Who's been messing with my COAL

[Firearrow]

So I finally got tired of wondering about this and wanted some feedback on this. To start with I use RWS brass for my 300 WM, and anneal it after each use. So what I noticed is my COAL changes after I finish loading it.

Last night I loaded up the Berger COAL load test, 6 rounds seated at .01, .05, .09, and .13. I was at the range and for what ever reason I check the seating depth again before I shot. Most of the rounds COAL's had changed. This got me wondering and I checked my other loads and they had change as well.

So who else has noticed this, and what's the theroy on why it happens.

 

[mountainman56]

Only thing that comes to mind is a compressed load along with too little neck tension due to annealing temp to high. Just a thought.

 

[unclefish]

Usually happens to me on my pistol loads where u are chrimping them after seating. Other thing on hard plastic cases are the bullet tips down .

 

[gohring3006]

Are you running compressed loads? Maybe your annealing to often or to much heat and the brass is to soft..

 

[Firearrow]

I'm using a drop tube and I don't feel the "crunch" of a compressed load. I'll try not anealing the next time.

Thanks.

 

[bill123]

Are they getting longer or shorter and are you measuring tip to base or ogive to base?

 

[baldhunter]

Get a bullet comparator and measure off the ogive.You will find this tool will be your best friend when setting your seating depth.I found bullets tend to vary very little off the ogive than measured off the point.

 

[Firearrow]

I do have and use a comparator with each round. Some of the rounds have grown between .0005 and .0015. The .0005 I really wouldn't get to ruffled up about, but I am working on load development and I am not picky about everything when I am trying to squeeze the most accurecy possible.

And to answer the other possibility my rounds are stored tip up. I'm thinking maybe the annealing might be the culprit.

 

[baldhunter]

I see very little variation from each round,in fact more are exact than not,unlike measuring from the base to the tip.The problems you are having,I too had those same problems.A friend of mine also had the same problem.I told him to get a Hornady comparator,he was very thankful to me for helping him cure this frustrating problem.I never felt comfortable setting bullets too close to the lands.With the comparator,I feel much more confident just how far off the lands I am now.

 

[Firearrow]

I see very little variation from each round,in fact more are exact than not,unlike measuring from the base to the tip.The problems you are having,I too had those same problems.A friend of mine also had the same problem.I told him to get a Hornady comparator,he was very thankful to me for helping him cure this frustrating problem.I never felt comfortable setting bullets too close to the lands.With the comparator,I feel much more confident just how far off the lands I am now.

That is the comparator I use. I don't think I explained right. I seat all my rounds to the distance I want, and then at a later time I rechecked their COAL and some had grown. That's why I think it might be from the annealing. Might have something to do with neck tension and the brasses spring back after seating. I'm going to load some new brass and some old and see if the same thing happens.

 

[BergerBoy]

I ave a similar/same problem. Once I set the COAL and tighten it all up and begin seating they vary. I didn't know if it was the Meplat?? My dies are Redding bout they are my fathers approx. 30 years old. Could that matter?