I have a new .204 ruger coming to me on Saturday and would like to have some test loads ready for it when I get it. I'm having trouble finding information on where to start as far as seating depth. I can find total length dimensions but it doesn't look right with hornaday 32 grain bullets,they look like there too deep.) I will be trying berger 35 grainers too. I would like to measure from the ogive. I would greatly appreciate a clue to where to find this information.
204, how deep?
- Thread starter Matt
- Start date
Matt, with the rifle being factory it will be just about impossible to know what the COL would be. The best you could do would be to load to whatever the reloading manual says to blow out your brass and then when you load those cases again go ahead and check the COL with your gauge. I hope this helps. Bill
Matt--Here's a photo of one of my 32 gr. Hornady V-Max loads alongside a factory 32 gr. Hornady load.
The factory loads had the bullets seated WAAAAAAY deep in the neck. There was also some crimp on those factory loads. Here's a 32 gr. bullet I pulled from a factory round alongside a virgin 32 gr. V-Max bullet. Note the heavy indentation from the factory crimp.
I would encourage you to determine your bullet seating depth using a measurement off the ogive instead of measuring from the base of the case to the tip of the bullet. That is the method I use, but I also measure OAL since that is what a lot of reloaders go by.
My 35 gr. FB HP Berger load has and OAL of between 2.312" and 2.315".
My rule of thumb for seating depth is to have approximately 2/3 of a caliber of the bullet base seated in the neck of the casing. That's a ROUGH rule of thumb. The chamber in my Savage 12VLP doesn't allow me to seat any of my bullets so they would be touching the lands. Most of them would fall out of the casing neck. I have found that most of the bullets I shoot, are most accurate when they have lots of jump before they get to the lands.
The factory loads had the bullets seated WAAAAAAY deep in the neck. There was also some crimp on those factory loads. Here's a 32 gr. bullet I pulled from a factory round alongside a virgin 32 gr. V-Max bullet. Note the heavy indentation from the factory crimp.
I would encourage you to determine your bullet seating depth using a measurement off the ogive instead of measuring from the base of the case to the tip of the bullet. That is the method I use, but I also measure OAL since that is what a lot of reloaders go by.
My 35 gr. FB HP Berger load has and OAL of between 2.312" and 2.315".
My rule of thumb for seating depth is to have approximately 2/3 of a caliber of the bullet base seated in the neck of the casing. That's a ROUGH rule of thumb. The chamber in my Savage 12VLP doesn't allow me to seat any of my bullets so they would be touching the lands. Most of them would fall out of the casing neck. I have found that most of the bullets I shoot, are most accurate when they have lots of jump before they get to the lands.
Matt,
In my Kimber Pro Varmint, I cannot even touch the lands with the ogive of my 39gr Sierra Blitzkings, as the neck does not even come into contact with the projectile!
So, I seat the projectile so that it works through the magazine. Believe me, the ogive is miles away from the lands. Yet my rifle still shoots between 1/4 and 1/2 MOA.
I shot a 5 round 1/2 moa group with factory Hornady 32gr ammo which as Silverfox correctly points out is crimped in and seated very deeply. In fact, I could not remove the factory projectiles with my kinetic bullet puller, I ended up shooting them off for practice and running in the barrel on my rifle some more.
I heard one possible explanation for the large distance to the lands being that it is freebore as per Weatherby rifles in order for the bullets to obtain the high velocities without getting high pressure.
Regards,
Michael.
In my Kimber Pro Varmint, I cannot even touch the lands with the ogive of my 39gr Sierra Blitzkings, as the neck does not even come into contact with the projectile!
So, I seat the projectile so that it works through the magazine. Believe me, the ogive is miles away from the lands. Yet my rifle still shoots between 1/4 and 1/2 MOA.
I shot a 5 round 1/2 moa group with factory Hornady 32gr ammo which as Silverfox correctly points out is crimped in and seated very deeply. In fact, I could not remove the factory projectiles with my kinetic bullet puller, I ended up shooting them off for practice and running in the barrel on my rifle some more.
I heard one possible explanation for the large distance to the lands being that it is freebore as per Weatherby rifles in order for the bullets to obtain the high velocities without getting high pressure.
Regards,
Michael.
Sierra load data shows a COAL of 2.250" while Hornady shows a COAL of 2.245".
Factory chambers in .204 Ruger are usually very long. When I was experimenting with seating depth for my XR-100, I found that there was almost no bullet left in the neck when I finally reached the lands. I also found that the rifle shot as well or better with the bullets seated to a COAL of 2.255", well off the lands. You might be restricted by your magazine length. I would start by measuring with Stoney Point gage so you know exactly what you're working with.
I have a custom .204 built on a Panda action with a Lilja barrel. I load this rifle with the bullets jammed .015 into the lands. I can push the 35 gr. Bergers over 4100 fps with no pressure issues. If I ever shoot out the barrel of my XR-100 I will replace it with one chambered so that I can load into the lands. Personally, I think the long throats of factory offerings in this caliber are more for legal reasons than any other.
Factory chambers in .204 Ruger are usually very long. When I was experimenting with seating depth for my XR-100, I found that there was almost no bullet left in the neck when I finally reached the lands. I also found that the rifle shot as well or better with the bullets seated to a COAL of 2.255", well off the lands. You might be restricted by your magazine length. I would start by measuring with Stoney Point gage so you know exactly what you're working with.
I have a custom .204 built on a Panda action with a Lilja barrel. I load this rifle with the bullets jammed .015 into the lands. I can push the 35 gr. Bergers over 4100 fps with no pressure issues. If I ever shoot out the barrel of my XR-100 I will replace it with one chambered so that I can load into the lands. Personally, I think the long throats of factory offerings in this caliber are more for legal reasons than any other.
I finally got to do some range work today. 32gr. vmax with an oal of 2.275 shot very well. 2 five shot groups in the same neat little hole! In my Rem 700 VLS it is .185" off the lands. These groups are almost impossible to better, is there a reason to try and get closer to the lands? For more velocity, barrel life, etc...
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.