Reloading, OAL, crimps and seating depth

[matt_hooks 188]

Ok, I'm developing a load for my .243. The bullets I've chosen to try have a crimp ring, and I'd like to crimp the necks to make sure they stay secure whilst hunting/stalking/bouncing around in the ammunition safe in the car etc. but I'm finding that they don't group well when seated to the crimp. Is there any way around this? I'd like to try some different OAL's, but can't see how that's possible with the crimp ring, other than moving up and down the ring, which doesn't give much adjustment.

 

What does everyone else do about this? I guess I could try without the crimp, but is there anything else I could try?

 

The bullet is a 100gr Hornady Interlock. I would like to try different bullets, as I think my barrel twist is around the 1:10/1:11 range, so might suit a slightly lighter bullet better, but my licencing department saw fit, in their wisdom, to only allow me 100 to hold and 50 to acquire, which gives me absolutely no room to try new types and develop a decent load. When I asked for an increase for reloading, I was told that "economic reasons is not considered good reason to increase the holding" and they wouldn't budge even when I told them that it wasn't for economic reasons (I can buy PRVI as cheaply as I can reload, or not far off) but to improve my accuracy and reduce the risk of wounding. Apparently TVP see reloading as a purely economic endeavour and won't allow increased holdings for it, despite the HO guidelines.

 

Anyway, rant over, what do people recommend?

[tegater 789]

Nothing to help you out mate, but Manchester also go down the lines of economy is not a reason to hold more ammo, its not unique to TVP, but it is annoying.

[danw 1,748]

Dont' worry about crimping so long as you have enough neck tension then the bullet wont' move I never crimp and my box of bullets lives either in the front box of the quad or thrown in the landy they are knocked all day every day and don't move at all the box's are only mtm 50 round box,s with a foam liner

if you are still worried even though the bullets you want to use have a cannelure it is not necesarry to seat to that depth just set to the correct aol and crimp at that point

Edited December 7, 2011 by danw

[Lewdan 17]

Why not reload without crimping, have you actually had experience of bullets moving within the case after normal seating, or is this purely a preventative action. Does crimping the bullets make for better accuracy and consistancy, interested in anything that will help me shoot better

Cheers.

LD

[3175darren 1,102]

The trouble with crimping to a brass bullet is getting each bullet crimped with the same pressure, what is very important is the distance from the lands, OAL gauge exact size and back em off a couple of mill, if you crimp em do it very gently, to keep pressure consistent I had a lot of problems with 100 grn in my 243 what twist rate is the barrel, for roe I used to use 85 grn soft point superb groups 100 grn I have tried in 3 different guns to no avail wouldn't stablize em saying that some people prefer em

[jamie g 17]

that isn't a crimp ring. it is a InterLock Ring it ensures that the core and jacket remain locked during expansion. like the guys above said. i wouldn't bother with crimping. because if you don't get it right on all your loads.

 

your going to get different results with your ammo and it wont be consistent

Edited December 8, 2011 by jamie g

[charlie caller 3,654]

that isn't a crimp ring. it is a InterLock Ring it ensures that the core and jacket remain locked during expansion. like the guys above said. i wouldn't bother with crimping. because if you don't get it right on all your loads.

 

your going to get different results with your ammo and it wont be consistent

Quit agree, try just neck sizing your fired cases mate,start at factory aol and tweek it from there

[Acuspell 329]

Bullet seating depth with also alter the group accuracy. YOUR chamber will be within factory tolerance, but every one is different. You can make yourself a custom bullet seating depth very easily, take a resized case and DO NOT PRIME IT. leave it purely as a case (a bullet holder only). Seat a bullet LONG. It doesn't matter how long at this stage. You need your rifle close at hand, with the bolt. Seat the bullet, say half way down to the cannelure ring as a guess, especially with the 100gn Hornady (I used the Hornady 100gn SP NOT BOAT TAIL - they were great, even on big reds (24 point biggest it took). Anyway, seat the bullet, take the case out of the press and drop it into the loading port. Close the bolt slowly, as soon as you feel resistence, STOP. You know it is too long before you start - you want it to be.

 

Next step, take a felt marker (or engineers blue if you have access to it - a marker is fine) colour the ogive of the bullet (the curved part that will first engage the rifling as it touches)

Turn the seating die in 1/2 turn and re-seat the bullet - just slide it into the holder and bring the handle down again to push the bullet in a tiny bit more.

try the case/bullet in the breech again, don't force the bolt!. The rifling should have marked the ink, take an educated guess how far into the rifling the bullet would have gone - from how much of the ogive is left to go.

Turn the seating die in another 1/2 turn and repeat the process.

When you can close the bolt and it is just tight but the ink hardly gets marked - you are virtually at the perfect seating depth FOR YOUR CHAMBER, with that case and bullet combination.

The next stages need to be done slower. 1/8th turn at a time until you get a point where the bolt will close with very light pressure. You now have your bullet seating depth guage for your gun!

 

You can take the seating die out, put the neck size die in and resize (neck size) an ddeprime a load of cases - do one stage at a time. Don't do 10 fully - do 100 resizing/depriming, and just keep them ready for loading. It will be more successful, you are less likely to make a mistake.

 

To go to bullet seating stage (with a batch of primed, charged cases sat in the case holder) take out the resizing die, turn the bullet seating die in - if you locked the lock ring witht he grub screw, you should be able to just screw it down to the lock riung. Otherwise just put your bullet seating gauge in the press and turn the seating down onto it, and it will be at the same length as you measured in your breech.

 

Do all your bullet seating for this batch in one go.

 

Crimping th ebullets in their seat is bad for 2 reasons.

1. It increases the pressure significantly, even of the same load. That is one reason why you can load hotter than factory ammo. Their ammo is crimped and soo has ot run cooler.

2. It will work your necks and your cases will not last as long.

 

Do yourself a favour and buy some GOOD brass. The Scandinavian brass is much better than American brass. Norma is superb, so is Lapua.

 

Neck sizing will allow you to reload a case 20 times without it work hardening. Full length sizing means you cases have to be fire formed to your chamber every time. neck sizing leaves them fire formed to your chamber, so they expand less each time. Keep your necks trimmed with a chamfer tool, say, every 4 or 5 reloads. It might be worth writing down your bullet seating depth length OAL measured with a vernier, just in case it gets knocked - but it isn't difficult to go through the process again to make another one. It doesn't matter if the case gets dented for this purpose.