Thread: Q1 COAL ...a novice reloader question.

Originally Posted by LBD

This is Q1 of what may be many over the next few months if I cannot find the answer else where... and yes it does feel like I am staring down the rabbit hole with a voice in my head shouting.... "DON'T JUMP!!!!!

I do have my head around COAL and the value of a COAL/jump matched to a rifle... but having this knowledge raises a question....

Q1, Is there any real value adjusting the COAL of new factory loads to suit my gun?

If so...then is there a preferred method of moving the projectile out from the cartridge a little before re-seating to the desired length in a press?

First decide weather your preferred factory load does what you need, only change it, if it does not.

Quite safe to knock projectile out with a kinetic puller ( just as Cordite says), it is a normal practice. Then use a regular seating die to put it back where you want it. If you get a bit excited and knock the projectile clean out, you just put it back together again (assuming your hammer is not full of other crap). Loaded projectiles that have sat for a long time (years), benefit from a smack and reseat if you were a target type shooter.

A tactic I have been guilty of from time to time with factory loads if forced to go down that route, is to pull the projectiles, measure the powder charge, cross reference load data and sacrifice one round for it's powder and use that powder to "top up" the other 19 cartridges in the box. The factories generally lie about velocity.