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checking oal the old way

2K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  kershal 
#1 ·
would like to start working up some 223 loads but i am worried about oal. i would like to use the hornady modified case but no one has it in stock. so i decided to work up three dummie loads the first two had marks on the ogive so i seated a little deeper the third round was clean. all rounds fit in mag, and cycle fine in my gun can i assume everything is fine to start loading a few test rounds
 
#2 ·
I would make only one dummy round. Seat the bullet out far and chamber it. Then measure the oal and set up the seating die to bump it back .025 shorter than the original length then check magazine fit. If it fits you're good to go if it's too long bump it back to fit the magazine then set your seating die off the dummy and you're good to go.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I think what he means is take a fired unsized case and put a small flat spot on the mouth just enough to start a bullet in the case by hand. Color a bullet with black marker and just start it . Put it in the chamber and close the bolt completely. When it comes out the bullet will have pushed in to the max chamber length where the bullet just touches the rifling. Seat it a little deeper say .020 and see if it fits in the mag. If it does, that should be a decent starting point for OAL.
 
#8 · (Edited)
If your using a bolt action, after you push the bullet in you can put a cleaning rod down the barrel then mark it, lift the bolt and unlock and help the bullet out, because when you go the pull the case out the bullet can move some because its stuck in the rifling. now after you pull the case out you put cleaning rod down the barrel again, with the bolt closed and mark it. that will give you a good max for that bullet.
 
#9 ·
Do you have a dial caliper?


If not I recommend you get one. Lyman offers one for around 35 bucks. Then just take a fired case, and punch the spent primer out with a universal decapper. Mash one side of the casemouth on the edge of the table to slightly flatten it. Then take a bullet that you wish to reload and color it black with a sharpie, then just start it into the case and carefully chamber it and close the bolt. Then open the bolt and extract the case. The bullet may stick in the throat, just tap it out with a cleaning rod from the muzzle end. There will be a bright scratch in the side of the bullet from the flat side of the casemouth and you will be able to see where it stopped. just reinsert it into the case to the mark where it stopped and take an OAL. that is your JAM length. seta all yor ammo .010-.020 shorter and have fun.
 
#10 ·
I make dummy rounds with sized cases. I want the bullet to be gripped by the mouth of the case so it stays in place. Takes the guess work out. I like to keep mine set back .025 from my max OAL because I load hot. I had one round set too far out and it blew a primer and made the LR primer pocket an XLR primer pocket. If you want to be really close to the lands you have to drop your charge weight.
 
#11 ·
You just have to work up carefully to begin with, regardless of how close to or far from the lands your bullet sits. I see no point in loading hot if you have a 4 MOA group. Id rather slow the loads down and get a 1 or better MOA group and know Ive got the capacity to take a target at a further range.

4000 fps doesn't do anyone a bit of good if it misses the target by a foot.
 
#13 ·
thanks jla i think i like that methoed better gives me a little more to see than a quess as to where the bullet is in regards to the lands. and yes i have a digital and dial caliper i even have the olgive compensator just no 223 modified casr for it but hornady told me that if i shot 2 rounds i could mail them to hornady and they would modify them in a couple of weeks quicker than waiting on a 223 modified case to come in thanks.
 
#14 ·
ok guys i put the bullet in the case with just finger pressure is fitting snuggly stuck the bullet in the chamber and closed and locked the bolt took it out and measured 2.361 it will fit in the magazine the gun is a 223 savage axis. couldnt really see heavy rifling marks maybe very light hard to see do i come back 0.025 from this point. maybe reading to much into this procedure but i want to be sure no blow ups seems like the bullet is long could gun have a long throut thanks.
 
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