BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
This is for a Savage .22-250
Using my Sinclair tool (the one with the action adapter, rod and stop collars) I got a base of bullet to head of case measurement of 1.730. The bullet that I used measured .786, tip to base. combining the two gave a tip of bullet to head of case (with the bullet just touching the rifling) measurement of 2.516, but since bullet tips vary, I want to use the point at which my gauge contacts the bullet's ogive as my reference, so there is a little more work to be done.
If I was loading at home, I would simply load up a round using the bullet that I did the measurements with so that the tip to head length was as I wished (touch + .006) and used my Stoney point tool t measure the round to get the "ogive length", but since I plan on doing all of my load workup at the range there was a little more measuring and figuring to be done.
Using my Stoney Point (now Hornady) tool, the base to contact point on the ogive length of the bullet was 1.389 (bullet and tool together), and the tool (on the caliper, with no bullet in place) measured 1.006. Subtracting the tool length gives a ogive contact point to base measurement of .383, and subtracting that from the bullet length gives the length from tip to ogive contact of .403, which subtracted from the tip to head loaded length give a head to ogive contact point of 2.113.
I plan on starting my load investigation with the bullet loaded .006 longer than the length at which it would just touch the rifling, so adding that gives an ogive contact to head length of 2.113. (All that work rechecking and fixing, and I missed the big number. It should have been 2.119. Good catch pdhntr.)
Realistically there will be some measurement error, but this should give me a starting place that is close. I should add that this took longer to post than it did to do.
Using my Sinclair tool (the one with the action adapter, rod and stop collars) I got a base of bullet to head of case measurement of 1.730. The bullet that I used measured .786, tip to base. combining the two gave a tip of bullet to head of case (with the bullet just touching the rifling) measurement of 2.516, but since bullet tips vary, I want to use the point at which my gauge contacts the bullet's ogive as my reference, so there is a little more work to be done.
If I was loading at home, I would simply load up a round using the bullet that I did the measurements with so that the tip to head length was as I wished (touch + .006) and used my Stoney point tool t measure the round to get the "ogive length", but since I plan on doing all of my load workup at the range there was a little more measuring and figuring to be done.
Using my Stoney Point (now Hornady) tool, the base to contact point on the ogive length of the bullet was 1.389 (bullet and tool together), and the tool (on the caliper, with no bullet in place) measured 1.006. Subtracting the tool length gives a ogive contact point to base measurement of .383, and subtracting that from the bullet length gives the length from tip to ogive contact of .403, which subtracted from the tip to head loaded length give a head to ogive contact point of 2.113.
I plan on starting my load investigation with the bullet loaded .006 longer than the length at which it would just touch the rifling, so adding that gives an ogive contact to head length of 2.113. (All that work rechecking and fixing, and I missed the big number. It should have been 2.119. Good catch pdhntr.)
Realistically there will be some measurement error, but this should give me a starting place that is close. I should add that this took longer to post than it did to do.
