New Loads

bullet on right is to recommended OAL by bullet weight, powder used 2.630". One on left is OAL to .010 less than land contact 2.760" in my particular rifle, same bullet & powder charge. Chambered the round and it goes in and bolts locks fine.

That difference is called safety, for the OEM, but be careful with that first trigger pull........

grumpy wrote:That difference is called safety, for the OEM, but be careful with that first trigger pull........

powder charge is one Grain over min recommended charge, range 39> 43 Gr.
I don't use a benchrest vise on rifle, shoulder shoot. Hmm maybe I will tripod, and sand bag butt and stand aside first one. Grumpy now you got me nervous.

I think your doing fine.. just be careful.

wilder, your o.l. will depend on the type of magazine you have. if it is a clip or box style magazine you will have to go with the o.l. that it accepts. a tube or single shot lets you vary it to your liking. a short or long action can also have an affect. load a dummy round or 2 to check feeding. also o.l. measuring from base to tip can vary as much as .005 or more with the same lot number of make and weight bullets. in my 6mm br that can really affect accuracy but not to much in a hunter rifle. the most accurate way to measure bullet to rifling is off the ogive with a bullet comparator. then what comes into play is loading lighter or heavier bullets which will change seating depth into the neck, and neck tensions. there are a number of good web sites explaining this. if you like to fiddle with things you will love reloading just check and check again.

If only one additional grain is added what difference does it make to the gun where the bullet is in relation to the case?

Does the gun want the bullet closer to the rifling for accuracy or something?

Thanks for the education guys.

cabinover, in regards to your 2 questions, yes they both affect accuracy. depending on type and caliber of gun it can be significant for accuracy. as much as 2/10 of a grain of powder and a few thousanths in seating depth can make a big difference in a bench gun. in a factory hunting gun it will also make a difference but maybe not as noticeable. no 2 guns are the same when it comes to finding a load that works. for example, I have 2 6br's that are identical, cut from the same reamer, same actions, scopes and stocks. they each have a different load combination to make them shoot, close but not the same. a load that is safe and accurate in one gun, may not be in another. I equate a bench gun and a hunting rifle as comparing a race car to a family car, basically the same but different when it comes to equipment and tuning. and that is what reloading is all about, "tuning". with the numerous amount of different powders, bullets, primers, and brass the process can become quite mind boggling. it is a process of elimination, what works and what does not. this is why it is not for everyone.it is a hobby and it depends how far you want to get into it. as I have said check and recheck and ask questions. if you do, it is as safe as any hobby. check out accurateshooter.com and you will see what I am trying to say. thanks.

rifles magazine handles the length fine for loading mag, and chambering the round with bolt. Haven't been to range yet.. hopefully this weekend. the MAX OAL I got was from where the ogive hits rifling. going .010" back from contact and starting here for starting point of reloads and groups.

Grumpy, Bigstick... i'm still alive!! rounds fired nicely, no issues chambering or primer bulging(which I wasn't expecting with loaad). Yes they do drop more, and hit to the left. 4.5" down, 2.25"L, from center mark. But right now up coming fall turkey I am concentrating on the 55Gr rounds andd hitting within 1" of center(bullseye) consistantly(ME!!) Want a fall turkey, want to do a head shot.But if its out more than 100>150yards will do a high body shot. Going to go up next 3 weekends(sundayAm before sun) early sit and find their preferred roosting spots.