Forget what the book says. Measure the distance to the lands of your rifle with a Hornady tool, threaded cartridge case and caliper. If this is for hunting, start .010" away from the lands and work farther away to find the best seating depth for accuracy. I do a ladder test first and then adjust seating depth. Some do depth first, then charge weight.i have a savage ftr .308 with a criterion 30" barrel
Gonna load up Sierra 168 bthp,with varget
My c.o.a.l. With this bullet is 2.883,Sierra book calls for 2.800
Should I start at 2.800 or set them closer to the lands?
I'll be shooting 300 yards max.
That could be part of your problem. If you're measuring hollow point bullets for COAL you can get .015" variation in COAL vs. measuring ogive to base (OTB) ............. One of the reasons the Hornady tool is so popular. ........... PM sentI use the steel rod with the 2 locking collars
It's a target rifle,I'm gonna start at .015 and go from there
I've never had any problems with this tool,once I get the c.o.a.l. Then I measure off of the ogiveThat could be part of your problem. If you're measuring hollow point bullets for COAL you can get .015" variation in COAL vs. measuring ogive to base (OTB) ............. One of the reasons the Hornady tool is so popular. ........... PM sent
That should work just fineI've never had any problems with this tool,once I get the c.o.a.l. Then I measure off of the ogive
I've never had any problems with this tool,once I get the c.o.a.l. Then I measure off of the ogive
I measure both ways, .010 to 020 doesn't seem to make a huge difference from my experience 168 haven't shot well for me jambed. Using the rod isn't the best way to measure from what I know due to difference in bullet lengths, iam a newbie tho
I've never had any problems with this tool,once I get the c.o.a.l. Then I measure off of the ogive
The 2.800" COAL stated by Sierra is a measurement that assures feeding in a magazine fed rifle. Yours is a single shot so that length doesn't apply to you. .............. Whether you use the Sinclair tool or the Hornady is immaterial. (I prefer the Hornady) What is important is that your bullet is slightly engraved by the rifling. Free bores are generally only .0005" larger than bullet diameter. A slightly fat bullet can be stopped at the entrance of the free bore and give a false "to the lands" reading. If you buff the shine off the bullet w/ 0000 steel wool the impression made by the lands will appear as tiny rectangular Bright spots assuring you have reached the lands. Never ASSUME your rifle will shoot best at someone else's seating depth. Each rifle is a rule unto itself. There are no short cuts to ultimate accuracy. ............ Yours might shoot good .020" even better at .060" off........ After all you do have a target rifle and want best possible accuracy. Right? FWIWForget what the book says. Measure the distance to the lands of your rifle with a Hornady tool, threaded cartridge case and caliper. If this is for hunting, start .010" away from the lands and work farther away to find the best seating depth for accuracy. I do a ladder test first and then adjust seating depth. Some do depth first, then charge weight.
There are those that start low (charge wise) and jammed or touching and then work out (away) from lands...There is more than one way to skin a "cat".You do not want to jam them (bullet) into the lands as you would probably/possibly see excessive pressure spiking.
what i do is measure the bullet,and keep a record of it,the lengths are usually different