Bullet overall length and seating

Do you pre-sort your projectiles by length before seating

  • Yes

    Votes: 1 3.8%

  • No

    Votes: 25 96.2%

  • I want to work harder so I mic them at seating time

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Who cares about COL?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    26
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Akula69

Akula69

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Okay - before some of you guys comment me with "Well, you wouldn't have this problem if you used a (fill in the color) press..." or "If you use (fill in brand name) dies you wouldn't have this issue" hear me out.

I've been reloading for quite a few years, and have seen the quality of projectiles rise and fall, usually depending upon market pressures. Lately however, I've seen a marked decline in the consistency of overall bullet lengths (not as much so in diameter) in all calibers to the point where seating had become an exercise in repetition.

What I had been doing was setting the seating die to the shortest projectile to avoid sub-COL, mic each round after seating and sort by 100ths. After sorting I would adjust the seating die again for each group to put the rounds into the correct COL. Finally, (depending on the round) i would taper crimp. In this fashion I would have almost no sub-COL rounds but many press repetitions.

I've now found the projectile length variance to be so prevalent I actually take the time to mic the bullets and sort them by 10ths in order to speed the reloading process. I simply set the micrometer on the seating die to the correct 10's mark and go to town. (I still mic them though....)

BUT...I'm also the guy who sorts his cases by head stamp and then separates them into groups by case weight....so maybe I'm a bit anal in my attention to detail. So. my question stands (hence the poll): Do you guys mic and sort your projectiles before seating, or play the "It's getting the press again" game until the COL is perfect?
 
At the end of the day it seems that the use for your ammo is the determining factor. I generally shoot no longer than 300 YDS, normally only 100. When making range ammo, at those distances I can't see a difference on target sorting either the brass or bullets. For longer range in a purpose built rifle then it would make a lot more sense. Thankfully that bug has not hit me yet.:p
 
I do a certain amount of component isolation... I sort by headstamp, but that's close enough for me. Bullets are bullets, and I would think there would be more variance from the seating die than the bullets themselves. You do get what you pay for as far as bullets... if you are buying a box of Speers, I wouldn't waste my time mic'ing them... that's not what those bullets are for.

As Frogo suggests... it depends on the whole who/what/where/when you are shooting. If you are shooting at 200yds, none of that prep work probably makes that much difference; if you are at 1000M, then maybe so. Further... is a) your rifle up to the challenge, and/or b) is your skill level up to that, etc, etc. Your meticulously prepared handloads are only one piece of that puzzle. Given where you live, I would think temperature and humidity would be a factor as well.
 
It's the ogive dimension that is important. This is what controls the jump to lands. Points get damaged, during handling ( packaging, shipping etc). The only reason to use the OAL (tip) is make sure it fits a magazine.

Some of the long range shooter actually point there bullets to make them all the same.
 
Akula69, are you doing this for handgun or rifle? What calibers?
 
I sort Berger bullets base to Ogive looking for odd balls that will perhaps spoil a group.
I load those that are within .001 each session, my seating stem places these to the same depth each time.
In the other hand custom bullets are so good a lot of competitors don't bother to sort.
 
I checked "No", but that is for decent bullets (commercial jacketed and my cast). I have purchased plated bullets from 2 manufacturers and I have been unable to hold .005" variation in OAL much of the time, due to poor quality control. I have had differing ogives on some, different diameter (.002"+) and differing length. The plated bullets I bought now take up space on the back of the shelf only to be used when I run out of jacketed bullets and lead...

I have my "standards" mainly 'cause I wanna as variations aren't normally enough to add to my shaky old man's poor marksmanship... :rofl:


"I don't understand how bullet length can effect COL, seating depth yes, but not COL. How am I wrong ?"
You're not wrong.
 
Last edited:
2bfree said:
I don't understand how bullet length can effect COL, seating depth yes, but not COL. How am I wrong ?
Click to expand...

It doesn't directly... most seaters bear on the ogive of the bullet, not the nose. As someone else mentioned, ogive profile has more to do with the final seated OAL than the actual length of the bullet.
 
South Prairie Jim said:
When I shot SMK the lot to lot variances were enough" I had to buy large quantities to avoid re tuning every hundred rounds.
Click to expand...

I would opine that if you are looking at lot to lot variances between match type bullets, you should be buying them in large lots, as well as powder (back in the days when you could do that.)
 
CQB45ACP said:
Neither directly nor indirectly, correct?
Click to expand...

