I have never tried this method...have you?

Very interesting video. Boyd can you try that and let us know what you think. Makes one wonder if the method you use is right. Or better.

John
 
Dusty we doubled there on our post. I have talked to some shooters who say they like to use the touch and go out of the case with bullet into the lands. I have a hard time finding the touch. You can use the touch if you have a really good loupe with high magnification.
 
The big flaw i see is he says its not based on "feel" like the old stoney point tool, but then it is based on "feel" on the bolt lift.
He never looks at the bullet for contact.
i'll pass.

i have no issues using steel wool polished bullets and magnification to find when i touch the lands.
 
I guess its a good way to find the touch point and it dont matter where you start from as long as its somewhere you can get back to. I got a 10x bausch and lomb loupe and like chucky maiers i can get right to seeing my land marks, good enough dies to move however much i want and can see when the lands are expanding and disappearing. Its good to have many methods as long as one of em doesnt involve a threaded case
 
CMaier said:
The big flaw i see is he says its not based on "feel" like the old stoney point tool, but then it is based on "feel" on the bolt lift.
He never looks at the bullet for contact.
i'll pass.

i have no issues using steel wool polished bullets and magnification to find when i touch the lands.
Click to expand...

You missed his point. The Hornady/Stony Point tool depends on you to push the bullet in until it contacts the lands, but when does that happen?. Anyone who has ever done this has experienced that mysterious point where he asks himself, "Is this just touching or should I push just a little bit harder"? The instructions for the Hornady tool even include a recommendation to use 3 or 4 pounds pressure. That's significantly more than the point where I can feel the bullet offering resistance. In other words, the tool requires a delicate "feel".

But the kind of feel the fellow in the post is referring to is either there or it's not. In other words, it's like a grain of sand in your eye. You can feel if sand is in your eye or if it isn't. You don't have to judge the size of the grain or the amount of pain. You either have sand in your eye or you don't.

The "release click" on the bolt is there when you're touching the lands and it goes away when you shorten the bullet a little too much; i.e. it clicks or it doesn't and since the click may be hard to hear, you measure it by feeling for its presence or absence. If you've been taking frequent CBTO measurements, as instructed, you revert to the last one and you now have the answer you're looking for.

If your polished bullets examined under magnification work for you, fine. I can say my Hornady tool produces results and I use them as a reference, but they're sometimes a bit vague, especially with high B.C. bullets and the repeatability is not as good as I would like. I'm gonna' give the "bolt click" method a try.
 
Seat a bullet long, measure the OAL. Insert cartridge assembly, close bolt, eject cartridge.

Measure the OAL.

Change the seating stem by that changed amount.

Repeat till the seated bullet no longer moves.

That is a consistent starting place.

Go buy more bullets with different ogive and start over!!!


GEEEESH!


.
 
It works flawlessly guys. I asked Alex to make and post the video, and it should really help. I know most of you over here have never seen a bullet with a double digit length ogive lol. But I'm not sure I've seen a musket ball like you all shoot. Jam length can be frustrating at times with long range bullets, especially if the pressure ring is a lot bigger than the shank. It becomes neck tension and brass condition critical. Our old method, and quite common was to polish the bullets and look for marks, and you still can at the same time if you desire. They will come out the same, but this takes perception out of it. I trust this method, and have been successful following my erosion using it. Try it in combination with your other methods, you might like it.

Tom
 
^^^ +1

Jam on 11 to 15-ogive high bc boat-tails, are totally at the mercy of neck tension, with inconsistent outcomes.
Touch and/or zero hash marks are better ways - IME
Alex did that video justice, and it will help a lot of people.

My 2-Cents
Donovan
 
Last edited:
I did not miss his point.
But i am not ham fisted and have no issue establishing 'TOUCH" with a stoney point tool...none.

You simply moved FEEL from one spot to another..bolt lift.
IMHO bolt weight is much more that the wire cable in the stoney point tool.

Do as you choose.


Mozella said:
You missed his point. The Hornady/Stony Point tool depends on you to push the bullet in until it contacts the lands, but when does that happen?. Anyone who has ever done this has experienced that mysterious point where he asks himself, "Is this just touching or should I push just a little bit harder"? The instructions for the Hornady tool even include a recommendation to use 3 or 4 pounds pressure. That's significantly more than the point where I can feel the bullet offering resistance. In other words, the tool requires a delicate "feel".

But the kind of feel the fellow in the post is referring to is either there or it's not. In other words, it's like a grain of sand in your eye. You can feel if sand is in your eye or if it isn't. You don't have to judge the size of the grain or the amount of pain. You either have sand in your eye or you don't.

The "release click" on the bolt is there when you're touching the lands and it goes away when you shorten the bullet a little too much; i.e. it clicks or it doesn't and since the click may be hard to hear, you measure it by feeling for its presence or absence. If you've been taking frequent CBTO measurements, as instructed, you revert to the last one and you now have the answer you're looking for.

If your polished bullets examined under magnification work for you, fine. I can say my Hornady tool produces results and I use them as a reference, but they're sometimes a bit vague, especially with high B.C. bullets and the repeatability is not as good as I would like. I'm gonna' give the "bolt click" method a try.
Click to expand...
 
Good video and the best/good way I think to find that "length". What I'm trying to figure out is for what purpose would you ever need to know that?
 
Wilbur said:
Good video and the best/good way I think to find that "length". What I'm trying to figure out is for what purpose would you ever need to know that?
Click to expand...

Surely you are kidding right?

Tom
 
Men,
I made the video to help those who don't have a consistent way to do this. I posted it on Accurateshooter.com where most are long range shooters. We use high bc bullets and generally work from touch, not jam. Finding jam with these long bullets is difficult, they will stick in the lands very easy. I am not a stranger to short range, which is why I din't post it here. Its just another way.
 
Thank you for taking time to make the video either way. The more methods you know the more you can find anything you may run across.
 
It's a great video and I think it will help a lot of shooters. Friday I was trying to explain to my shooting Buddy, (Billy Stevens) that trying to get a seating depth with a dasher or or other long range cartridges is a lot different then what we are use to with with a 6ppc. All I got was an eye roll :rolleyes: and a Righttttttt! There is just so much bearing with something like a 105 6mm. I like going to jam and work back. But for the mid and long range game, I'll start at touch.

Bart
 
Bart, you might find jam -15 and my touch +6 is the same darn thing. Or something like that anyway. It's just a repeatable way of finding a baseline to start from.

Tom
 
Well done!

This video precisely describes the method of seating depth I have used and taught for years in the West Texas tunnel. I refer to it as "Just off stick." And it works great! Nothing shoots better!

In the tunnel, I evaluate lots of different bullets so I get plenty of practice. Believe me, this is IT! :cool:

I use only the Wilson straight line bullet seater and never even have to pick up a dial caliper. A changeover to a different bullet might take five minutes.

Later,

Gene Beggs
 
I always make a little critter with the chamber reamer from a scrap piece of the f barrel I am shooting. I make my critter a little long this way I can use the critter for finding touch and for shoulder bump. To find touch with the critter I seat bullets and insert the dummy round into the critter. if I feel a stick I know I am into the rifleing. I then back the bullet up into the case uttil the stick goes away. once you cant feel the stick you can then spin the dummy round inside the critter. if your still in the rifle you will develop a band all the way around the bullet. the band is from the lands rubbing the bullet. back the bullet up a couple thou at a time until the band goes away. a polished bullet will help. this is how I do it. Lee
 
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