Been handloading since the early 80s. I am a hunter not a target shooter. I thought I might add my thoughts on this subject. Sorry it is a bit lengthy.
I find the more recent discussion of freebore interesting. Ever since the VLD style bullets hit the market and handloaders discovered how finicky these bullets were, requiring engagement of the lands, this issue became an obsession for many shooters. (I realize that Berger suggests trying four seating depths from engagement to tens of thousandths off the lands)
The way handloaders did it for decades before VLDs, was to seat a bullet as long as possible to fit and feed from the magazine. Then check to see if the bullet was contacting the lands. (Bet there are a few, including me, who have ended up with a bullet in the bore because we overlooked this important detail.) If the bullet must contact the lands there must be sufficient neck grip or shallow engagement to allow the round to be removed. With the bullet seated this way the powder charge weights were determined and load development began. That was all most of us ever did. It shot or it didn't.
With more emphasis on seating depth some of us began to tweak the original seating depth as mentioned above and seated incrementally deeper to find better accuracy. I believe it was knowledge that most of us were not aware of back in the 80s.
With SAMMI spec chambers and "regular" hunting bullets using random seating depths the bullets worked just fine. Sierra, Nosler, Hornady and Speer bullets shot great groups and killed many animals. Heck even Weatherby chamberings with their huge freebores shot well.
I will admit even I have succumbed to the knowledge of ogive/land distances. I own over a dozen custom reamers with specs that will work well for a magazine's length and the bullet of choice. I even shoot some of the VLD hunting bullets requiring a short throat to get them to kiss the lands.
To answer Haisardao's question: If I want a custom reamer made I make a dummy round and specify the leade angle and distance from the bullet's ogive to lands engagement.
Then the game changer showed up due to the brilliance of Bryan Litz, Berger's ballistician. The hybrid bullet was created. IMO no one should have to chase the lands just seat the bullet to fit and feed from a magazine! I have helped many friends make loads for their rifles as well as my own.
It is as easy as seating the bullet to properly fit and feed from the magazine. They truly are seating depth insensitive. Just work up your powder charge from there. All the hunting rifles I have loaded this way have responded with excellent groups. I don't bother to actually know the distance to the lands! I do check a dummy round by polishing the bullet with fine steel wool and chambering it to see if it is engaging the lands ensuring the bullet isn't deep into the rifling.
To date all the hybrid Bergers listed below have performed well without the angst of land engagement.
Rifles loaded with Berger hybrids to date:
7-08 168 classic hunter hybrid
284 win 168 classic hunter hybrid and 180 match target hybrid
Four 7 Rem mags 168 classic hunter hybrid
7 mag and 180 target hybrid
308 215 match hybrid
308 with 168 classic hunter
Two 338 RCMs 300 gr OTM hybird
6-284 95 gr classic hunter hybrid
four 300 RUMs 230 gr berger match target hybrid
300 WSM 230 gr berger match target hybrid
two 300 Win mags 215 Berger match target hybrid
two 338 RUMS with 300 gr OTMs
) advice on making and sending a dummy round.
