Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Seating Depth Advice

You don't need a $50 device to measure the OAL..a long wood dowell will do it fine...put a bullet (a bullet only) in the lands very lightly snug...stick the dowl down the bore from the front and mark the at the crown with a marks alot. then remove the bullet put the bolt in and close it then put the dowl rod back in to meet the bolt face and again mark the dowl at th crown..measure between the two marks and that is your overal max length..take off a couple of thosands and to to the range..you may need to tweek that distance a few thou to get your best accuracy..

I wouldn't go to the trouble except for that holy grail of a group for pictures on the internet! just load up a good load and sight it in, hope for a 1" group and get there with a proper powder charge and bullet..its a lot easier.

The actual Holy grail is certified screamer groups, group and score records, and winning matches at 1000 yds (the pic is only a bonus)-----------and you can't get there measuring your seating depth with a stick........

I guess I'm too cheap to buy the fancy gizmos, but there is a pretty simple way to setup your seating dies, and know the relation between a given bullet and the lands of your barrel. It will cost you one case, and one bullet.

This is the perfect use for range pickup brass. FL size a case, and remove the firing pin assy from you bolt. Set the seater stem way out on your die and load the bullet long in the case. Mark up the ogive with a sharpy. Load the round into the chamber and see if you can close the bolt. You want to be able to get the bolt about 1/2 way closed before feeling resistance. Keep fidling with the seating die to get close, then use your bolt for final seating of the bullet. If you try and use the bolt to force the bullet in often times the bullet gets stuck in the bore. A cleaning rod from the muzzle easily removes it. But once you get that dummy assembled, it will show slight marks from the lands on the bullet and you'll have a great reference for setting up your dies. Keep that dummy and write on it what bullet is seated and what rifle if you have multiple rifles in that chambering.

Whenever you want to set up your seater for that bullet and that gun you simply dial the seater way out, run the bullet into the die, and run the seater down until it stops. Don't crank the seater stem down as you can push the bullet into your case. If you want to start your load work 0.010" off the lands, and assuming a 20 tpi pitch seater, each full rotation of the seater is 0.050", 1/2 rotation 0.025", 1/4 rotation 0.0125".

Even with the wiz bang gauges you still need a dummy to set up your dies quickly.

458Lott makes a good suggestion, but if you're using several different weights and/or styles of bullets, you end up with a LOT of dummy rounds! And Blaine said it very well...
Selmer