In rifle bullets, typically not. Pistol bullets, very often the seater bears directly on the nose. I don't like making absolute statements... because there can be some obscure instance where it's not true. If any part of the seating stem bears on the nose of the bullet... then the length of the bullet would come into play.
 
(Rifle) Seater stems can vary a bit' standard vs VLD neither contact the ogive.
Take a Sharpie and color from the ogive to the bullets meplat area then rotate into the die to determine exactly where the contact is
 
fxvr5 said:
Akula69, are you doing this for handgun or rifle? What calibers?
Click to expand...

Rifle and pistol. Some long range .308 competitions, three gun and regular 'holes in paper' stuff. As some have said, there are other factors involved but my main focus is reliability (feed, chamber, and bang) and accuracy (shot and long range).

And, as I said - I am bit particular about my rounds...;)
.
 
South Prairie Jim said:
(Rifle) Seater stems can vary a bit' standard vs VLD neither contact the ogive.
Click to expand...

If I'm reading that right, that's not true. Depending on the bullet I'm using, most of my standard rifle seaters purchase on the ogive. Very often, particularly when seating in thicker military brass (think 5.56mm and 7.62mm) you can see a definite ring near the top of the ogive where the stem bears...
 
Im probably not describing this quite right.
The bullet ogive will contact the lands in a different location than either seating stem which are much closer to the tips but hopefully none actually contact the very tip as those can vary quite a bit.
Clear as mud. Lol
 
Charlie98 said:
In rifle bullets, typically not. Pistol bullets, very often the seater bears directly on the nose. I don't like making absolute statements... because there can be some obscure instance where it's not true. If any part of the seating stem bears on the nose of the bullet... then the length of the bullet would come into play.
Click to expand...
Thanks...so, for a RN pistol bullet for instance, one might remove any material making contact with the nose to get a more consistent seating depth? (That’s presuming the bullets’ ogive are consistent). I did this with a stem I have dedicated to 45ACP SWCs.
 
South Prairie Jim said:
Im probably not describing this quite right.
The bullet ogive will contact the lands in a different location than either seating stem which are much closer to the tips but hopefully none actually contact the very tip as those can vary quite a bit.
Click to expand...

I think we are splitting hairs, Jim. Yes, I don't know of a seating stem that would actually bear on the ogive so far down the bullet... as far as where the lands would engage the bullet. In reality, you wouldn't want that because the higher up on the bullet point the straighter the seating action would be.

CQB45ACP said:
Thanks...so, for a RN pistol bullet for instance, one might remove any material making contact with the nose to get a more consistent seating depth? (That’s presuming the bullets’ ogive are consistent). I did this with a stem I have dedicated to 45ACP SWCs.
Click to expand...

Some die sets for pistol cartridges will have 2 seating stems... one for RN bullets, one for SWC or FN bullet profiles. My original set of RCBS .45ACP dies did, for example. Further, it can be beneficial to alter, or even custom make, a stem to fit a particular bullet profile... assuming you have enough of that particular bullet to warrant such effort.
 
Akula69 said:
Rifle and pistol. Some long range .308 competitions, three gun and regular 'holes in paper' stuff. As some have said, there are other factors involved but my main focus is reliability (feed, chamber, and bang) and accuracy (shot and long range).

And, as I said - I am bit particular about my rounds...;)
Click to expand...

What pistol calibers? Is your pistol ammo for long range match or Bullseye shooting at 50 yards?

And what bullets are you measuring?
 
Last edited:
.38, .40, 9MM.mainly 25 yard Bullseye and match at 100.

Most of what I have from the projectile standpoint is Federal Armament (blaster rounds) and Hornady. I have\had some Speer, but as stated above they are about as consistent as the FedArm stuff.

I had Berger 308 SPBT that was great...but that has gone to the big berm in the sky...
 
Last edited:
Charlie98 said:
I think we are splitting hairs, Jim. Yes, I don't know of a seating stem that would actually bear on the ogive so far down the bullet... as far as where the lands would engage the bullet. In reality, you wouldn't want that because the higher up on the bullet point the straighter the seating action would be.



Some die sets for pistol cartridges will have 2 seating stems... one for RN bullets, one for SWC or FN bullet profiles. My original set of RCBS .45ACP dies did, for example. Further, it can be beneficial to alter, or even custom make, a stem to fit a particular bullet profile... assuming you have enough of that particular bullet to warrant such effort.
Click to expand...
No worries Sir' clarity counts as these posts are Archives .

Much Respect
 
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