Best method of measuring bullet seating depth

[Kernow_Stalker]

Hi all

Whats the best way to consistently measure and get this right. At the mo i just do coal but i know a lead tip is going to vary bullet to bullet by a few thou. And id like to be as consistent as possible. Could anyone tell me or provide a link to what i should be doing please?

Cheers

Ks

 

[devon deer stalker]

Google this The Hornady Lock-N-Load Overall Length Gauge And Bullet Comparator
Plenty of videos around
I bought mine from Spud on here.
Cheers
Richard

 

[Muir]

Hi all

Whats the best way to consistently measure and get this right. At the mo i just do coal but i know a lead tip is going to vary bullet to bullet by a few thou. And id like to be as consistent as possible. Could anyone tell me or provide a link to what i should be doing please?

Cheers

Ks

You can buy all the fancy tools and gauges you want but the reality is that it, frankly, "Is what it is" when it comes to geting consistent seating depth. The results are as good as the bullet, as good as your press, as good as your seater matches the shape of the ogive.... there are a large number of variables. To answer your question, take a prepped case and measure the length, measure the length of the bullet, and calculate how deep it is seated by subtracting lengh seated from the combination of bullet and case lengths. That will give you give you what you want but if you are looking for a way to make each round seat to an identical depth, that is a very difficult and largely unnecessary thing. Shoot for an average. Slight variances i bullet length and resulting seating depth are overshadowed by variances in neck tension from one case to the next. Set your die and run with it.

you'll make yourself crazy otherwise.~Muir

 

[Kernow_Stalker]

You can buy all the fancy tools and gauges you want but the reality is that it, frankly, "Is what it is" when it comes to geting consistent seating depth. The results are as good as the bullet, as good as your press, as good as your seater matches the shape of the ogive.... there are a large number of variables. To answer your question, take a prepped case and measure the length, measure the length of the bullet, and calculate how deep it is seated by subtracting lengh seated from the combination of bullet and case lengths. That will give you give you what you want but if you are looking for a way to make each round seat to an identical depth, that is a very difficult and largely unnecessary thing. Shoot for an average. Slight variances i bullet length and resulting seating depth are overshadowed by variances in neck tension from one case to the next. Set your die and run with it.

you'll make yourself crazy otherwise.~Muir

I like that advice muir. I shall stick with that!

 

[deeangeo]

You can buy all the fancy tools and gauges you want but the reality is that it, frankly, "Is what it is" when it comes to geting consistent seating depth. The results are as good as the bullet, as good as your press, as good as your seater matches the shape of the ogive.... there are a large number of variables. To answer your question, take a prepped case and measure the length, measure the length of the bullet, and calculate how deep it is seated by subtracting lengh seated from the combination of bullet and case lengths. That will give you give you what you want but if you are looking for a way to make each round seat to an identical depth, that is a very difficult and largely unnecessary thing. Shoot for an average. Slight variances i bullet length and resulting seating depth are overshadowed by variances in neck tension from one case to the next. Set your die and run with it.

you'll make yourself crazy otherwise.~Muir

Well, it's a point of view Muir, but not one I wholly agree with.

Neck tension can be largely equalised by the use of a crimp die & a bullet Comparator is a very easy way to accurately measure and set one's seating die to. Ensuring the seating cup fits the bullet correctly is simple to determine.
Many reloaders enjoy this additional aspect of shooting getting into the nitty gritty brings; and, it's not difficult.
Neither are the tools too expensive.

 

[Muir]

I'm not saying that it won't give you an accurate measurement, but it will only do it once, if you catch my drift. From then on the finished depth is affected by bullets, press linkage, etc. Unless you are going to do every round, you set your die and shoot for an average of all your variables. Of course, I agree about crimping. I just didn't enter it into the discussion.
...And my mistake: I took "Seating depth" to mean the distance the bullet was seated into the neck, not how far from the lands.~Muir

 

[Sandyb]

Google this The Hornady Lock-N-Load Overall Length Gauge And Bullet Comparator
Plenty of videos around
I bought mine from Spud on here.
Cheers
Richard

To answer the OP's question, the above is the answer, whilst only one variable, it's one that is as important as all the others. You'll find the measurements more consistent than measuring tips, but you should find that the seating die doesn't seat bullets by the tip but by a cup which engages the body of the bullet 3mm or so from the end of the tip itself.