What’s your method for determining seating depth?

[SGK]

Start jammed and move back .010 at a time until it shoots. Then keep going until it doesn’t. Then go back to where it shoots and fine tune in .005 steps, then .002.

Jammed or touch? I have a new rifle and just went through the Wheeler method to estimate where my touch point for the 105 grain Berger Hybrid Match bullets. I was planning to start powder charge testing seating at touch.

 

[BenPerfected]

I use stripped bolt method to get at .010 in or so and work my way off during load development. I usually always start in the lands and work out..

Edit: I like to recheck my seating depth every 200-250 rnds

Ray

Loading at touch, my experience is the SD changes every .001-.002 every 50 rounds due to barrel erosion. One draw back of this it is best if you don’t preload a lot of touch rounds. My preference is to not move loaded bullets around at the range. I know, pretty picky.....
Ben

 

[Raythemanroe]

Loading at touch, my experience is the SD changes every .001-.002 every 50 rounds due to barrel erosion. One draw back of this it is best if you don’t preload a lot of touch rounds. My preference is to not move loaded bullets around at the range. I know, pretty picky.....
Ben

I rarely if ever load just touching or just off, this usually makes for inconsistency down range.. Generally with what I load for I end up .006-.010 in or .008-.010 out..

Ray

 

[BenPerfected]

Ray,
The reason my touch SD method works for me is I use a barrel tuner. For me, it is much easier “tweak” the tuner than use various seating depths. The tuner also helps as the barrel temp changes. I have a tuner installed & adjusted on all barrels (not counting tweaking at the range)
Ben

 

[dcali]

Jammed or touch? I have a new rifle and just went through the Wheeler method to estimate where my touch point for the 105 grain Berger Hybrid Match bullets. I was planning to start powder charge testing seating at touch.

I start jammed about .010. (as in, seating the bullet 0.010 longer than touch). I try to avoid touch, but that's probably superstition.

 

[338 dude]

I use hornady comparison gauges on calipers. Base to ogive.
They are aluminum and show wear around 4k rounds ...
But I am just comparing so.....

I note which end goes where when checking ogive with two on each side of calipers.

I ordered stainless steel ones from Sinclair and they will fit right in your hornady comparator