Problems with consistent COAL.....

[duece71]

All,
I am loading on a Dillon 550b, using Dillon dies. I was loading .45acp, jacketed bullets the other day and was having some wild deviations in cartridge overall length (COAL). My goal was 1.265, but I was seeing measurements from 1.259 to 1.272. 1.272 is getting kinda long, actually quite close to max length (1.275). I checked to make sure the seating and crimping dies were tight and that nothing else was loose. I adjusted the seating die a couple of times to see if that would help. My bell on the case is not excessive, in fact I decreased it before loading these rounds. I made sure that the dies were clean and no obstructions inside each die. Any idea what is going on here?? I make sure to put each bullet on each case as straight as I can before I seat the bullet. I may have to call Dillon to see if they can tell me what is up. Thanks for the replies.

[Hound_va]

Remember how your seating die works. It does not seat based upon the very end of the bullet. The seating stem makes contact somewhere on the ogive of the bullet. Bullets, even from the same manufacturer, actually vary in this dimension based upon which machine and die was used to make them. Also you cannot always take the suggested measurements from a load manual for say a Speer 230 gr round nose and apply that same measurement to a Remington 230 gr round nose as they may differ in shape enough even though they're the same weight to give you problems with OAL. Set your die so your longest does not exceed the max OAL spec and feeds well. Don't obsess over slight variations in OAL because there are things that you cannot rectify other than by changing your seating die for each individual bullet you load.

[duece71]

I was loading the Sierra 230 gr FMJ and the Remington 230 gr FMJ at the same time and I did some measurements on both bullets and the Remington bullets has more variation in length than the Sierra offering. That could be the culprit.

[Hound_va]

Look at it this way, you cannot set up your die to load 230 gr Hornady XTP bullets and expect to get the same OAL when you switch to 230 gr Speer gold dots without resetting your die as the seating stem contacts each bullet in a differing place on the ogive. Just because bullets are of the same weight doesnt mean that they are of the exact same shape. Max OAL isn't always the suggested OAL.

[StingerDan]

You can get them close,but it will require 2 more steps. First, seperate your bullets with a comparotor base to ogive, then take that pile and seperate them base to tip. Most bullets base to ogive are close,so just remove the oddballs. Now they should all come out fairly close. It is a pain in the ass, but if you have a lot of time on your hands, or want maximum accuracy, then there you go! Dan.

[JW5219]

Hound va has pretty much got it covered.

[T2C]

I have run into inconsistent C.O.L. measurements myself. Some projectiles have a wide range of O.A.L. As long as the measurement from the base of the brass to the bullet ogive is consistent, you should be good to go.

[duece71]

Thanks for all the replies fellas. This ammo is just for plinking/target shooting. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong or overlooking something. Stinger Dan, I wish I had that much time. If I were shooting matches, yes, I would do that. Hound va, I hear ya, I might measure out a few bullets at a time, or just keep the Sierras and the Remington separated.