bullet seating depth

[raynard 0]

hi all, new member to this forum, so here goes the first question, I'm loading 55g blitzkings in my 243 and the hodgdon data sheet gives an oal of 2.650in but at this length i find that the bullet is not very deep inside the case so i take it down to 2.600in and get on fine with this (i notice that the data is using nosler bt so i only assume that the noslers are a tad longer than searra) so I'm just unsure what is the minimum depth you can safely seat a bullet inside the case , i must add that i do put a crimp on these loads

[dicehorn 38]

hi all, new member to this forum, so here goes the first question, I'm loading 55g blitzkings in my 243 and the hodgdon data sheet gives an oal of 2.650in but at this length i find that the bullet is not very deep inside the case so i take it down to 2.600in and get on fine with this (i notice that the data is using nosler bt so i only assume that the noslers are a tad longer than searra) so I'm just unsure what is the minimum depth you can safely seat a bullet inside the case , i must add that i do put a crimp on these loads

 

I dont shoot 243 but have loaded for a guy's 6mm x 284 and the 55g Blitzkings were seated just 55 thou into the case, however, this was a custom rifle. A general rule would be to seat these short heads about a 1/3 the way in of the neck. Most factory rifles have no problem with a jump into the lands - unless you have a custom barrel forget about this business of seating the bullet near the lands. One of my 22.250 s did a .17 at 100 last week and that shoots 137 thou back and my 6.5 will shoot 1.25" at 300 and that is seated 222 thou back - both factory rifles

[HUnter_zero 58]

I'm loading 55g blitzkings in my 243 and the hodgdon data sheet gives an oal of 2.650in but at this length i find that the bullet is not very deep inside the case so i take it down to 2.600in and get on fine with this

 

I load 58 grain V-Max at 2.61", the standard factory COAL for a .243" cartridge is 2.71". I'd hazard a guess that your COAL is okay, if you give your load details (powder /weight etc) I'll run it through Quick load to check the pressure model but to be honest if your cases are not showing signs of pressure and the Bolt handle is opening with ease then I would say that your round is fine.

 

John

[raynard 0]

thanks john, 55g blitzking, 49.8g h380 rem 9.5 primer =3,740fps tikka t3 varmint 20inch heavy barrel

[HUnter_zero 58]

thanks john, 55g blitzking, 49.8g h380 rem 9.5 primer =3,740fps tikka t3 varmint 20inch heavy barrel

 

Okay, quick load suggests a MV of 3786 fps (not that far out).

It's showing as a very hot load at 4968 BAR.

2.1% compressed load.

98.34% total powder burn.

 

To be more accurate I would need to know the case dimensions/water capacity etc.

John

[raynard 0]

thanks again john, the hodgdon data gives a max load using 51g of h380 and a nosler 55g bt at 4010fps 48.700cup (don't know how to convert to bar) using a 24in barrel, so i accept less vel from my 20in barrel (still plenty fast enough for me though) not sure about the compressed figure though as i come back to my original point being that to get the given oal I'm not seating the bullet very deep inside the case

[HUnter_zero 58]

hodgdon data gives a max load using 51g of h380 and a nosler 55g bt at 4010fps

 

Quick load gives a MV of 3965 and states max barrel pressure.

As long as your cases are not showing signs of high pressure and your bolt is not tight then you'll be okay. Quick load is simply a mathematical model, although rather accurate, everything depends up on the rifle & the cartridge case parameters.

 

John