Checking bullets

ArtinNC

New member
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 . Now to check the wieght .


Bouble post , Sorry can't remove .
 
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If I were shooting factory bullets for precision, I would. With custom swaged bullets, I don't. I make 6mm and .30 caliber bullets and used to spot check bearing surface length. If you make them right, meaning good dies, proper lubrication, and consistent lever pulling, it's a non-issue. Mine vary by less than a thou. I also have a bullet spinner. Used it a few times and they all run true. My spinner hasn't seen the light of day in years. Oh, and one more check.....a friend has a Juenke machine. I ran some bullets through it and saw no value add. With the hand made custom bullets we shoot in BR, the only check that matters is the target (at least for short-range. I can't speak to long-range).

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
If I were shooting factory bullets for precision, I would. With custom swaged bullets, I don't. I make 6mm and .30 caliber bullets and used to spot check bearing surface length. If you make them right, meaning good dies, proper lubrication, and consistent lever pulling, it's a non-issue. Mine vary by less than a thou. I also have a bullet spinner. Used it a few times and they all run true. My spinner hasn't seen the light of day in years. Oh, and one more check.....a friend has a Juenke machine. I ran some bullets through it and saw no value add. With the hand made custom bullets we shoot in BR, the only check that matters is the target (at least for short-range. I can't speak to long-range).

-Lee
www.singleactions.com


We are having some kind of double thread here...


Anyway, I am surprised by part of your experience.

When I Base to Ogive measure industrial HP match bullets, I NEVER found any variation, wether it be Sierra, Hornady or Nosler or Lapua. I can understand this. Bullets are pointed with a press that generate an effort WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY over what's needed to close the point and swag the core, and the punch comes to a mechanical stop. No variation allowed.

On the opposite, my experience is that custom bullet makers process have more process variation. As said on the other thread, I am used to B-O sort my bullets and have found an easy 0.012" variation range, which I dislike.

I measured thousands of them and whatever the custom bullet maker, that 0.012" apears to me as a constant. That defines the "edge" of the distribution. BUT there is a huge variation in Standard Deviation.

One maker has a wide Gaussian distribution in that 0.012" range, while another exhibit a very centered, sharply pointed distribution, but still having some extremely few black sheep bullets pushing the distribution range to 0.012".

It seems to me like a process limit. Some are "sharp" inside that process, some are wide.


Now, I am swaging my very very first BR bullets since 3 weeks (please don't laugh at me !!). I am a very beginner, I am very carefull, I go very slowly. I must agree with you that my own B-O variation is a little less than 0.001" on my first ones (check them all, anxious about my brand new² skill).
 
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