Bullet Length

stewy_66 · Rookie Member Joined: Sep 27, 2008 Posts: 3

I was just wondering is it best to go with the longest overall length your rifle will take or does it matter?? I know my Sako 85 will take an extremley long shell, and i am wondering if i need to seat these down further or leave them at the longest i can and just make sure the length is consistent.
What advantages and disadvantages are there for longer shells???

Thanks in advance,

shrpshtrjoe · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 3:51 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

Every rifle is different and different bullets will like a different seating depth. A good rule of thumb is to have them seated at least the dia of the bullet to be safe. It's really a matter of what the rifle wants but they do need to function safely.
Joe

Vince · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:36 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

Gidday Stewy. What Joe said is totally correct. The only other proviso I can add to that is to load your rounds to the length of your magazine. Not much use loading them longer than your magazine can accommodate...unless you are happy to shoot single shot.

There are arguments every week, day...no hour, on "how deep should I seat my bullet", and its caused many a lot of angst and high blood pressure. If you have a scout through the threads in HuntingNut then you will find plenty of ideas on seating depth (use the Search Function).

Here's a start:

Bullet Seating Depth

Maximum Overall Cartridge Length

I think that the most important thing with ammo in a hunting rifle is consistency.

Cheers, Vince

Bushmaster · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 8:12 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

Oh-hummmmm...I can see that my expertice is not needed here. All that can be stated has been stated...

Figure out what the maximum length to the point that the ogive just touches the leed of the rifling. Now go back to a book specification and shoot a few, say 10 rounds at a target in sets of three. Now move the bullet out a few thousands of an inch and repeat the fore mentioned untill you reach the maximum length that your magazine will handle or you find the sweet spot. Which ever comes first...

ElyBoy · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 8:25 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

The guys have pretty much said it all.
There are ways so customize your bullet length to your gun, but I won't get into it here.

I normally start with the OAL in my loading book and work from there.
Using a good load manual's seating depth is the safest way to start.
If I am going for tack driving accuracy, I will then vary my seating depth.
For my hunting guns, my book's seating depth is all that I use.
A 3/4-1" group and 100 yards is all that I need for the woods.

Eric

K.W. · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:35 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

With Sako 85 ( = Beretta third class rifle) has first limitation with magazin. Very Happy

K.W. · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:02 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

Put the cleanin rod in the barrel to head of lock. Make mark to the rod.Then bullet in the chamber to where rifling starts. Then rod to bullets head. Also now mark to the rod. The distance of marks is ~ the longist OAL with this bullet. I hope, case is not to short. Sad

If you can to read my bad language, you must to be very bright. If yuo have Sako 85, I am verry sorry. Mayby you can make 3 shots quite accurately. After heating of straightened barrel groups go bigger an bigger because the barrel goes back to original curve. Sad

.

K.W. · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:12 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

Stewy_66, Sir I hope that you are very lucky and Sako 85 makes tight groups all day long. If it so, go and buy lottery ticketst

Bushmaster · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 6:08 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

Stewy_66...K.W. doesn't like Sako's. If ya haven't gathered that already... Very Happy

Using the cleaning rod to determine AOL? I have to look into that...I guess it would work as long as you back the AOL off by .010 or so to start with...Hummmm...I'm going to be reloading some .30-06 here. We'll see what it does... Very Happy

Would have to make the marks awfully close (accurate)...Not sure if it would work with soft points though. Might work with Full jackets and hollow points as long as you make sure that all bullets were the same length...Hummm...We'll look at that... Smile

K.W. · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:18 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

Mr Bushmaster and mr Stewy, I like Sako 75 and older productions. But this -85 is not Sako, it is Berettasako.
Mr Bushmaster, when I was telling my OAL mesuerement with cleaning rod, was using "~"-mark. It means only starting point measur. No need to read reloading guides.
I have custommade barrels on my four rifles. They have tight chambers and shorter over..... What is, in Enlgish the cone before rifling?

Bushmaster · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:44 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

"Forcing cone"...

Yup...I understand what you are saying.

But....

We are still going to look at that idea...Like you, I'm retired and have the time to play around with thing like this. Never too old to learn something new...Like how to mess with Vince... Very Happy

Vince · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:15 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

Bushmiester wrote:

.Like how to mess with Vince... Very Happy

Who me ?

Kauko....I believe you may be referring to the throat when you say the cone before rifling.

Cheers, Vince

SingleShotLover · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:08 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

A decent custom chamber isn't as touchy about seating depth as the typical off-the-shelf rifle's chamber. Many custom chambers offer throats that are only .001" over bullet diameter so there is little chance of the bullet going astray on the way to its appointment with the rifling. I have seen production rifles with throats as much as .006" over nominal bullet diameter. Chambers such as these require bullets seated as close to the rifling as possible to minimize alignment problems upon firing.

K.W. · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:32 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Length

Chambers and throats of my custom barrels are very tight. They makes guns very accurate and I can reload, with samall base dies, cases many times because they swell very little in the chamber. ( am loading in this evening some Lapua.308 cases 56. times). Laughing

Sakoberetta chambers and throats are very large Mad

It is one reason from some others, why I shall never ever to take Sako 85 to my trouble and burden. Very Happy

I have nearly twenty years using cleaning rod measure with OAL definition. It is very quick way to use when I will to reload cartridges to my frends. I must only to know hunting or target cartridges. Mr Ely Boy can to tell, why I ask like this way.
K.W.

jeh7mmmag · Member Joined: Dec 24, 2006 Posts: 223 Location: DFW, TX.

Book mark this one. Great listing of bullet with lenght.

Bullet Database
Our bullet database contains nearly 3900 bullets!
We believe this is the most comprehensive bullet database on the internet!
If you know of a bullet not in the database, please e-mail shootforum @ shootforum.com and we will add it.

www.shootforum.com/for...letdb.html