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bullet seating
Hey guys new to the forum been reloading for five years just got a new t3 lite 270 wsm working on a load right now but pretty confused on the whole bullet seating depth. trying to figure out where to start off the lands. Everything i have been reading is contradicting some people say seat just off the lands some say jump to lands any ideas where would be a good starting point thanks.
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7 Replies
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Considering the gun you are loading for, I suggest that you use the same seating depth as factory ammo. Your ammo has to fit in the magazine which might rule out seating out to the lands anyway. How well your ammo feeds from the magazine and how well it chambers is the first concern.
In your case I think that choice of bullet, powder and powder charge weight are more important for starters than changes in seating depth.
The question of seating depth usually comes down to what works best for the individual to get that last bit of accuracy from an already very accurate rifle and load. Beware of anyone making a general rule for others based on what works best for them.Added later: Speer recommends seating at least .020'' away from the lands when using maximum loads.
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If the loaded cartridge will fit in your mag, start .010″ off the lands, then back off in .010″ increments until you find your best shooting load.
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Thanks guys really appreciate the info.
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I load as far out as the mag will let me.
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I agree with the last two quotes i load my tikka 300 wsm .0625 off the lands and have achieved .375″ 100 YRDS groups.
However with solid copper bullets you will need a longer jump because of the unforgiving forming as it enters the barrel. -
Maximum OAL for my .308 is 2.830″ to fit into my magazines. This is only .020″ over what the Hornady load manual requires for the bullets I'm using. This isn't anywhere near seated to the lands. I really need to rework my bolt stop and get a long action magazine!!
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I just got my Tikka T3 Lite, haven't even fired it yet, but I've been reloading 7mm-08 for a little over a year for my TC Icon. I took a couple of loads that the TC shoots well (sub 1″), and tried to chamber them in the Tikka, No Joy, both loads bind in the lands. So even though the magazines are very similar between the two rifles, it appears the Tikka has a tighter chamber, and the bullets will have to be seated a bit deeper. So the Tikka magazine can actually accommodate a longer bullet than the chamber in 7mm-08 (bullets in question are Speer Deep Curl 160gr, and Speer BTSP 145gr), which I credit to the fact that the magazine is built for a .308, much like your magazine is built for 300 WSM.
If you've already experimented with it enough that you've got it figured out I'd love to read what your final results were.
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