Hornady VMax 53 grain

[josmund]

My Hornady manual does not not list loads and COL for this bullet.

I bought a box the other day and while I'm comfortable with the load data from Hogdon's site, I'd like the COL as I understand they are bit long.

Does anyone have it? I cant find it on the Hornady site either.

 

[gamestalker]

Although you failed to tell us what cartridge you are working with, OAL is something that is easily determined by the firearm you are loading for. Generally, seat the bullet deep enough that it doesn't touch the lands, and so it will fit and feed from the magazine. And another rule of thumb is to make sure you have about one bullet diameter worth of bullet in the neck, .224" for a .224" projectile for example. Other than that, published OAL or the OAL someone else uses, is what fits and functions in their specific firearm, and may not function in your rifle.

I always start long, so that it touches the lands, and then seat deeper until it is where best accuracy and fit / function is obtained. No hard line rules apply to rifle oal's, other than the above guidelines.

Hope this helps

GS

 

[ironworkerwill]

That just about covers it considering the limited information.

 

[Reloadron]

Page 151 of Hornady 9th Edition 223 Remington 53 gr V-Max:
COL 2.240"
BC 0.290
DIA .224

I went with 223 assuming that is what you have and because the Hornady 53 gr V-Max is only made in one caliber that I am aware of and that being 223. The V-Max bullets are slightly longer. Typical OAL for the 52 gr A-Max, 52 gr BTHP, and 53 gr HP are all a COL of 2.230 and the 53 gr V-Max comes in with a COL 0.010 longer suggested.

Hope that is what you were looking for....
Ron

 

[josmund]

Thank you Relodron.

Mt the cartridge is a 223 Rem and this is the info I was looking for. I believe mine is the 8th edition.

My apologies for failing to mention this in the original post.

 

[josmund]

Gamestalker,

I'm a new reloader and have yet to master measuring to the lands. I've been using the COL published in the manuals.

I would like to learn how to measure to the lands or set my length properly for my Savage. I'll do a search for the proper techniques but Im open for any tips.

 

[Reloadron]

Gamestalker,

I'm a new reloader and have yet to master measuring to the lands. I've been using the COL published in the manuals.

I would like to learn how to measure to the lands or set my length properly for my Savage. I'll do a search for the proper techniques but Im open for any tips.

There are commercially manufactured gauges out there designed just for that purpose. The RCBS Precision Mic set comes to mind. Some gauges are caliber specific while others cover a range of calibers. I suggest reading up on each to see what each design tells you.

There are ways to go about doing this without buying a gauge. Take an unprimed case that has been sized and start seating a bullet, just start the bullet. You can also use a black (or color of your choice) magic marker to color the bullet before starting it in the case. Now place that round in the rifle and gently close the bolt. Gently as you are using the rifle's chamber to seat the bullet. Fully close the bolt. Some suggest using a fired case fired in your rifle rather than a newly resized case. Once the bolt goes home gently extract the round and measure the COL. You should see marks on the blackened bullet where it engaged the lands (rifling) of your chamber. That COL is with the bullet ogive right on the lands so back off accordingly.

Always keep in mind to start low and work up the loads looking for any pressure signs along the way. I like to start by finding a load that shoots well and then start changing bullet seating depth. You don't want too many variables when doing all of this.

From our friends at Nosler:

How to measure your rifle’s seating depth.

Step 1: Insert the bullet into the neck of the fired case. It should fall freely into the case with no resistance.



Step 2: Remove the bullet from the fired case and press the case neck lightly against a flat surface to create a small indentation in the case neck so that it will grip the bullet.



Step 3: Insert the bullet, base first into the case so that the case just grips the bullet by itself. Just get the bullet started into the case, don’t seat it too deeply.



Step 4: Completely color the bullet with a felt marker.



Step 5: Gently insert the case and bullet into the chamber of the firearm and close the action. Do not pull the trigger.



Step 6: Carefully open the action and gently remove the case.



Step 7: Retrieve the bullet. It will either be stuck in the lands of the barrel or still in the case. If the bullet is stick in the lands, it can be removed with a cleaning rod. If the bullet is still in the case, gently remove it with your fingers taking care not to mar the ink and proceed to step 8.



Step 8: During Step 5, the lands will have contacted the bullet and pushed it back into the case neck to scrape the ink off of the bearing surface of the bullet. Simply push the bullet into the case until the edge of the case neck is just to where the ink has been scraped off.



Step 9: Carefully measure the overall length of the dummy cartridge. This overall length is called your “rifle seating” depth. It is where the bullet contacts the lands of the barrel. This length is different for every type of bullet depending on ogive, meplat, etc. This process should be repeated three to four times to obtain a consistent average.



Step 10: Set your seating die to seat at a depth between .015” and .03” less than your rifle seating depth.

When loading E-Tip® bullets, seating them .050” - .100” away from the lands typically produces the best accuracy.
Lightweight bullets may need to be seated further from the rifling. A depth of one bullet diameter inside the case neck gives good neck tension for ignition.
The overall length must be short enough to function through the magazine.

Hope that helps....
Ron