I'd like to hear some input from those who've been sorting/trimming longer than I have (I JUST started). Here's my issue:
I have the Hornady body that attaches to a caliper blade, and the inserts go into that attachment. I have the ogive insert and the shoulder/bump gauge insert from Hornady. However, I also have an insert made by a friend of mine (JIMBO!), which is an ogive measuring device, much the same as the Hornady insert, but the homemade tool measures the ogive much closer to the tip of the bullet.
I sorted a bunch of bullets using the homemade ogive insert, and was happy with how consistent the batch measured out. However, when I started trimming (SInclair trimmer), the bullet's overall lengths were all over the place. I stopped as soon as I noticed something wasn't working. I then took a group of bullets that measured the same with the homemade ogive insert, and measured then with the Hornady ogive insert (measures much closer to the bearing surface). The same group of bullets were no longer equal to one another!
I then took a look at the sinclair trimmer... the bullets "bottom out" where the ogive meets the bearing surface. That's the same location that the Hornady ogive measuring insert touches the bullet (close enough for the sake of discussion). So, I then think that I'm on to something... If I use a measuring tool that touches the ogive the same place the bullet bottoms out in the trimmer, then I'll have more consistent results! WRONG!!! I actually ended up with the same results... a range of about .006" in overall bullet length (after trimming).
For the purpose of trimming (and later pointing), do I need to measure base-to-tip to sort the bullets? That's the only thing that seems logical to me, but I also know that that technique is frowned upon (because of inconsistent meplats from the factory). If your trimmed bullets are a couple thousandths off, then you'd need to adjust the pointing die for each bullet, which is ridiculous. I know I'm doing something wrong up front, in the sorting process.
As noted in the subject... wtf?
Walt
I have the Hornady body that attaches to a caliper blade, and the inserts go into that attachment. I have the ogive insert and the shoulder/bump gauge insert from Hornady. However, I also have an insert made by a friend of mine (JIMBO!), which is an ogive measuring device, much the same as the Hornady insert, but the homemade tool measures the ogive much closer to the tip of the bullet.
I sorted a bunch of bullets using the homemade ogive insert, and was happy with how consistent the batch measured out. However, when I started trimming (SInclair trimmer), the bullet's overall lengths were all over the place. I stopped as soon as I noticed something wasn't working. I then took a group of bullets that measured the same with the homemade ogive insert, and measured then with the Hornady ogive insert (measures much closer to the bearing surface). The same group of bullets were no longer equal to one another!
I then took a look at the sinclair trimmer... the bullets "bottom out" where the ogive meets the bearing surface. That's the same location that the Hornady ogive measuring insert touches the bullet (close enough for the sake of discussion). So, I then think that I'm on to something... If I use a measuring tool that touches the ogive the same place the bullet bottoms out in the trimmer, then I'll have more consistent results! WRONG!!! I actually ended up with the same results... a range of about .006" in overall bullet length (after trimming).
For the purpose of trimming (and later pointing), do I need to measure base-to-tip to sort the bullets? That's the only thing that seems logical to me, but I also know that that technique is frowned upon (because of inconsistent meplats from the factory). If your trimmed bullets are a couple thousandths off, then you'd need to adjust the pointing die for each bullet, which is ridiculous. I know I'm doing something wrong up front, in the sorting process.
As noted in the subject... wtf?
Walt
