Do any of you check the bearing length of your bullets ? I just checked some custom bullets that I have . And from one maker they run .073 . 065 .075 ,085 and I checked them 3 times . Also I checked Berger bullets and they were all within .002 of eack other . guess Ill be only be using Berger . Think this will make a big differance in a match ? I'm thinking that may be why I get a flier once in a while .
Checking bullets
- Thread starter ArtinNC
- Start date
Are you referring to the base to ogive dimension? If so, .020” variation is terrible. Even .002 is more than I like to see. What gauge are you using?
RL Weikart
Member
Bearing length
I have a suggestion if I may, sort the bullets by bearing length, load 5 with .085 length, load 5 with .065 length and 5 with different lengths using same powder and seating depth. Shooting them should give you a good idea as to the validity of the others who commended the importance. I agree it is most important to have them of the same length.
I have a suggestion if I may, sort the bullets by bearing length, load 5 with .085 length, load 5 with .065 length and 5 with different lengths using same powder and seating depth. Shooting them should give you a good idea as to the validity of the others who commended the importance. I agree it is most important to have them of the same length.
OliveOil
Active member
Did that. For tangent ogive, just terrible, one is jammed, the other is just in, and the last has jump. Not an ideal mix. Almost as indecent with secant.
What has helped me much was to sort such kind of bullets by base to ogive length using a caliper and a Davidson nose. Sorted them by 0.002" wide class. Results were excellent. You can set the seating depth you want and stay here for all your ammo, depending your seating stem diameter comes close enough to the Davidson nose diameter.
It's an easy job which can be performed watching TV ....
I do not shot Burger bullets since mid 90's. A batch with oil dents on ogive and not able for better than 1/8" at 100 yd while all other pills I had were punching zero's when I do my part. You can bet all Burger base-ogive length were perfect.
So... the Truth is out there.
Lemme tell U a storry about a guy hunting boars, but on a budget.
He purchased a second hand, perfect barrel Marlin MR7 for less than 300$. He did whatever was possible on that rifle, bedding, trigger job, lugs lapping, barrel hump, glued scope bases, free floated brl and spent 3 weeks converting a hughly old varnish into a magnificient oil finish as smooth as a baby axsxsx.
As on a budget, he went for PRVI-Partizan / PPU hunting bullets, and first trials were not satisfying. 5" at 200yd. (he's also an old br fxucxkxexd). Then he had the idea of B-O measure the bullets and found a wide 1/25" variation. So ... he seated the bullets one by one, custom sitting for each with the caliper + Davidson on hand.
No ammo looked like the other. That looked terrible overall, but the Marlin shot 1.5" at 200 yd.
So ..... The Truth can be there also ....
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Base to ogive dimension is what I'm checking checking for . I'm using a gauge that I made with my chamber reamer and a Mitutoyo .001 Dial indicater . I have checked the same bullets about 5 times to make sure that I'm checking them right , and the same bullets check the same every time .
DAVIDSON SEATING DEPTH CHECKER
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