OAL Help

Cooner · October 7, 2012, 12:30 AM

Hello. I reload for a Cooper .223, single shot. I have obtained my OAL (1.855) using a Hornady OAL gauge. I use an RCBS press. I measure my finished rounds with a Frankford Arsenal Digital caliper with a bullet comparator attached. I am loading a 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. I am having trouble getting my rounds to come out with the same OAL. I have tried an RCBS seater, a Redding seater and a Redding Competition seater. I use brass that are all the same length measured with the caliper. I use bullets that are all the same length, measured with the comparator. My finished rounds come out anywhere from 1.853 to 1.860. The longer loads don't shoot as well as the 1.855 loads. Am I being too picky with wanting all my rounds to come out the same length or is this variance considered okay? Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

PA-Joe · October 7, 2012, 08:56 AM

Are you crimping while seating the bullet?

You may need a different seater stem. Take the stem out of the seater die and see how well it sits on the bullet.

hooligan1 · October 7, 2012, 09:58 AM

Exactly what I was going to mention PA-Joe, I was using a Lee bullet seating die for my 7mm rem mag but that seating stem would not line up on those Swift Sirroccos correctly so I now use the RCBS it likes evrything mostly.

Cooner · October 7, 2012, 12:40 PM

I just tried 2 different RCBS seaters, 2 different Redding seaters and the Redding Competition seater. I tried them all with 50 gr. Speer TNT, 52 gr.Sierra HPBT, 52 gr. Speer Varmint Hollow Point, and all with the same varied OAL. However, I tried 55 gr. Lapua FMJ, my "fur" load and magically with the high quality of Lapua they all measured the same OAL. I use the Nosler load for shooting ground squirrels during the summer. They shoot a very nice group. I guess if I can't solve this problem any other way, I will have to work up a load for the Lapua 55 gr. SP. But they are so much more expensive than the Nosler and I usually shoot around 1000 rounds or so during the summer. But don't give up on me, with help maybe I can solve my problem a cheaper way.

Thanks for your help.

DeerSlayer86 · October 7, 2012, 01:08 PM

Cooner- I just did an initial load for a cooper in 22-250 this weekend using 50 grain nosler bt's. I am also using the redding competition seater. All I did to get a consistent OAL was weight sort the bullets, they'll have about the same ogive. Coopers are such good shooters +/- .001 on the OAL probably won't make a difference. Now, I tried the load they sent with the test target and that didn't shoot worth a damn (about .75"). Probably a seating depth issue because that's about the only info they don't give you. But easily found several "bug hole" groups using the powder they used and bullet they used. Just played with charge and shot them all 0.010 off

DeerSlayer86 · October 7, 2012, 01:11 PM

...and there's no need to crimp for you so don't complicate the process with an additional variable, that's my opinion though.

4runnerman · October 7, 2012, 01:13 PM

The longer loads don't shoot as well as the 1.855 loads

Something is wrong here. All dies seat by O-Jive not length. So if you set your die to a set COL.it should not matter with the little difference you are seeing as the jump will be the same. The O-Jive is set the same on all of them. Are you doing a full swing of the ram?. Die tightened down and not coming loose?. Bad batch of bullets

Edward429451 · October 8, 2012, 10:23 AM

That drove me nuts when I first began loading rifle rounds. It is largely a non-issue. Variations in bullet points are why you get differing lengths. They all seat on the ojive as noted and should shoot the same.

If you want to be able to make the measurements the same then you need, not a new seating stem, but a different measuring device which measures from the ojive and not the point.

October 7, 2012, 12:30 AM	#1
Cooner Junior Member Join Date: October 7, 2012 Posts: 2	OAL Help Hello. I reload for a Cooper .223, single shot. I have obtained my OAL (1.855) using a Hornady OAL gauge. I use an RCBS press. I measure my finished rounds with a Frankford Arsenal Digital caliper with a bullet comparator attached. I am loading a 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. I am having trouble getting my rounds to come out with the same OAL. I have tried an RCBS seater, a Redding seater and a Redding Competition seater. I use brass that are all the same length measured with the caliper. I use bullets that are all the same length, measured with the comparator. My finished rounds come out anywhere from 1.853 to 1.860. The longer loads don't shoot as well as the 1.855 loads. Am I being too picky with wanting all my rounds to come out the same length or is this variance considered okay? Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

October 7, 2012, 09:58 AM	#3
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	Exactly what I was going to mention PA-Joe, I was using a Lee bullet seating die for my 7mm rem mag but that seating stem would not line up on those Swift Sirroccos correctly so I now use the RCBS it likes evrything mostly. __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

October 7, 2012, 01:13 PM	#7
4runnerman Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,577	The longer loads don't shoot as well as the 1.855 loads Something is wrong here. All dies seat by O-Jive not length. So if you set your die to a set COL.it should not matter with the little difference you are seeing as the jump will be the same. The O-Jive is set the same on all of them. Are you doing a full swing of the ram?. Die tightened down and not coming loose?. Bad batch of bullets __________________ NRA Certified RSO NwCP- Performance Isn't Optional Last edited by 4runnerman; October 7, 2012 at 01:25 PM.

October 7, 2012, 08:56 AM	#2
PA-Joe Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: NEPA Posts: 909	Are you crimping while seating the bullet? You may need a different seater stem. Take the stem out of the seater die and see how well it sits on the bullet.

October 7, 2012, 12:40 PM	#4
Cooner Junior Member Join Date: October 7, 2012 Posts: 2	I just tried 2 different RCBS seaters, 2 different Redding seaters and the Redding Competition seater. I tried them all with 50 gr. Speer TNT, 52 gr.Sierra HPBT, 52 gr. Speer Varmint Hollow Point, and all with the same varied OAL. However, I tried 55 gr. Lapua FMJ, my "fur" load and magically with the high quality of Lapua they all measured the same OAL. I use the Nosler load for shooting ground squirrels during the summer. They shoot a very nice group. I guess if I can't solve this problem any other way, I will have to work up a load for the Lapua 55 gr. SP. But they are so much more expensive than the Nosler and I usually shoot around 1000 rounds or so during the summer. But don't give up on me, with help maybe I can solve my problem a cheaper way. Thanks for your help.

October 7, 2012, 01:08 PM	#5
DeerSlayer86 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2011 Location: Tx Posts: 117	Cooner- I just did an initial load for a cooper in 22-250 this weekend using 50 grain nosler bt's. I am also using the redding competition seater. All I did to get a consistent OAL was weight sort the bullets, they'll have about the same ogive. Coopers are such good shooters +/- .001 on the OAL probably won't make a difference. Now, I tried the load they sent with the test target and that didn't shoot worth a damn (about .75"). Probably a seating depth issue because that's about the only info they don't give you. But easily found several "bug hole" groups using the powder they used and bullet they used. Just played with charge and shot them all 0.010 off

October 7, 2012, 01:11 PM	#6
DeerSlayer86 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2011 Location: Tx Posts: 117	...and there's no need to crimp for you so don't complicate the process with an additional variable, that's my opinion though.

October 8, 2012, 10:23 AM	#8
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	That drove me nuts when I first began loading rifle rounds. It is largely a non-issue. Variations in bullet points are why you get differing lengths. They all seat on the ojive as noted and should shoot the same. If you want to be able to make the measurements the same then you need, not a new seating stem, but a different measuring device which measures from the ojive and not the point.