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Hedge:
On your post of June 17th, you said: I don't measure OAL. Instead, I take my measurements from the ogive. With my RCBS comparator, I'm showing .130''

I also am working up loads for my Savage 12 FCV w/26" barrel, so I read your post with a lot of interest, but I am not sure what you mean when you say "I'm showing .130" Do you mean to say that your are seating your bullet 0.013" from the lands? or are you saying that you have 0.130" of the bullet in the cartridge case?

When I look at the measurements that I have for the Hornady 40 gr. in my rifle, I get a measurement of 2.041" to the lands and if I back off 0.013" that would make it a ogive reading of 2.028". I am using a Hornady Lock-N-Load straight O.A.L. gauge and a Hornady comparator to get the ogive. Does that sound right to you?

I have been working up some loads H 335 and did not like the results I was getting by using a setting set back 0.040" from the lands. I then changed powders to Benchmark at the same set back (0.040") when I realized I was chasing the wrong variable. So I adjusted to 0.010" set back form the lands and improved by 15% to 45% over the prior groups. I am heading to the range tomorrow (God Willing) and will be trying the same Benchmark loads set at 0.005" off the lands but I am a little concerned about how much bullet is seated in the cartridge which might give me too much run out (which I can not measure here).

Any help you can give me work up to a better seating depth for the Savage 12FCV will be appropriated.

Hedge--The reason for the "Sorry" is in the Post subject: at the top of the message. The "Sorry" was posted because I made a duplicate post and deleted the text, but the message body stayed there.

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Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:09 pm
Location: Seattle, Washington

PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:54 pm

Hedge:
On your post of June 17th, you said: I don't measure OAL. Instead, I take my measurements from the ogive. With my RCBS comparator, I'm showing .130''

I also am working up loads for my Savage 12 FCV w/26" barrel, so I read your post with a lot of interest, but I am not sure what you mean when you say "I'm showing .130". Do you mean to say that your are seating your bullet 0.013" from the lands? or are you saying that you have 0.130" of the bullet in the cartridge case?

When I look at the measurements that I have for the Hornady 40 gr. in my rifle, I get a measurement of 2.041" to the lands and if I back off 0.013" that would make it a ogive reading of 2.028". I am using a Hornady Lock-N-Load straight O.A.L. gauge and a Hornady comparator to get the ogive. Does that sound right to you?

I have been working up some loads H 335 and did not like the results I was getting by using a setting set back 0.040" from the lands. I then changed powders to Benchmark at the same set back (0.040") when I realized I was chasing the wrong variable. So I adjusted to 0.010" set back form the lands and improved by 15% to 45% over the prior groups. I am heading to the range tomorrow (God Willing) and will be trying the same Benchmark loads set at 0.005" off the lands but I am a little concerned about how much bullet is seated in the cartridge which might give me too much run out (which I can not measure here).

Any help you can give me work up to a better seating depth for the Savage 12FCV will be appropriated.

Madpaddler,

Don't know if you're familiar with the RCBS comparator. Essentially, it contains a simulated .204 case with an adjustable 'bullet' insert. Works on the same principle as the Stoney Point tool. With that, I measured the depth to lands as .1590" using the ogive gage that comes with the tool. This is a relative measurement based on the tool's scale.

I worked up my seating depth based on that measurement, seating the bullets in -0.010 increments from the .1590 reading I originally got. I found my accuracy point at .130. So, subtracting .130 from .159, you get a seating depth of .0290 +/_ .001" off the lands

Probably would have been better had I just stated a seating depth of .030" in my original post.

The throat on the Savage is quite long. The thing with the .204 is that it seems to prefer a long run to the lands. Accuracy wise, keeping the bullet seated to a depth of at least a bullet diameter in the neck will help keep it straight as it starts it's run to the lands.

I know that alot of bench rest shooters seat right to the lands but that's not possible with the .204 bullets and still keep it in the case. Doesn't seem to need it for accuracy, anyway.

As for powder, I liked the accuracy I was getting with H335, but found that it is far too temperature sensitive for me. I was getting hard bolt lift on warm days with a moderate load. Switched to 8208 XBR which seems to be really insensitive to temps, burns slower and cooler. Heck, my cases aren't even warm on extraction. Plus, the 26" barrel give it plenty of time to build pressure safely.

Hope that helps.
Good shooting on the range! It's been raining here in the Dakotas almost every day. I have my own range but still can't get out to use it!!

Hedge