.222 and Hornady 50gr VMAX COAL and CBTO

[John from Texas]

I am relative new to reloading and need help. Today I was reloading for my .222 with Hornady 50gr VMAX bullets and Lapua brass. Recommended COAL is 2.13. At this COAL the ogive is below the mouth of the case, i.e ogive measurement (Hornady comparator) is same as case length. This does not make sense to me. I have reloaded other cartridges (.223, .270, 6mm, .243, 300 BLK, 6.5 Creedmoor) and have never run across this situation. I have double checked the comparator to ensure I was using the correct adapter (22), made sure I had the correct bullet, measured case length). Seems to me the COAL is too short, but it is right on 2.13. What am I doing wrong or overlooking? I am chasing my tail. Any help is appreciated.

 

[lawman29]

Generally the COAL of your rounds only is relevant for two reasons:
1) If you have a repeater that they fit in the magazine (internal box or dbm...) And
2) Can you extract a live round without having to remove the bolt.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Just means your comparator and actual bullet don't match diameter measurements. That's why it is a comparator.

 

[Murray Brook]

You arn't doing anything wrong. I have the same combo and it does what you are posting. I keep the cases trimmed to 1.680 and this just fits the 2.130 when I want this COAL although my throat and mag allows me to load longer . Book COAL's are not important. It's your throat and mag length that will dictate your COAL.

 

[LHSmith]

You could cut the plastic tip shorter and probably won't affect performance with-in the .222's range. I have done this on larger rounds for years.

 

[1911nut]

Measure without the comparator

 

[John from Texas]

Thanks for all the replies. Dummy round fits internal mag and chambers (Sako Vixen). Coal is 2.13 however your measure it. Understand about COAL, was concerned about ogive being below the case mouth. Will increase length to have ogive longer than case mouth and then check for mag fit and chambering. Thanks again