The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - I need information on how far to seat the Bullet from the rifling lands in .308

Bogie · August 21, 2000, 01:46 PM

What I do:

I generally jam my 6PPC loads into the lands about 0.005". My .22PPC likes about 0.005" out from 'em. I worked up the loads with the bullets jammed.

Neck size your case. DO NOT prime or charge. Seat a bullet long, and buff it real nice with some fine steel wool. Measure it. Write it down (yup). Chamber it, and if it doesn't want to close, seat the bullet a little shorter (measure again, write it down), and try again. Sooner or later your bolt will close hard. Open the bolt, and extract the case. You may have to punch the bullet out from the muzzle. That means you've got it jammed really hard. You may want to start over again with the bullet slightly shorter in the case (measure/write...). When you have it so that the round chambers, showing just barely visible land marks on the buffed bullet, you're there. Push the bullet another 0.001" into the case, and that's your "at the lands" spot. Now, take the top of your Wilson seater hand die, loosen the lockscrew, and screw the seater in. Then, with the dummy round in the die, screw the seater down until it contacts the bullet. Back it out just a hair, and write down the length of the seater top. You'll adjust from there.

You say you don't use a Wilson hand die? I suppose you can struggle through with press mounted dies, but you'll get the best accuracy from the hand dies.

August 21, 2000, 01:46 PM	#8
Bogie Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2000 Location: Job hunting on the road... Posts: 3,827	What I do: I generally jam my 6PPC loads into the lands about 0.005". My .22PPC likes about 0.005" out from 'em. I worked up the loads with the bullets jammed. Neck size your case. DO NOT prime or charge. Seat a bullet long, and buff it real nice with some fine steel wool. Measure it. Write it down (yup). Chamber it, and if it doesn't want to close, seat the bullet a little shorter (measure again, write it down), and try again. Sooner or later your bolt will close hard. Open the bolt, and extract the case. You may have to punch the bullet out from the muzzle. That means you've got it jammed really hard. You may want to start over again with the bullet slightly shorter in the case (measure/write...). When you have it so that the round chambers, showing just barely visible land marks on the buffed bullet, you're there. Push the bullet another 0.001" into the case, and that's your "at the lands" spot. Now, take the top of your Wilson seater hand die, loosen the lockscrew, and screw the seater in. Then, with the dummy round in the die, screw the seater down until it contacts the bullet. Back it out just a hair, and write down the length of the seater top. You'll adjust from there. You say you don't use a Wilson hand die? I suppose you can struggle through with press mounted dies, but you'll get the best accuracy from the hand dies.