Hornady bullet comparator with .303 British

[AussieInUtah]

It seems that Hornady doesn't make a .311" bushing for the bullet comparator, only .30". I am guessing that if you placed a .311" bullet manufactured for a rifle such as the SMLE or Mosin-Nagant into the .30" comparator bushing, you would not have the ogive stop against the bushing. Therefore, you should not expect to be able to accurately measure the free travel of this bullet in a given chamber by using this comparator bushing in conjunction with the OAL gauge. Is that correct? Has anyone come up with a method for figuring out their seating depth for a SMLE?

 

[rcmodel]

Well, you could use the old "seat way long and smoke the bullet with a candle" trick.
Keep seating deeper & smoking again until the rifling leade stops rubbing the candle soot off the bullet.

Thats how we did it before they invented bullet comparators.

It is at least as accurate as a comparator.
Probably more so.

rc

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

the idea behind using a comparator is repeatable measurements. using the 30 cal comparator will still be more reliable/repeatable than measuring off the meplat, so i'd use that.

or you could have an insert turned on a lathe.

 

[bigedp51]

On a used Enfield rifle that fired cordite ammunition you are going to have cordite throat erosion to the point where your task is pointless.

Set your loaded cartridge to the maximum OAL and call it done.

I have 12 Enfield rifles and I can't even seat my bullets "long" and jamb then into the rifling to fire form them while the bullet holds the case against the bolt face.

Cordite ammo was banned for machine gun use due bore erosion and loss of accuracy. This is also why boat tail bullets give poor accuracy in worn cordite bores.

If you have a brand new barrel then that is a different story and your bullets "might" touch the rifling. The only way I could get bullets to touch the rifling was to seat the bullet backwards and have the base of the bullet touch the rifling.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

you don't necessarily have to be trying to get close to the lands to use a bullet comparator. it's simply a more reliable way of measuring bullet seating depth as opposed to measuring off the bullet meplat, nothing more.

now, a COAL gauge is a different story.

 

[rcmodel]

you don't necessarily have to be trying to get close to the lands to use a bullet comparator

But the OP ask:

Therefore, you should not expect to be able to accurately measure the free travel of this bullet in a given chamber by using this comparator bushing

rc

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

you don't necessarily have to be trying to get close to the lands to want to know how much jump you have to the lands

even when i'm loading to magazine length, i still measure seating depth with a comparator.