Finding where your bullet meets your lands

[greener280]

I am having an issue finding where my bullets are meeting my lands on my 7mm Rem Mag with 168 Berger VLD's. I cannot get a consistent reading on them, and seems that they are slipping into my lands with minimal pressure on the Hornady seating depth tool. Has anyone else had this problem?

 

[Mikecr]

Where to begin?
Best IMO is to review the many issues shooters run into here:
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/search.php?searchid=1374674

What you're seeing is pretty common.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Have not used the tool you're talking about so I cannot comment on the problem you may be having with the tool. When finding the rifling I like to mark the ogive/bearing surface intersection with a black sharpie and carefully adjust the bullet out (toward the rifling) from a certain starting depth. I use the Hornady collet style bullet puller during this process. Once you just start to see rifling marks that scuff the sharpie you are very close. Then you can fine tune a thousandth or two with your depth (using a seating die) until the marks are so faint that they are almost imaginary. Often you will only get one or two marks in the black too if the rifling is not perfect. This can be time consuming but seems to work excellent.

 

[bubbagump11]

I am having an issue finding where my bullets are meeting my lands on my 7mm Rem Mag with 168 Berger VLD's. I cannot get a consistent reading on them, and seems that they are slipping into my lands with minimal pressure on the Hornady seating depth tool. Has anyone else had this problem?

I don't have my OAL guage right now and am doing the 'hick in the sticks' thing... worked alright in my varmint rig.

slightly pinched a already fired case enough that it would hold a bullet when pushed into it, just set the bullet into the neck and chamber the round.. then back the bullet off in your loads accordingly. Very primitive but it worked for me..

 

[Stumpm2]

When using the Hornady tool, Iuse a wooden dowel just smaller than the bore. I put the Hornady tool in the chamber and the dowel down the barrel. Use the dowel to push the bullet back and push against the rod on the Hornady tool. By using light pressure on the dowel and the tool, you can better feel when you touch the lands.

 

[lsm62]

I don't have my OAL guage right now and am doing the 'hick in the sticks' thing... worked alright in my varmint rig.

slightly pinched a already fired case enough that it would hold a bullet when pushed into it, just set the bullet into the neck and chamber the round.. then back the bullet off in your loads accordingly. Very primitive but it worked for me..

i did this with my rifle and it worked well.

 

[sp6x6]

Mikecr was trying to link a thread. It did not work for me. But this issue has come up many times. If you are using the brass, SUPPLIED, by them, it is not fireformed to your chamber.And as so I found that my gauge brass where off .005-.007 .If you send in your fired brass for gauge then no. You need a shoulder type gauge and comparator to find this. For this reason I USE THE Sinclair tool.You use your own fired brass. Also I bought a tap to make my own gauge out of a Norma and did not have right set up to get threads straight enough, slight angle throws measurement off.I have had friends go by feel and it is really easy with bolt cam to over jam the bullet, seen that many times.

 

[Reloader222]

To do a simple efficient way of determining the OAL of your rifle, go to the following site:

Innovative Technologies - Reloading Equipment

Select Reloading & Shooting Tech Tip.