Setting COAL for accuracy

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280longshot

280longshot

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I see several here that have stellar results by setting the bullets close to the lands but in return have problems with a bullet that will not fit into their mag.
It's a trade off I know, but do you guys automatically do it or as a last resort to obtain that stellar accuracy?
How much accuracy do you want to obtain as a trade off?
Do you guys try different loads/bullets before you set the COAL too long for the mag?
Understand these questions are for deer hunting accuracy not competition...
 
I seat out all the time period .010 off the go .005 or .015 .025

I want as much accuracy as possible when i am hunting period

what trade off ? so my short action rifle becomes a 2 shot

i have killed several triples back to back to back with a single shot and a 2 shot bolt action it is not a trade off to me

i try not to over think reloading i have learned a simple method

work your way to max load with powder of choice
imo when hunting i want the max speed a cartridge can give me and then use seating depth to finalize accuracy

sometimes i do have to back down charge to get where i want it
 
I generally always start 10 thou off the lands (or 50 thou for Barnes and E-Tips) and work COAL down as needed. I do have a couple short action 700s (270 WSM and 7-08) that I can't reach the lands with and still feed from the magazine. On those you just have to weigh your options and decide which you want the most, a little more accuracy or a few more shots.

My WSM I load long and live with 2 shots as it'll be used for longer shots that need to be more accurate (in theory anyways).

I've yet to see a long action 700 that I couldn't touch the lands with and still feed from a magazine, although I do have one that if I wanted to touch the lands with a lighter bullet it wouldn't be in the case but just a few thou. That's where heavy for caliber bullets are your friend :grin:
 
I automatically do it as part of load creation.

I apply that to every rifle. Most of the time it works.

I want stellar accuracy at every distance I might take a shot-and I think 300 yards is my max. My 300 WinMag BOSS is an exception to that.

For me it is not a tradeoff. I don't care about magazine capability. That first shot is what counts. This is why SD is so important.

If a particular load recipe is not proving accurate I will adjust the COl to see what happens and that is my experience with Superformance powder.
 
I've only ran into this on one rifle. It wasn't mine and I no longer load for it. But it would shoot great loaded to mag length. As others have said. The first shot is what really counts. When I'm at the range I rarely put more than one in any gun I'm shooting. I don't hunt where I can kill multiple deer so if I did run into the issue I'd adjust accordingly.
 
I find the sweet spot with my charge, and then adjust it with OAL. Except with a couple of belted magnums. Example is my Rem700 7mmmag, it has so much freebore that I can't touch the lands and hold the bullet in the neck, and it's my most accurate hunting rifle. Go figure!
 
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Be aware that some rifles won't allow you to seat that close to the lands. My Remington 700 .308 with factory chamber has such a long throat that if I seat anywhere near that close to the lands the bullet is not held securely in the cartridge.

Yes I would prefer to be able to but I'm still getting consistently .75moa groups so I won't fuss.
 
Honestly for a deer rifle, I don't experiment with OAL most of the time. I seat to approximate factory load length and shoot to see what I get. Sometimes I do "black" out a bullet with a Sharpie to see if I'm "in the rifling" just so I know but mostly to avoid touching the rifling because of potential pressure problems. If I'm getting around 1 moa I see no reason to worry about it for deer as around 300 yards is the max I intend to shoot a deer anyway. Fortunately my main rifle that could easily stretch that distance - a Rem 700CDL stainless in 257Weatherby - shoots .6moa with both loads I've tried. Both these loads I just put max amounts of IMR 7828 in the case and used nominal OAL's and got .6moa 3 shot groups. The way I see it, a 257 Weatherby barrel only has so many shots in it. If it shoots that good, why wear it out looking to shave 1/4" off the group when you are shooting at something as big as a deer??
 
How do you find where the lands are so you know where to begin backing off? Do you color the bullet, load the gun and see if the bullet is marked from the rifling, color, seat a little deeper, and repeat until it is no longer marked?
 
I like to start with the max length that works in my magazine. If it shoots good, great...if it jams lans at that length, I seat it deeper. Most 308s are throated to accept the 180 gr round nose bullet, so reaching the lans on most 308s is very hard to do with spitzer style bullets. I don't really worry about hair splitting accuracy, if I'm at an inch or less @ 100, I'm good to go. Ive never tried a 2 shot rifle, mainly because I can generally get the accuracy I am looking for and still fill my magazine.
 
Treefarmer. Your explanation is pretty close.
Yes, paint the bullet with a magic marker and proceed as you mentioned. I measure with my micrometer every step and write it down along with a note like touching lands or won't chamber easy. You can also determine this by thread count on you seating die.

If you have a sub moa rifle at any COL, you go with the longest one that lets you fill you magazine.

As mentioned, its a routine 10 to 30 minute task you basically do once for a given recipe.
 
treefarmer said:
How do you find where the lands are so you know where to begin backing off? Do you color the bullet, load the gun and see if the bullet is marked from the rifling, color, seat a little deeper, and repeat until it is no longer marked?
Click to expand...


i prefer to use the right tool for the job

hornaday col gauge

http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Overall-L ... ngth+gauge


have to but the modified case

http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Lock-Load ... +case+.270



and i alway use a comparator to measure the ogive of the bullet

http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Lock-Load ... +case+.270
 
I use Franklin Armory col set. It is the easiest and surest way for me to find the exact maximum col for a particular bullet in each rifle. It is much more accurate the coloring the bullet and looking for scratches of the lands on the bullet. I start .01 off lands and adjust from there if needed.
 

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