Thread: Minimium amount the projectile should be seated inside the neck of the case

Hi, I’m trying to stretch my projectiles out to get them as close to the lands as practical. I’ve noticed that I only have around half the diameter of the projectile in the neck of the case.
I’ve read the general rule is; seat the bullet in the diameter of the projectile. But this rule makes the projectile ridiculously short. Common sense tells me I need to seat enough to insure the projectile is held by the neck enough and is seating in straight. I’m also seating just before the canalure. I’m not going to crimp.

Any thoughts on this would be really helpful.

Cheers, Brent

You'll get away with the bullet in half of the neck. Just be aware that it will be easier to knock to bullets out of alignment in the case neck when carrying them, although you shouldn't have any issues.

A few general comments, neck tension is a factor in consistent accuracy as is the projectiles alignment with the bore and the jump to engage the rifling. Short seating might give irregular neck tension and "off centre" bore alignment and there is a risk of projectiles unseating either in the bore or magazine. Also bullet jump varies in its effect on accuracy.
If you are seating just behind a cannelure and you say it's only half the diameter in the neck I suspect that it's a light for cal bullet and you will still be a ways off.
Just general comments not knowing the calibre, bullet weight or style, rifle, and intended application.

Hi Marty, thanks for your reply. 7.62x39 Ruger ranch rifle. 125 grain. On the range shooting mostly. Cheers Brent

I have a howa in that. Magazine length is set around factory ammo but looking I see there are a few mm spare.
Projectile length seems to vary between .832 and 1.05 inches in the factory ammo I have pulled but all are seated to the same coal.
I don't reload having a wodge of barnaul and norinco left over but don't think chasing the lands will have any effect either on accuracy or robustness of the ammo.
The rifle and cartridge deliver fine accuracy well in excess of what its intended purpose as a mid range combat round required, and it has become a very popular mid power hunting round far superior to the 223 in many ways but if you reload then theres always the option for experimentation.
I would be keen to know if seating differences do make a difference in this case.

I always seated the .310 projectiles TO the canalure.....anything else was deeper to fit mag in the bisley/norinco
when using 125grn ballistic tip .308 projectiles they were seated so deep it NEARLY started to taper off leaving gap between brass and copper...nearly but not quite.
she is a really easy calibre to load for.

Im told alot of .308s have a space walk for projectile before it meets the lands so you seat for concintricity...eg seat it good n deep...try turning case n projectile 180 degrees just after STARTING to seat so any wonkyness in your dies/press is donged back the other way so to speak....it works rather well.

I try and get dia of bullet in neck plenty may disagree but it works for me. The exception is my 22 Hornets with 35 gr pills which had fuk all in the case neck but still accurate

Marty's quite right. You need some neck tension to control the angle of the seated projectile. If you seat very shallow into the case, you also run the risk of the projectile jamming in the lands. This becomes a major problem when you go to uncock and remove the unfired round from the chamber, only to find that the projectile is still jammed, and your action is full of powder.
If youre determined by magazine length then thats the maximum depth. You can always seat deeper from that point.
10 thou is a good starting point, deepening to 15 thou and even 20 thou.
If youre not limited by magazine length, then start with just touching the lands and move deeper to tighten up the groups.
Changing powder loads usually results in vertical variation
Seating depth changes usually show up in the form of horizontal variation

Originally Posted by Mauser308

Funnily enough been doing that turn 180deg thing my entire reloading 'career' and can't recall where it came from. Didn't realise until recently that not everyone does it haha...

Ditto

a really good mate showed me to do it some 30ish years ago.... a fella in states who does loads of reloading and testing was having concentricity issues so I suggested it to him...he was dubious...but tried it and ate humble pie, to his credit he was good enough to say so afterwards.....it funny how simple dies work really well using this method.


also recently have heard short seating CAN lead to a doughnut forming in neck area...took me awhile to work this out,believe the pressure of powder etc will push base of neck out more than the bit with projectile in it....dont know if it is issue or not.

short seating can cause a doughnut?
Pictures or it doesn't happen.
and work hardening something that does no work?
how come these things don't happen when seating bullets to full depth?

also recently have heard short seating CAN lead to a doughnut forming in neck area...took me awhile to work this out,believe the pressure of powder etc will push base of neck out more than the bit with projectile in it....dont know if it is issue or not.[/QUOTE]

Don't see how this could happen if the shoulder is headspaced properly the neck is fully in the chambers neck and can not expand more than the rest of the neck,
Doughnuts are usually formed in neck turned brass when fired the step in the brass from turning is reversed and is on the inside of the neck and is the beginning of a doughnut
the brass moves forward every time the case is fired and builds up at the base of the neck,
Chasing the rifling is a waste of time in a standard factory chambered barrel, just load the projectile to the manufacturers specs and do your load development, unless the rifle
is a pile of rubbish it will be more than addiquit for hunting at normal distances.