Seating Depth 45-70 - The Firearms Forum

thomasray · 04-29-2005, 12:31 PM

Hello. My Ruger 1 and reproduction Sharps both have long throats. As normal overall length for this round is 2.5 inches am I doing wrong to seat at 0.005 less than "touching the lands" depth?

Perhaps this is not an issue for shooting milk jugs or old frying pans at 300 yards. Curious if am doing harm. Thanks.

inplanotx · 04-29-2005, 03:56 PM

You should have no trouble in using that seating depth. Seating depth becomes an issue usually on lever action guns due to the operating mechanism. This will be unaffected in a Ruger #1 or Sharps. Hope this helps.

LDBennett · 04-29-2005, 06:49 PM

I would add that in a lever gun it is important to seat the bullet so that the case can be well crimped into the crimp grove. If you don't do that the pounding from the firing of the other rounds that were in the magazine will make the bullet move into the case and increase pressures to a dangerous level. Also note that lever guns must use flat nosed bullets to keep the bullets from going off in the magazine under recoil. And finally the overall length must be such that it will go through the action. Seating them out like you are doing for single shot guns makes that ammo unusable in lever guns.

LDBenentt

inplanotx · 04-29-2005, 08:11 PM

For the post part, the above is correct as I stated before. In your Ruger and Sharps, this is not needed. In fact, most bullet weights over 405 grains cannot be used in a lever action due to their inherent length. If using too big a bullet (500gr) the bullet cannot be seated to a depth to work through a lever action. In your Ruger and Sharps, they can. Good luck! I have a Browning 1886 and a Winchester 1886 that I load for. I use Meister 405 gr bullets and they work well.

stash247 · 04-30-2005, 05:48 AM

A length putting the bullet hard into the leade, on the closing of the action, will usually give max accuracy; makes the rifle difficult to unload, sometimes, as extraction may pull the bullet from the case.
The Ruger has a bit of camming action, the Sharps, none, so be sure you can manually chamber the round with your thumb, of finger, at this length.
If you choose this approach, back off a bit on near max loads, as the loss of 'jump' into the throat, will raise pressure, markedly!

04-29-2005, 03:56 PM	#2
inplanotx Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 8,897	Re: Seating Depth 45-70 You should have no trouble in using that seating depth. Seating depth becomes an issue usually on lever action guns due to the operating mechanism. This will be unaffected in a Ruger #1 or Sharps. Hope this helps. __________________

04-29-2005, 06:49 PM	#3
LDBennett Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hesperia, CA Posts: 5,711	Re: Seating Depth 45-70 I would add that in a lever gun it is important to seat the bullet so that the case can be well crimped into the crimp grove. If you don't do that the pounding from the firing of the other rounds that were in the magazine will make the bullet move into the case and increase pressures to a dangerous level. Also note that lever guns must use flat nosed bullets to keep the bullets from going off in the magazine under recoil. And finally the overall length must be such that it will go through the action. Seating them out like you are doing for single shot guns makes that ammo unusable in lever guns. LDBenentt

04-29-2005, 08:11 PM	#4
inplanotx Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 8,897	Re: Seating Depth 45-70 For the post part, the above is correct as I stated before. In your Ruger and Sharps, this is not needed. In fact, most bullet weights over 405 grains cannot be used in a lever action due to their inherent length. If using too big a bullet (500gr) the bullet cannot be seated to a depth to work through a lever action. In your Ruger and Sharps, they can. Good luck! I have a Browning 1886 and a Winchester 1886 that I load for. I use Meister 405 gr bullets and they work well. __________________

04-30-2005, 05:48 AM	#5
stash247 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Central Texas Posts: 2,815	Re: Seating Depth 45-70 A length putting the bullet hard into the leade, on the closing of the action, will usually give max accuracy; makes the rifle difficult to unload, sometimes, as extraction may pull the bullet from the case. The Ruger has a bit of camming action, the Sharps, none, so be sure you can manually chamber the round with your thumb, of finger, at this length. If you choose this approach, back off a bit on near max loads, as the loss of 'jump' into the throat, will raise pressure, markedly! __________________ Don't start no s**t and there won't be none, Terry

04-29-2005, 12:31 PM	#1
thomasray V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Columbia River Posts: 79	Seating Depth 45-70 Hello. My Ruger 1 and reproduction Sharps both have long throats. As normal overall length for this round is 2.5 inches am I doing wrong to seat at 0.005 less than "touching the lands" depth? Perhaps this is not an issue for shooting milk jugs or old frying pans at 300 yards. Curious if am doing harm. Thanks. __________________ a farting horse will never tire and a farting man is the one to hire. -->