Seating Die
 

Well, after months of reading and buying equipment, I loaded my first rounds this week. Excited about that and so far I've got about $200 per round invested...kinda hate to fire one.

How do you'll get the seating die set for the correct seating depth? Is it just trial and error or is there a procedure for getting it right? I loaded 270 and the manual stated the COL was 2.85. Isn't that the max lenght and, if so, how short can they be? As luck would have it, on my first try my cartridge came out with an overall length of 2.82.

Thanks for your help.

You'll have to experiment with depth.The ideal distance for best accuracy from the lands will vary from one bullet weight/length/shape to the next.Good luck!

Yep, you have to experiment with the OAL as the max OAL varies from rifle to rifle, and each one likes something different. There should be a section in your manual advising you on how to do that.

To adjust the seating die, you set the die for either crimping, or no crimp, and then you adjust the seater die plug on the top of the die, and keep adjusting and measuring until you get the OAL you want.

Don't experiment much with the original setting. Experiment later in fine tuning. To get the seating depth set right, follow the manufacters instructions. You don't wan to set it to crimp for most bolt action and single shot rifles.

Now get a cleaning rod and put a plastic cleaning patch on it, cut off the jag so its flat on top. Run it down the barrel of the rifle till it stops on the face of the bolt. Take a pencil and mark on the cleaning rod right where the rod leaves the barrel. Now pull the bolt out and drop a bullet your going to use into the barrel and hold it into the lands while you again insert the cleaning rod, mark it again the same way, back off just a bit and that is where you start form. Measure between those lines, it's the distance from the bolt face to the bullet tip with the ogive touching the lands. Get the first bullet set to that and one more turn of the seater plug stem and save the dummy cartridge to reset you die with that bullet type again.