullets and some lengths are .585 give or take a few and then some are .595 give or take a few.

I've loaded a lot of Berry's plated bullets and never seen half that much variation.
If they are .01" or more in variation, I'd contact Berry's and ask about it.

Archangel CD is correct. If your oals are off that far, it's not due to those bullet variations. It's your press and/or handle pull.

[Steve731]

Thanks for the reply's. I had some time last night so I went threw the bullets and sorted then into to groups the long ones and short ones. I set the press to make the short ones to where I wanted 1.160 and they all came out to what I wanted then I tried the longer ones and They came out longer at 1.170. So I tried a few short one again they came out to what I wanted at 1.160 so I don't think its the press. Should I not even worry about the difference I don't feel like sorting threw the whole box lol.
Thanks
Steve

[jwrowland77]

Again, the best way of measuring to ensure that they are safe and the same is to have a comparator and to measure to the ogive. Because the ogive is what contacts the land and grooves not the nose of the bullet.

[beatledog7]

The COAL won't be different even if the bullets are a little longer because the seating die is set where it is. The bullet will be slightly deeper in the case but the OAL will be similar.

This is not always true. If you are using a bullet with some variance in ogive shape, as many have, and a die that is contacting that ogive and not the bullet tip, the length to tip will vary as much as the ogive shape varies.

[jwrowland77]

This is not always true. If you are using a bullet with some variance in ogive shape, as many have, and a die that is contacting that ogive and not the bullet tip, the length to tip will vary as much as the ogive shape varies.

+1. That's what I was trying to say, just don't know the best way to put things most the time.

[ArchAngelCD]

The COAL won't be different even if the bullets are a little longer because the seating die is set where it is. The bullet will be slightly deeper in the case but the OAL will be similar.This is not always true. If you are using a bullet with some variance in ogive shape, as many have, and a die that is contacting that ogive and not the bullet tip, the length to tip will vary as much as the ogive shape varies.
I thought since the OP was talking about the same exact bullets from the same box it was understood my statement was about bullets that were the same but for a slight variation in length. I wasn't talking about different bullets, I was talking about the same bullets that were manufactured with a small difference in length. (after all, we are only talking about one-one thousandth of an inch)