Huntnful
Well-Known Member
I have a new barrel ready to put on my 28 nosler, but before I put it on, I figured I could do some various testing! I got all my land measurements by slowly seating a bullet until it tapped in flush with the face of the barrel, but could still be lifted out with relative ease. I did this with a Berger 195 EOL, Berger 180 VLD target & Hammer Hunter 143gr.
While I was at it, I seated all of the same bullets extra long because I wanted see how far it actually took to jam the bullet (as hard as I could push it in with my thumb), from where it was just lightly tapped in and touching the lands all the way to a stop in the rifling.
195 EOL was .074 into lands until fully jammed
180 VLD T was .118 into lands until fully jammed
143 HH was .023 into lands until fully jammed
THEN for my last test, I took at 180 VLD target that was seated intentionally long (almost not long enough) with .0015 Neck Tension. I took the overall length measurement of the round first. I then put the round into the barrel and just tapped it in slightly, touching the lands, for a baseline measurement. I then shoved it in as hard as I could with my thumb. It went in another .118 into the rifling before stopping. I mean I shoved this thing in there. I then PRIED it out with a butter knife. The bullet was still in the the brass AND the round maintained the same exact overall length, with .0015 neck tension.
I'm not recommending people just shove bullets into the their lands for load development, but being close, or slightly into the lands isn't as scary as it's portrayed sometimes, as far as potentially getting a bullet stuck. There is way more grip in the neck of that case than the tapered, intermittent rifling.
While I was at it, I seated all of the same bullets extra long because I wanted see how far it actually took to jam the bullet (as hard as I could push it in with my thumb), from where it was just lightly tapped in and touching the lands all the way to a stop in the rifling.
195 EOL was .074 into lands until fully jammed
180 VLD T was .118 into lands until fully jammed
143 HH was .023 into lands until fully jammed
THEN for my last test, I took at 180 VLD target that was seated intentionally long (almost not long enough) with .0015 Neck Tension. I took the overall length measurement of the round first. I then put the round into the barrel and just tapped it in slightly, touching the lands, for a baseline measurement. I then shoved it in as hard as I could with my thumb. It went in another .118 into the rifling before stopping. I mean I shoved this thing in there. I then PRIED it out with a butter knife. The bullet was still in the the brass AND the round maintained the same exact overall length, with .0015 neck tension.
I'm not recommending people just shove bullets into the their lands for load development, but being close, or slightly into the lands isn't as scary as it's portrayed sometimes, as far as potentially getting a bullet stuck. There is way more grip in the neck of that case than the tapered, intermittent rifling.
