Please Help Me With The OAL Gauge!

[The Reloader]

I finally got my brass in to make some 204 rounds its my first time using the Hornady OAL Gauge and I must be doing something wrong although I am following instructions right on and it feels right. If Needed here is exactly what I am reloading.

Remington Model 700 SPS Varmint in .204
Remington Brass
Hornady 32gr. V-Max

Heres What i did..
1.Took Bolt out of gun
2.Screwed Modified Case onto OAL Gauge
3. Placed Bullet into Modified.
4. Loosened Screw and Put device till case goes as far as it can go.
5. Pushes Plunger Until Gently Feel Contact on lands (I also used my Dewey Cleaning rod through the muzzle and lightly felt the bullet as it again lightly contacts the lands.
6. As the plunger is lightly pressing the bullet on the lands I tighten the brass screw
7.Pulled Out the Modified case and retrieved bullet from lands
Did this over and over probably 5-7 times and got kept getting this same problem.

The Problem is even without the bullet i can even see into the modified case that the bullet is not going to seat deep enough. We are talking almost no room at all. Bullet sits .08" into modified case.
What am i doing wrong everything feel right on!! I don't understand !!

[Cover Dog]

What am i doing wrong everything feel right on!! I don't understand !!

IMO your not doing anything wrong. It seems like you have a very long chamber. It that's the case your going to have to jump your bullets into the lands. You may want to try a longer bullet to see if you will have more bullet in the case and also be closer to the lands.

[The Reloader]

I guess I found the answer to my own question in another forum (someone was wondering the same thing) But In case anyone else was wondering this is what i found from accurateshooter.com I got to say i worried there for a bit.


Many .204 Ruger reloaders, myself included, have found that their .204 Rugers like quite bit of distance between where the bullet is seated and the lands. Most of the factory chambers are cut in such a way that if you try to seat the bullet so it is touching the lands there is so little of the bullet base left in the casing that the bullet might not even stay in the neck.

My load for the 32 gr. V-Max bullets is .052" off the lands.
My load for the 35 gr. FB HP Berger is .111" off the lands.
My load for the 39 gr. Sierra BlitzKing is .0835" off the lands.
My load for the 40 gr. Nosler BT is .056" off the lands.

I like to use the magazine in my Savage 12VLP and therefore I seat my bullets deep enough so they fit the magazine. I do fiddle with seating depth a little bit and think I have the most accurate OAL/seating depth for the bullets I shoot at the particular speeds I shoot them.

wildcat284:
Lancexxx

I'll second Silverfox on that one. I have a Kimber .204 and to hit the lands with the 39gr Sierra Blitz King meant that the bullet wasn't even being gripped by the neck!

As I want to use this rifle as a repeater, I load the cartridge for the longest OAL for the magazine. Mine ended up at 2.280. I was still able to get between 1/4 & 1/2 MOA for 5 shots at 100 yards.

In my rifle, bullet runout seems to be way more important than distance from the lands.

Regards,