How far to set the projectile off the leans?

[BShooter]

Hi guys when I load my ammo I usually sit my bullet about.5000ns off the leans then I make a dummy round no primer no powder and put it in my gun to see how the bolt is going to close, if it closes smooth then I leave it as is if not I push it back a little and check agein, now just to check with you gus how do you do it and how far do you normally set it?

 

[bigred]

There are several tools made for setting seating depth, stoney point is popular.

There are also several old methods around too. One trick is to use a dry erase marker and color the bullet, if the bullets are hitting the dry erase will show.

Another some-what cruder way is to stick a cleaning rod with a flat nosed jag (no point) down the barrel and up against the bolt.Make a mark on your rod. Then remove and drop a bullet in the chamber ( just a bullet, not a loaded round!) and hold the bullet up agianst the rifling with pencil. then push the cleaning rod back down the barrel until you feel it touch the bullet. mark your rod again. now measure fron the bottom of one mark to the bottom of the other mark. You can usaully get close by doing this. try it a few times

 

[NorCalMikie]

Get the "proper" tool and you'll know "exactily" where you are. Stoney Point/Harnady comparator and modified case. It's "accurate" and repeatable.
Don't guess. Know where you are.

 

[Steve Blair]

The only problem with the Stoney Point/Hornady tool is that it uses a new case whose shoulder is probably a few thousandths short of the chamber shoulder. When you use the tool and take a measurement, it will not reflect actual chamber dimension, but the case dimension. Ideally, we would make our own modified cases from brass fired in that chamber. Still, it is only a few thousandths. I use the Stoney Point/Hornady tool and get reliable results from it.

 

[NorCalMikie]

Steve: The question was asked about "setting the bullet to the lands". Got nothing to do with the OAL of the case and bullet. The "Stoney Point/Hoanady" tool will give the you the "seating depth" of the bullet. Combined with the comparator,it will give you the OAL of both. He needs to know where the bullet hits the lands.

 

[jo191145]

Actually Steve is right. The difference in headspace between the case guage and the chamber will enter the equasion.
Still one of the best ways to find distance to the lands I've tried.

 

[Steve Blair]

My point was that a caliper used with the Stoney Point tool and a bullet comparator measures from the base of a new, modified case to the bullet ogive. If the dimension from the modified case shoulder to the base is not the same as the distance from the chamber shoulder to the bolt face in battery, the measured dimension will not be the same as a chambered cartridge. The difference cannot be more than .002-.004, so I ignore it.

When using the Stoney Point tool, the case shoulder is pushed against the chamber shoulder. The bullet is then pushed against the lands. At that point, the only dimension that accurately reflects the chamber is the dimension from the shoulder to the lands impinging the ogive. If a fired case was modified and used instead of the Hornady case, the distance from the case shoulder to the bolt face would be correct. With the Hornady case, it is probably close but not identical.

 

[BShooter]

ok I see some of you guys miss understood me, I have all the guages and tools to measure the OAL and depth, but I was jsut asking about what distance do you push the bulet back off the lands where do you feel mosst comfertable at?

 

[necchi]

Re: How far to set the projectile off the lands?

That's what I thought you ment.
Answer is; there is no set answer!

The reason I got all those tools too, was so I could have a measurement to use for my experiments. The idea is to find a controled distance from the lands that provides the best or most consistant accuracy for my gun. My measurement might not work well in your gun, even if they were consecutive serial #'s from the same maker.
Some guys start with a copy of factory ammo that worked well for them,
Some guy's will start .005 back then work back in .005 incerments.
Others will start at sammi coal for the round and go forward,
Best is to do something that is at least in a pattern than to try random measurments,,but to my limited knowledge there is no short cut, each type of bullet is different.