.243 OAL/Bullet seating depth.

MJR

Well-Known Member
I'm trying to work a new load up for the .243 using Sierra 60gn hollow points. I've loaded a dummy round and kept seating the bullet until the bolt just closes. This gives an oal of 2.675 thou. A previous load with a 100gn btsp bullet gave good accuracy 15 thou off the lands so i've now seated the bullet in further to achieve this and have been left with a finished OAL of 2.660 thou. But the trimmed cases are 2.040 long and the bullets are 0.740 long so if i've done my sums correctly (2.040 + 0.740 = 2.780 - OAL of 2.660 = 120) the bullet is only seated a maximum of 120 thou. Modern reloading gives a minimum OAL of 2.600 so my question is, is 120 thou enought seating or should I seat the bullet deeper :confused: And if I do seat the bullet deper how is accuracy likely to be effected :confused:
Thanks.
 
i'm no expert, but a wise man once told me to seat my bullets the same depth as the calibre diameter, as a minimum, and that seating a precise distance of the lands not important.

i just seat my bullets to obtain the COL's quoted in the specific data, and check that it is somewhere off the lands.
 
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