Proper depth of cannelures

[Machineguntony]

I load massive amounts of 223 and 308. All my bullets have cannelures.

How far down am I supposed to seat the cannelure? For the last two years, I've been seating the bullet right in the middle of the cannelure, so that half the cannelure is shown protruding above the top of the case, and half the cannelure is below and hidden in the case. That way, I can crimp the neck into the cannelure. Accuracy is not a concern or a goal.

Yesterday I pulled apart a factory round that I found. I thought that the round didn't have a cannelure because none was visible. When I pulled it apart, the cannelure was well in the neck and not visible.

What is the proper depth that I should seat a bullet with a cannelure? I understand that accuracy is affect by the neck neing crimped into the cannelure, but, as I stated, MOA accuracy is not a goal of most of my loads.

[Gravedigger56]

I don't really pay much attention to the cannelure when I'm loading .223 bullets that have one. I am more interested in OAL. Sometimes the cannelure lines up with the case mouth sometimes it doesn't. All of them go through the LFC die regardless.

[skizzums]

This middle is fine. I set the die for the middle, and slight variations in the case lengths will pit them "somewheres" in that cannelure after that. I do like to use the cannelure for my plunking ammo that's going to get and FCD. I don't care where in the cannelure it seats, as its only there, for me anyways, to prevent deforming bullet when using a very light crimp.

[catgunguy]

I agree with "Gravedigger56". I make sure they fit in my magazine then set them all so the ogive is the same. The cannelures are not important.

[mikld]

I too disregard the cannalure's position in the loaded round, being more concerned with the cartridge OAL, as determined by my reloading manuals (Hornady bullets, Hornady manual, Speer bullets, Speer manual, etc.).

[madmo44mag]

Never worry about the canalure just OAL.

[Machineguntony]

Good information. Many thanks, gentlemen.

[Slamfire]

I only worry about cannelure depth in my 30-30's. Because of the tubular magazine, I have to crimp, to reduce the chance of a bullet being pushed into the case.

Since I don't crimp 223 or 308 bullets, and there is absolutely no need to crimp bullets if neck tension is sufficient, cannelure depth is unimportant, only OAL.

If you have good bullets, I don't recommend crimping anything into the cannelure if you can avoid crimping. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to avoid squeezing and deforming the soft lead core of a bullet with a crimp die. This is a source of inaccuracy with good bullets. With military surplus bullets, or really cheap bullets, crimping and core deformation does not destroy the inherent accuracy of the bullet, as there was none to begin with.