Killick
Transcendental Capitalist
I like measuring off the bullet tip, no case needed. All you need is a properly sized aluminum rod, 2 shaft collars and a bullet from your lot that is of the mean avg. length from base to tip. Close the bolt, run the alum. rod to the bolt face, attach first shaft collar at the muzzle crown and remove the rod. Remove bolt, drop your mean average bullet down to the lands (I delicately run a wooden dowel up behind the bullet), run the alum. rod down the bore with the 2nd 'loose' shaft collar until the rod just touches the bullet tip, tighten 2nd collar at the muzzle face. Remove alum. rod with both collars secured and measure between the 2 collar faces that touched the muzzle crown. I take a few measurements around the collars which may only be a few .001" different. This seems more accurate to me than trying to divine where the lands are imprinting on the bullet or whether it has pushed the bullet into the case. I've tried the Wheeler method and have more confidence in the bullet tip method. You can actually feel where the bullet is. "Gird your loins, men...we've got incoming!"